Frequently asked questions

With StoryEngine, you get a comprehensive, personalised launch strategy delivered as a professional PDF. It covers positioning, audience definition, platform strategy, content themes, email guidance, ARC strategy, media and podcast outreach, launch week planning, and post-launch momentum. With StoryEngine + StoryDrive, you also get a 12-week content roadmap in spreadsheet format with ready-to-post content ideas, plus a document suite with email templates, a book pitch, press kit, author bios, and an Amazon page guide.

Your StoryEngine strategy is delivered as a professional, branded PDF document - typically 90+ pages across three parts. If you also get StoryDrive, the content roadmap comes as a spreadsheet (Excel format) and the document suite as an additional PDF with templates ready to use.

StoryEngine is your strategy - the "what" and "why" behind your book launch. It covers positioning, audience, platforms, content pillars, email, ARCs, media, events, and a full launch timeline. StoryDrive is the execution layer - the "how" and "when." It turns your strategy into a 12-week content roadmap with specific post topics, captions, creative briefs, hashtags, and CTAs, plus a complete document suite with ready-to-use templates.

bookfluence works across all genres - fiction and non-fiction alike. Whether you've written a literary novel, a thriller, a self-help guide, a business book, a memoir, a children's book, or poetry, the questionnaire captures the nuances of your specific genre and the strategy adapts accordingly.

Both. Non-fiction authors often have different goals - establishing authority, growing an email list, landing speaking gigs - and the strategy reflects that. Fiction authors typically focus more on reader communities, ARCs, and retailer visibility. The questionnaire captures which applies to you, and the strategy is built around your specific goals.

Courses teach you general principles and leave you to figure out how to apply them. bookfluence starts with a detailed questionnaire about your specific book, audience, platforms, and capacity - and builds a strategy around your answers. Everything you receive is personalised. You're not learning theory - you're getting a plan you can act on immediately.

The questionnaire covers everything we need to build a strategy that fits your book and your life. That includes your book's genre, themes, and target reader; your current platforms and comfort levels; your marketing experience and capacity; your launch timeline; your goals and what success looks like for you.

About 20 minutes. Some authors like to take their time and really think through their answers - that's fine too. The more detail you give, the more personalised your strategy will be.

Yes. You can save your progress and come back to the questionnaire at any time before submitting. Once submitted, your strategy is generated based on those answers - but if something significant changes, get in touch and we'll help you update your strategy.

Your StoryEngine strategy is delivered within 24 hours of completing the questionnaire. If you've chosen StoryEngine + StoryDrive, the content roadmap and document suite follow within 48 hours.

Every strategy is reviewed by a marketing expert. This human review ensures your strategy is practical, realistic, and genuinely useful - not just algorithmically generated.

If your circumstances change significantly - for example, your launch date shifts, you switch publishers, or your platform focus changes - get in touch and we'll discuss options for updating your strategy. Minor adjustments are part of the process.

No marketing strategy can guarantee sales - and anyone who promises that isn't being honest. What bookfluence does is give you a clear, personalised plan that covers every major marketing channel relevant to your book. It puts you in the strongest possible position to reach readers, build an audience, and create momentum around your launch.

Absolutely. If you already have an audience, your strategy will build on that foundation - with advanced tactics for deepening engagement, converting followers into buyers, and reaching new readers beyond your existing community.

Yes. Many of our authors start from scratch, and the strategy accounts for that. You'll get realistic, step-by-step guidance for building a presence from the ground up - focused on the platforms that make the most sense for your genre and audience.

Ideally, 3–6 months before your launch date. This gives you time to build audience, create content, set up email sequences, and plan your ARC campaign. That said, the strategy adapts to your timeline - if you're launching in 4 weeks, you'll get a compressed plan focused on the highest-impact actions.

Yes. A relaunch strategy can be even more valuable than a first launch, because you already have reader feedback, reviews, and market data to work with. The questionnaire captures where your book is now, and the strategy is built to create fresh momentum.

You can still use bookfluence - as long as you know your book's core concept, genre, and target reader. Some authors find it helpful to get their strategy early so they can start building an audience while they finish writing.

StoryEngine is £147 (launch price, normally £249) and StoryEngine + StoryDrive is £197 (launch price, normally £379). One questionnaire, two ways to launch. You can upgrade at any time.

We use AI to generate your personalised strategy at scale, then every document is reviewed by a marketing expert. This lets us deliver agency-quality work at a fraction of the cost.

Yes. If you start with StoryEngine and later want the content roadmap and document suite, you can upgrade to include StoryDrive at any time. Your existing strategy forms the foundation, so StoryDrive simply extends it into execution.

Because the strategy is personalised and generated specifically for you, we don't offer refunds once delivery is complete. However, if you're unsatisfied with any aspect, we'd love to hear from you and will work to address your concerns.

Yes. Your strategy documents are yours to keep forever. They're delivered as downloadable PDF and spreadsheet files - no subscription required, no expiry date, and no login needed to access them.

Absolutely. Authors often start with the StoryEngine package and upgrade to StoryEngine + StoryDrive when they're ready for the execution layer. You can scale your support level as your launch schedule dictates.

Your answers are confidential. They're used solely to generate your strategy and are reviewed only by the marketing expert who checks your document. We never share your book details, ideas, or personal information with third parties.

AI helps us generate your personalised strategy quickly and at scale - processing your questionnaire answers and applying proven marketing frameworks to build your plan. But every strategy is then reviewed by a human marketing expert before it reaches you. The AI handles the heavy lifting; the human ensures quality, nuance, and practical relevance.

Three things. First, the system: bookfluence uses a structured questionnaire and a purpose-built framework designed specifically for book launches. Second, the expertise: every strategy is reviewed by a marketing professional. Third, the output: you get a complete, professionally formatted document you can act on immediately - not a chat conversation you have to interpret and organise yourself.

No. Your intellectual property belongs entirely to you. bookfluence is a service-based platform - we provide the tools and expertise, but you retain 100% of your royalties and creative control across all sales platforms.

Our strategy includes guidance for IngramSpark and traditional bookstore outreach where relevant. We provide the digital infrastructure to manage your direct-to-consumer sales and pre-order tracking, along with platform-specific recommendations tailored to your distribution goals.