A Diary of a Start-up: ZunTold Publishing

When we first met with Elaine Bousfield, founder of ZunTold Publishing, she had big ideas. A brand-new publishing house with a focus on fiction for children and young people was the aim – with a focus on diversity and a link to mental health. Starting from scratch, Conker’s challenge was to spread the word and get books on shelves, carving a name for ZunTold among the big players in the publishing world.

Since we started working with ZunTold in October 2018, the company has gone from strength to strength.

ZunTold’s titles have appeared in influential publications across the UK, starred on TV and radio, piqued the interest of top bloggers and garnered a dedicated following on social media. Here is how we helped them get there…

• Included in an Observer/Guardian review online, in a roundup of ‘best recent children’s fiction’. Listings on the Guardian Bookshop led to a direct increase in sales.

• Coverage in The Bookseller preview listings supported sales to bookshops. (The books are now listed on Foyles and Waterstones).

• Piece in Writing Magazine attracted pitches from numerous unpublished authors with their manuscripts.

• Influencer outreach. Contacting influential figures in the children’s/YA fiction world led to powerful endorsements, including bestselling author Tracy Chevalier.

• Social media campaign. Took combined following from zero to almost 1000 in 10 months. An extremely active and engaged following has strengthened the brand.

• Event management, with successful book launches and literary festival invites. Attracted influential attendees such as bloggers and journalists.

The Stats 

• 19 influential articles in six months
• 526K – eyeballs on ZunTold article in The Guardian
• 2.35M readers of First News review.
• 300M readers of ZunTold articles online.
• 48% of Twitter followers have social authority scores of 41-60.

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