Hi friend!
I'm Tina
I'm a creator, coach, and social media strategist making indie book marketing and bookstagram growth understandable, effective, and fun.
Your work is way more than a “little Instagram account” or a “fun writing hobby.”
The magic isn’t in the perfect hook, a secret hack, or a particular posting schedule.
The magic is YOU.
I BELIEVE THAT
And that you don't have to choose between being successful and being yourself.
services for authors
services for creators
I started my business at age 33. I had three kids under 7, three months of severance pay, and no plan B.
IT’S OKAY IF YOUR JOURNEY IS MESSY. MINE DEFINITELY WAS.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but… I’m an Enneagram 8 who’s not a big fan of the word “impossible.” 🤷🏻♀️
My Story
I would sit on that blue solar system carpet (do you guys remember that?) and devour books like Holes and Harry Potter.
Books became my passion, my escape, and my comfort zone.
As a kid I lived for the days when my Mom would take me to Borders.
I was homeschooling my kids, slowly burning out at an emotionally demanding job, and living through a season of loss after my Mom (my bestie) passed away from cancer.
So I started a Bookstagram.
Like you do.
I found Bookstagram during a really challenging time.
But it was making us $0 a month and I was spending sooo much time creating content.
I was definitely lacking strategy. I needed something that worked – for my growth goals, but also for me as a person.
So I formed a plan and tried again.
The community and creation process sucked me in and brought me so much healing + joy.
One day while we were driving, my husband asked, “Hey, how much money have you made with your bookstagram?”
I checked. It was more than double what I was making at my day job. And I thought:
“What if I went all in?“
And reader, it worked.
Now I’m working with incredible authors + dream clients (like you!) and teaching them sustainable ways to grow their communities to 10K and 50K+ members, so they can sell more books, hit 4 and 5-figure months, and provide for THEIR families.
I’m extremely proud of myself for taking a chance and doing the work.
I took a course, learned how to create offers, put in my two-week notice, and decided to say yes to myself.
And if you're reading this, I'm just as proud of you.
The actual journey had more “uh-oh” moments than The Empire Strikes Back.
OBVIOUSLY, THOSE ARE JUST THE PRETTY, SHINY CLIFF NOTES.
Including pages of vulnerable journaling, and a daily roller coaster ride from “this is a GREAT idea” to “this was the WORST idea.”
Remember Rapunzel in Tangled, right after she escapes the tower? That was me. Basically every day.
There are people who can’t wait to hear what you think of a new release.
People who will drool over your style of annotations.
People who are going to read your book and then recommend it to all of their friends.
You are worth listening to.
But let me offer another way of looking at things.
While it’s true that there are hundreds of thousands of creators in our niche, none of them have your story, perspective, or voice.
When you’re battling imposter syndrome and second-guessing yourself with every low performing post?
SO, I TOTALLY GET IT.
It's easy to believe that our niche is "oversaturated."
Curious who I am behind the scenes? I’m an open book.
Before I started my bookstagram, I had 11+ years of coaching experience and mentored more than 150+ young adult professionals
Prologue
TINA’S TABLE OF CONTENTS
We met in college and are happily married after a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance.
01 Love of my life
Fantasy + Romance. Give me allllll the enemies to lovers romantasy books with morally grey MCs.
02 Favorite genres
Who love reading, Star Wars, and Studio Ghibli films as much as I do.
03 Kids
Occasional and casual archery, roasting my own coffee beans, D&D, and hand lettering.
04 Unlikely hobbies
Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Scottish + English
05 Ethnicities that make up my proud Asian-American heritage
Meet the amazing authors and content creators splitting their time between writing their WIP and helping me run Tina Marshall LLC
I’m not an author (yet?) but that’s certainly not the case for my team!
Taiko Bennett
Everything she’s written as an adult has been at least partially written in her iPhone notes app. Her favorite writing snacks are taro boba milk tea and jalapeno chips.
A YA magical realism novel
Nichole Gibbons
Writing companions: a husband, two sons, a slightly cross-eyed Boston Terrier named Posie, and a floppy-eared bunny named Hermione.
Revisions for her second contemporary YA novel.
Vanessa Valdez
A proud Latina who enjoys reading ARCs and posting reviews to help other readers decide if a book is for them. She also loves making quick guides/easily digestible content for the reader that is constantly on the go.
Optimizing her bookstagram to offer indie author support in the future.
And let’s not forget the love interest 😍
Jordan Marshall
Tina’s IRL boyfriend turned husband who can make you laugh in the darkest of times and solve literally any problem. He is also the master craftsman behind Tina's custom built home library who made her Beauty and the Beast fantasies come true.
Being an Engineer by day, and the best dad and husband ever by night.
Hell Yes To
the deep stuff
01 BIPOC AND INDIE AUTHORS
02 INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES
03 LATE-BLOOMING CREATIVES
04 WELCOMING SPACES
Hard Pass On
01 AI GENERATED WRITING AND ART
02 UNETHICAL SALES TACTICS
03 CLIQUISHNESS
04 BOOKTHREADS DRAMA
Values That Define Me:
Positive Motivation
Inspiring action by validating and encouraging, and not by creating shame.
Passion
Prioritizing keeping our creative cup filled to the brim.
Ethics + Autonomy
Acknowledging that there are many paths to success, and helping you make the choice that’s right for you.
Empowerment
Teaching you how, instead of doing it for you.
Transparency
Being candid even when the truth isn’t pretty or popular.
Balance
Making holistic and sustainable life choices instead of hustling 24/7.
Our mindset about failure is crucial. Viewing everything we do as an experiment and a learning opportunity keeps failure from stealing our joy.
Low moments = learning moments.
1 // 5
The process of following your dreams is one of the most vulnerable experiences on the planet. But (with a lot of work!) I learned to trust and believe in myself. Best feeling ever.
Self-doubt won’t get me anywhere.
2 // 5
In my 11 years working as a mentor to young adults, I learned that it’s a gift to be able to fully enjoy the moment that you’re in. As a mom of 3, I appreciate this more than ever.
Being present.
3 // 5
Coming from a place of neediness results in actions that won’t feel good in the long run. Genuinely caring about people results in long-term growth.
Growth follows genuine care.
4 // 5
Don’t get me wrong, mindset is super important. But there’s no substitute for having tools, resources, and help.
Willpower alone won’t do it.
5 // 5
SO LET’S GET OFF THE HUSTLE BUS AND GO FIND THEM.
I know it's scary to invest in your dreams. But sometimes it's the scary things that make the most impact.
You have a story worth telling, and an audience who can’t wait to hear it.
