SUCH A NICE GIRL

Andrea Mara

PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE // TRANSWORLD PUBLISHING

Penguin Random House's campaign for Andrea Mara's Such A Nice Girl reached Number One on the Irish bestseller charts, through a video-led cinematic campaign with Gunpowder House Productions.

THE CONTEXT

Andrea Mara is a household name in Ireland, a consistent presence on the Irish book charts. She has built a devoted readership across more than a decade of psychological thrillers, most recently bolstered by the television adaptation of All Her Fault. Transworld’s goal was to expand Andrea’s audience in the UK markets, steering her onto the path of becoming a household name here in the UK. Though Andrea Mara is an established Sunday Times bestseller, UK readers had not yet developed the automatic relationship with her name that Irish readers have. 

Transworld approached Gunpowder House via an internal referral within Penguin Random House UK. Marketing Director Sarah Ridley made the introduction, and Director Srishti Chhabria began working with Andrea’s Brand Manager, Jennifer Porter, on the strategic groundwork before the filming began. Together, they worked on mapping Andrea's readership profile, her channel presence, and her brand signals into a Brand Voice Guide, a single reference point ensuring that every piece of campaign material would express a consistent vision of the author.

This campaign targeted audiences on TV Broadcast, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, promoting the hardback and tradeback release. The content Gunpowder House had to create needed to communicate the impeccable quality of the writing in a way that moved audiences from "that sounds like a good book" to "this is a new Andrea Mara, must buy."

THE STRATEGY

Transworld was determined that this campaign did more than generate visibility. The entire marketing push was led by video, a deliberate choice that acknowledged what traditional advertising alone cannot do. After reading Such A Nice Girl, Director Srishti Chhabria identified that the pacing of the writing was instrumental in communicating the anxiety-inducing twists and turns. Another aspect that differentiates Andrea Mara's work from her contemporaries is how relatable her stories feel. Frequently her readers note that this is a story that could happen to them, it could happen to anybody. These qualities were the foundation upon which the campaign was built.

Leading up to publication day, Transworld circulated the variant cutdowns of the flagship trailer amongst a dedicated community of Bookstagram influencers, giving audiences a drip-fed tease of what was to come. The cutdowns were built around the tropes readers of domestic crime fiction already recognised, giving new readers every reason to pick up a copy of the book.

THE WORK

The Brand Voice Guide shaped every deliverable in this campaign. Whether the audience encountered Andrea through the trailers, her interview, or the behind-the-scenes film, they were meeting the same person, expressed consistently across every format and channel. 

The variant cut down trailers leaned into the tropes of domestic crime fiction such as a suburban setting, fractured domesticity, and an uncomfortable sense that something ordinary is about to go wrong. The pacing and scripting were designed to recreate the experience of reading Andrea's writing rather than describing it. Each trailer ended on a cliffhanger, releasing new information weekly and urging audiences to return and connect the dots. The teasers were built to raise questions, never to answer any. The flagship trailer released on publication day, with broadcast spots on Lorraine and on Sky and NOW TV UK for the three weeks following. While the broadcast placements reached Mara's primary and adjacent readership, the teasers were simultaneously drawing new audiences through social media.

During the production of the trailers, Andrea visited the set for a directed author interview. Andrea is warm, disarming, and quick to connect with everyone around her, qualities that sit in striking contrast to the psychological dread her books produce. The interview brought out this contrast, giving audiences a clear introduction to who she is and allowing them to develop a relationship with her before reading her work. The behind-the-scenes film followed the creative decisions being made on set and the process behind the storytelling, giving audiences a window into the level of intention that goes into the marketing of their authors.

THE OUTCOME

Such A Nice Girl topped the Irish bestseller charts on publication, reaching Number One for two consecutive weeks according to Nielsen IQ, selling 1,700 copies in its first week and 1,800 in its second. As of 22nd June 2026, the book sits at Number 5 in the Amazon UK Crime, Thriller and Mystery chart, Number 2 in Mystery, and Number 4 in Psychological Thrillers.

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to work with Srishti and the Gunpowder team for a recent book publicity campaign. Srishti was so professional, kind, friendly and organised – it was a joy to watch her work. Her understated manner wields a kind of magic and the results were stunning. I would highly recommend Srishti and Gunpowder.”

Andrea Mara, Sunday Times Bestselling Author of Such A Nice Girl, All Her Fault, It Should Have Been Her

DELIVERABLES

Full Cinematic Trailer

  • TV Broadcast, Hardback & Tradeback

  • YouTube, Hardback & Tradeback

  • Instagram, Hardback & Tradeback

  • Facebook, Hardback & Tradeback

Campaign Interview with Andrea Mara

Andrea Mara Brand Voice Guide

Behind-The-Scenes Film

CREDITS

BOOK A STRATEGY CALL

During our call, we’ll explore your objectives, uncover the barriers holding you back, and map out effective video strategies designed to help you achieve your goals and targets.

PUBLISHING CONTENT

srishti@gunpowderhouse.co.uk

PRODUCTION OPERATIONS

harry@gunpowderhouse.co.uk

CHARITY FILM CONTENT

max@gunpowderhouse.co.uk