For nonfiction writers with something to say—and a book they want to take further.
We bring editorial strategy and design together to help authors strengthen their book, clarify its position, and build what comes next.
Your Book Is Finished. What Comes Next?
A substantial book is more than a finished product. It can extend your work, bring your ideas to new audiences, establish your authority, or open up something new.
But finishing the book doesn't necessarily answer the questions that follow:
How should it be positioned? Who is it for? How should you talk about it? What does it need around it? And where is it worth putting your time and money?
That's where we come in. Natalie is a nonfiction developmental editor and editorial strategist; Raúl is a designer and art director. In our respective work, we've seen how often a book's substance and positioning are handled separately from its visual presentation.
Book to Platform brings those perspectives together.
We look at the book as a whole, figure out what matters most, and help you build from there.
We offer three ways to work with us: Full-service collaboration · 8-week intensive · Design only
What We Do
Every book calls for something different. Depending on where you are and what you want the book to accomplish, our work may include:
Develop the book
We can work with you on the manuscript itself, from developmental editing through line, helping strengthen the book while preserving your voice and intentions.
Position the book
We help you articulate what the book has to say, who needs to hear it, and how to talk about it in ways that make sense for different audiences and contexts.
Build the presence
We create the visual and digital pieces that support the book—from a cover or website to a broader visual identity and promotional materials.
Take it into the world
Once the foundation is in place, we can help you think through launch preparation, awards, outreach materials, community-building, and other ways of putting the book in conversation with the right people.
Not every book needs all of this. We shape the scope around the book, where you are in the process, and what you want it to do.
How We Work
We start by looking at the book itself, your goals, and what you already have in place.
From there, we'll identify what needs attention, what doesn't, and where our combined expertise can make the biggest difference. We'll develop the strategy with you, then build the pieces that support it.
The process is collaborative and responsive to the book. There isn't a predetermined checklist to work through simply because that's what authors are supposed to do.
The aim is straightforward: make the book as strong as it can be, present it well, and help you figure out what to do with it next.
A Real Example: Just Trust Life
Christine M. Tracy's Just Trust Life: A Journey with Teilhard de Chardin is a good example of what this kind of collaboration can look like.
Christine had written a highly personal memoir combining her life story with the ideas and influence of Teilhard de Chardin. The finished book had a clear audience and an unusual premise—but getting the book into the world required more than simply making it available for purchase.
Natalie worked with Christine on the strategic and editorial side of the launch, including:
Developmental, line, and copy editing of the manuscript
Award submissions—the book has now received two awards/finalist recognitions
Podcast positioning and outreach, resulting in 7 podcast appearances
Launching a local writers’ group to create an ongoing community around her work
Uploading and continually updating the book's online presence
Thinking through where the book could find readers and how Christine could continue building visibility around it
Subcontracting professional proofreading so Christine had editorial support from beginning to end
Raúl handled the visual and promotional side, designing the book, website, sell sheet, t-shirt, postcard, and other materials:
The result is a much more complete ecosystem around the book—not just a book listing.
Who This Is For
Book to Platform is designed for authors who have a substantive nonfiction or memoir book and want to think seriously about what the book can do beyond simply being available for purchase.
You might be:
An expert, consultant, or professional using a book to articulate a body of knowledge or strengthen your professional position
An academic or scholar interested in bringing ideas beyond a primarily academic audience
A public intellectual or subject-matter expert with a distinctive perspective to develop and share
A professional or practitioner whose book is part of a larger body of work
A memoirist or nonfiction writer with a distinctive story, perspective, or community around the work
You don't have to know exactly what your book needs next.
That's part of the work.
Whether you're self-published, traditionally published, working with a university or independent press, or preparing to publish, the publishing path isn't the important part. What matters is that you have a substantive book and want to think strategically about what comes next.
We help you build the positioning, professional presentation, and practical plan to give the book a life.
Three Ways to Work With Us
Full Service-Collaboration
For authors who want comprehensive support around the book—from editorial development and positioning through design, website, promotional materials, and launch preparation.
Custom scope · Based on the needs of the project
8 Week-Intensive
A focused engagement to clarify positioning, identify priorities, and develop the key pieces that will support the book.
$3,000
By the end of the eight weeks, you'll have:
Book Positioning & Messaging Brief
Audience & Opportunity Plan
Customized messaging for selected opportunities
One substantial design deliverable
90-Day Action Plan
The engagement also includes an initial consultation, two working meetings, ongoing communication throughout the engagement, final review, and two rounds of revisions on agreed-upon deliverables.
Design Only
Already know what you need?
Raúl also takes on select standalone design projects for authors, including covers, websites, visual identities, and promotional materials.
What We Don't Promise
We're not going to promise bestseller status, media appearances, or sales.
And we're not going to tell you that you need a new website, cover, or marketing campaign just because you have a book.
We'll help you decide what your particular book needs, where to focus your time and money, and how to give the work its best chance of reaching the right people.
About Mozart Street Studio
Natalie Tomlin — Editorial Strategy & Development
As a nonfiction developmental editor and editorial strategist, Natalie helps authors clarify their ideas, strengthen their books, and develop strategies for reaching the audiences that matter to them.
Before launching her editorial business, she spent eight years teaching writing at DePaul University and Eastern Michigan University, where she learned that great writing emerges from clarity of thought, curiosity, and craft.
Her editorial projects have been finalists for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, International Book Awards, and Foreword INDIES, and have won a Canadian Studies Network book award. She has edited work published by The MIT Press, Duke University Press, and University of California Press, as well as in journals including The Review of Economics and Statistics and Journal of Consumer Culture.
Her essays and poetry have appeared in literary journals and earned nominations for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net, with additional recognition from The Best American Essays.
Natalie holds an MA in Written Communication and is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and ACES: The Society for Editing. She has also completed advanced training with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.
Raúl Peña — Design & Art Direction
Raúl is a concept-driven designer and art director who creates brand identities, print materials, and digital experiences that bring ideas to life.
His work has been recognized by Graphis, MarCom, the Communicator Awards, AIGA, and others. He has designed brand identities and digital experiences for organizations including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Columbia University, and Motorola.
In his independent practice, he works with purpose- and creativity-driven leaders and organizations across the arts, culture, and public sectors. His clients have included Emmy Award nominee Tift Merritt, TED Talk speaker Christen Lien, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Northwestern University, Ithaca College, and S. Fischer Verlag, among others.
His approach combines structure and visual storytelling: creating clear, thoughtful design that gives complex ideas a compelling presence.
We chose Mozart Street as our studio name because we lived on Mozart St. in Chicago when our son was born. That time and place represents the sense of adventure and joy we hope to bring to our work.
Have a book you're ready to take further?
Whether your looking for comprehensive support or neeed design help, this is a focused collaboration to help you clarify how you want to present your book, think more strategically about where it belongs, and create the pieces that will support what you want to do next.
Selected book design
