Overview
When Marcell Hilliard was in middle school, he lied and told everyone that his birthday was February 14th so he could get more attention from girls on Valentine’s Day. Marcell went from being a hopeless romantic in his teens to a perpetual bachelor in his 20s and 30s, always in search of his next dating prospect.
You’ve probably dated a guy like Marcell. Sorry I Ghosted is the unfiltered, brutally honest account of what it’s like to be a charming guy with serious relationship issues in today’s dating world. Marcell lays it all on the page—including the time he hooked up with the company CEO after a charity event and discovered that period sex is actually the best, period.
Sorry I Ghosted is the book you need to read to finally understand why guys like Marcell have such a hard time committing. In an era where finding someone for the night via a dating app is far easier than finding someone for a lifetime, Marcell provides insights into the male mind through his hilarious tales of sex and dating in the modern age. Sorry I Ghosted will win you over and convince you to “swipe right” on a story about a guy with a big heart—and a whole lot more to learn about love.
About the Author
Marcell Hilliard is a former finance bro turned tech entrepreneur. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2006, Marcell moved to New York City to work on Wall Street. For the next decade, Marcell lived the quintessential New York City bachelor life—spending his hard-earned finance salary on the best restaurants in the city, traveling to exotic locations and taking women on fancy dates to impress them.
In 2012, Marcell created a startup called The Key, a platform designed to recommend the best date spots in New York City. The Key’s content was viewed over 10 million times during its run. In 2019, Marcell was recruited by Visa to become the company’s Director of Product and moved to San Francisco, hoping to meet his match in a city where eligible men outnumber women. From 2020 to 2022, Marcell was the CEO and founder of Collyde, a social media app that allowed sports fans to connect, chat, and cheer on their favorite team while watching live sports. Now 39, Marcell lives in Los Angeles and is currently looking for a partner he considers “mortgage material.”
Audience
Sorry I Ghosted has broad appeal and will target readers ages 24 to 40, primarily women and men who live in metropolitan areas. While the vast majority of dating memoirs are penned by women, there’s a lack of funny, relatable books about dating written from a guy’s point of view.
Recently, a Pew Research Center survey made headlines when its findings showed that roughly six-in-ten young men report being single. Data from 2019 shows that 51% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 do not have a steady romantic partner. About a third of never-married single adults say they have never been in a committed romantic relationship. Women daters are significantly more likely than men to be exclusively seeking a committed relationship. Nearly 70% of singles who are on the dating market say their dating life is not going well and that it’s been hard to find people to date.
Sorry I Ghosted is geared toward single women and single men. Female readers will gain insight into the psyche of being a single guy and how to avoid commitment-phobic dudes who aren’t ready to settle down. Male readers will appreciate Marcell’s candor and want to live vicariously through him.
Marketing Strategy
Marcell is enthusiastic about doing the work to promote Sorry I Ghosted in a variety of ways. Marcell worked at Aol-HuffPost from 2011 to 2013 and has maintained editorial contacts at multiple publications owned by Condé Nast and Hearst. Prior to publication, Marcell plans to pitch story ideas or chapter excerpts to GQ, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, New York Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times' "L.A. Affairs" column to promote Sorry I Ghosted. Sorry I Ghosted is filled with stories about love and dating that a large demographic can relate to, making Marcell’s memoir ripe for content that many high-traffic websites and platforms will be eager for.
Along with publishing engaging content from or related to Sorry I Ghosted, Marcell will solicit requests to be a guest on several popular dating podcasts, such as Man Enough, Bad Dates with Jameela Jamil, So Bad it’s Good, Almost Adulting, Love to See It, Lovers and Friends, Nikki and Brie Show. Other options include Sex with Emily, Turn Me On, Relationsh*t with Kamie Crawford, and Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer.
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