BookHighway

The Story

BookHighway™ LLC is a Florida-based company founded by author Tom Surman (also known as Tom Cossie) and Dean Shoultz, the Chief Technology Officer of Advanced Software, operating out of Louisiana. BookHighway provides authors and publishers with a cost-effective, user-friendly online subscription application. This platform helps them promote and market both new and previously overlooked book releases by offering direct access to media contacts, retail channels, and book-buying consumers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being incorporated into various facets of daily life. Although AI users can readily access extensive data on virtually any topic, the paramount challenge remains in structuring this data for effective application. BookHighway™ uniquely offers a comprehensive platform for book authors globally to organize and efficiently utilize this data for marketing and promoting their published books within the United States.

BookHighway™ offers an intuitive subscription platform, meticulously designed by authors for book authors and self-publishers worldwide seeking visibility for their work in the USA. After self-publishing my first book, I actively participated in numerous book clubs and writers’ associations. Through marketing panels, promotional events, and regular roundtable discussions, I noticed significant similarities between book authors and recording artists or songwriters.

With 50 years of experience in both the music and publishing industries, Tom Cossie observed that book authors and songwriters invest significant time, effort, and money in developing their craft, all with the goal of bringing their work to market. Whether it’s writing and recording music, or writing and publishing a book in hardcover, paperback, audio, or digital format, the same fundamental question always emerges: What are the most effective and cost-efficient ways to promote the work once it’s created?

For an independent author, bringing a book to market can be very expensive, often exceeding $25,000. These costs typically include writing, artwork, editing, formatting, printing, and distribution. Based on numerous writers’ association meetings Tom attended, authors consistently voiced a clear need for direct access to media contacts for promoting and marketing their books. BookHighway™ addresses this need with an easy-to-use online application and a user-friendly dashboard that gives authors control over their promotional efforts.

Years ago, while Tom was President of Saturn Records, an independent record label, he hired Dean and his team to develop StarTracker™, a software platform designed to manage data and contacts essential for promoting recording artists and their labels. It became clear that songwriters and book authors not only share a similar creative process but also have comparable marketing and outreach needs. Those needs include access to independent retailers, chain and independent bookstores, press outlets, magazines, podcasts, radio, events, festivals, and tours.

Recognizing the strong interest from the author community, Tom collaborated with Dean and his development team to conceptualize a similar platform specifically for book authors. This new platform, branded as BookHighway™, is a universally accessible, user-friendly online subscription service for book authors and publishers. It leverages modern technology to overcome the limitations of disparate platforms and services that were common in the past.

Each year, over four million books with ISBN numbers are published in the United States. A significant number of these books come from smaller publishers. Even authors with major publishing houses often receive limited marketing support, as major publishers tend to focus their budgets on established bestsellers with proven sales records.

BookHighway™ aims to democratize the publishing landscape by offering authors a six-month, full-access subscription for each book title. This subscription costs $300.00 for the entire six-month period, which breaks down to just $50.00 per month. When compared to typical monthly charges for other subscription services, such as a car wash contract or weekly coffee stops for a Caffe Mocha, both of which can exceed $50.00 a month, the BookHighway™ subscription offers significant value. Considering the substantial time and financial investment involved in developing and publishing a manuscript, a one time,$300.00 investment for a six-month term, is a strategic investment in an author’s career.

For Authors, By Authors

Q. What is BookHighway™ ?
A. BookHighway™ is a an affordable subscription service created to serve fellow book authors for promoting and marketing their book.

Q. How does BookHighway™ work ?
A. When a book author has their work published, has an ISBN number and is ready to promote, market and make their book available, they go to the BookHighway website, www.bookhighway.com to become member. When they subscribe, they provide BookHighway™ with a 300 dpi copy of their book cover. That image then becomes the Project Profile and center of attention. The author receives a key to their personalized Dashboard.

This personalized Dashboard then becomes the operation control center identifying: the Project Profile, the book cover, the Active Project region, which identifies the target region, six target Database Centers, and the Market Focus.

Q. What’s the role of the Market Focus
A. The Market Focus enables the author to define and refine how they identify their book Project Profile: Book Genre lets authors choose a category from a genre drop-down menu which best describes the topic. Target Demographic identifies the age group or groups most relevant to the book’s focus. Choose Data lets authors select one or more datasets they select to target. Import Data refines those selections based on the author’s criteria and stores that in the Implement Plan Center.

Q. Explain the Implement Plan
A. BookHighway™’s Implement Plan feature stores the query in the Information Garage, the refined criteria selected by the author, then positions the contacts selected using active symbols representing that data onto the regional map. This command now gives the author control to activate their research presented on any location of choice within that region on the map.

Q. Since all the data I selected and refined is now stored in the garage, how can I use this information?
A. The selected data is stored across the entire region.

To focus promotion and marketing more precisely, the author can click any point on The Regional Map, and expand that point by dragging to a radius of choice for a targeted search area.

Q. If I’m planning a promotional tour in Nashville and select a 50-mile radius with Podcasters and Independent Book Stores, how can I use that information
A. BookHighway’s Information Garage is the authors built-in contact management system. Using this proprietary database, authors can connect with contacts within the selected radius and make contact by phone or email to introduce and promote their book project, and supply supporting materials that help promote the project.

Q. I’m a writer an author not a marketer, does the BookHighway™ system provide any tools to help me promote myself, and my book.

A. Every subscription includes the BookHighway™ Information Garage which gives authors one central place to store important data queries and correspondence. It also features a proactive Tool Box with ready-to-use templates authors can personalize with details about their story.

Q. Can you give an example of what is in the Tool Box
A. The Tool Box includes more than 10 ready-to-use templates and promotional tools that authors can customize for their book. Examples include: Market One-Sheet, Bookstore Ad Templates, My Story Template (which details key information needed by retail bookstores to order and promote your title). The Tool Box also includes Podcasts and Radio Script templates with relevant interview questions and answers.

Q. How do I subscribe and how much does it cost
A. BookHighway™ is available as a six-month subscription through www.bookhighway.com.
The payment to subscribe is easy, One payment per region:

The initial membership payment costs $300 for six months for the first region of your choice, then $225.00 per additional region of your choice regarding the four remaining regions.

Q. How do I order BookHighway™ and is this a nationwide subscription or regional subscription service
A. BookHighway™ can be ordered online at www.bookhighway.com. The service by mid-2027 will cover all 50 states through five numbered regions, each acquired separately. The Southeast Region will be the first available, launching in January 2027.

The Southeast Region (1) which includes the 10 states in red

The Northeast Region (2) includes the 12 states highlighted in blue, to be release in the second quarter of 2027.

The three additional regions will launch in the third quarter of 2027.

Northcentral Region (3) includes 13 states highlighted in green

Central South Region (4) includes 9 states highlighted in orange

Westcoast Region (5) includes 6 states highlighted in violet

BookHighway™ offers authors and independent publishers an affordable way to invest and control a successful campaign.

Your Message, Your Voice

No outside PR firm or third-party program can communicate your story, your purpose, and your latest book as authentically as you can.

BookHighway™ gives authors the tools to shape and share their own message.
Its resources help authors connect with retail bookstores and media contacts more directly.
No one understands your work, your voice, or your goals better than you.

One Heart – One Love… Your friends at BookHighway™