About
Who We Are
Lauren Hamlin and Aaron Shulman met in Missoula, Montana, while pursuing their MFAs in creative writing. They became close friends and both went on to work as collaborative writers for Idea Architects Literary Agency, partnering with visionary scientists and thought leaders to create many influential and highly regarded books. Their clients have landed on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, appeared on The Today Show, delivered main stage TED Talks, been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, covered in major newspapers, and had their books translated into more than 30 languages. In 2019, they teamed up to launch Splash Literary. With an intensely collaborative approach that brings both of their brains and experiences to bear on every project, they maximize the quality of their clients’ work. Nothing pleases them more than helping authors transform an idea into a finished book.
Recent Books
Services
What We Do
We offer a wide range of writing, editorial, author coaching, and book development services, helping authors move their project forward no matter what stage of the book-creation process they are in. Because every author’s needs are unique, we customize our services and pricing to an author’s needs and project goals. From idea conception to final edit, we are the thought partners, story excavators, structural engineers, and publishing guides you and your book need. At Splash Literary, we only work on projects that we believe in because we’ve found it’s the easiest way to make good books great—and also because it’s a lot more fun.
Idea
Whether you have breakthrough research to share with the world or an idea for a novel that’s been keeping you up at night, we can guide you through the initial stages of conceptualization and development. We will help you refine your ideas, find a hook, craft an outline, and figure out where your book fits into the marketplace—whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.
Proposal
For the development of book proposals, we can jump in at any point of the process and be as hands-on or hands-off as you need. We provide coaching, editing, and ghostwriting services. After the proposal is done, we also offer guidance on querying literary agents and navigating the publishing marketplace.
Book
Full-manuscript consultations, developmental editing, editorial coaching, and ghostwriting services are available for books at every stage. For publishers and literary agents, we also provide book-doctoring services.
Workshops
For writers groups, colleges, universities, organizations, and companies, we offer workshops on unpacking the nuances of storytelling, translating research into compelling narratives, demystifying the publishing process, and finishing what you start.
Promotion
After you find a publisher and finalize your manuscript, the work isn’t over. In today’s crowded marketplace, the most successful authors place essays, articles, or commentary in national publications, and do appearances on television, radio, and podcasts, to promote their books and capture new readers. If you need us, we’ll be there to help you navigate today’s complex, ever-changing media landscape. When you land speaking engagements, we can also work with you to craft compelling talks and presentations.
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Splash Literary collaborates with a network of trusted partners who can help our writers enhance their online visibility and promote themselves and their work to a global audience.
WEBSITE
In today’s crowded online landscape, writers and authors need an attractive website that looks as good on a phone or tablet as it does on a desktop computer. Our partners specialize in developing low-cost, easy-to-maintain author websites that will help you promote yourself and your work. They can do everything from custom graphic design and photo editing to copywriting and search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure that your website not only stands out, but that it lands at the top of Google search rankings.
Check out a recent website design for V. P. Franklin, author of The Young Crusaders: The Untold Story of the Children and Teenagers Who Galvanized the Civil Rights Movement.
PLATFORM
Many of today’s most successful writers are able to reach large numbers of readers with only a few keystrokes or clicks, and more than ever before publishers are looking for authors who have established “platforms”—or the ability to market themselves and their work to a large audience. Our partners help authors strategically build out a multifaceted platform that will enhance their online visibility, increase their appeal to potential literary agents and publishers, and grow their readership over time.
Testimonials
“Lauren and Aaron are brilliant writing coaches and savvy editors. Our collaboration led to my book’s structure flowing better, the storytelling began to flourish, and they coaxed more authority, emotion, and realness out of me. They are the go-to team for social science and nonfiction authors. By the end of our year together, I met their families, we ate meals and traveled together, and we laughed so much. Not only did we end up with a book we’re all so proud of, the process of creating it felt like living our best lives!”
—SCOTT SHIGEOKA, Author of SEEK: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life And Change The World and Fellow at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center
“Lauren and Aaron are two of the most talented writers and literary coaches I have had the privilege of working with. Your work is in gifted, skilled hands.”
—DOUG ABRAMS, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF IDEA ARCHITECTS LITERARY AGENCY
“I’m so grateful for Lauren’s help in translating my vision for the workbook into a successful final product. Her talent, effort, and patience led to something I couldn’t be happier with.”
—Lori Gottlieb, author of the New York Times bestseller Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
“Aaron Shulman is one of the most engaged, responsive, and professional editorial partners I’ve ever had the good luck to work with. He can be counted on to respond thoughtfully, thoroughly, and efficiently; to take part in meaningful and wide-ranging conversations; and to be a positive, creative, and immensely hard-working collaborator at each stage of a project. I can’t recommend him highly enough.”
—GABRIELLA DOOB, EDITOR AT ECCO/HARPERCOLLINS
“Lauren is a truly talented writer and editor, who was my closest collaborator in transforming my research insights and experience into polished prose. She has a nose for finding the hidden stories that make your work feel as exciting to the reader as it is to you. Just as importantly, her knowledge of the publishing and writing process helped us successfully plan and execute on an ambitious schedule. With humor and grace, she helped me bring a book into the world that exceeded my expectations.”
—BJ FOGG, AUTHOR OF New York Times bestseller TINY HABITS: THE SMALL CHANGES THAT CHANGE EVERYTHING AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF THE STANFORD BEHAVIOR DESIGN LAB AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY
“Aaron is a uniquely skilled editor and writer who was able to connect a dusty academic (me) to a broad audience. Thanks to him—his storytelling ability, his steady help and guidance—the central ideas of the book were effectively presented and the book was even fun to read. Aaron brought laboratory research findings to life with vivid prose and compelling examples from history and today's world.”
—JOHN BARGH, AUTHOR OF BEFORE YOU KNOW IT: THE UNCONSCIOUS REASONS WE DO WHAT WE DO AND JAMES ROWLAND ANGELL PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AT YALE UNIVERSITY
“Right from the start, Lauren saw to the heart of my book. Her insightful and probing questions quickly brought the true shape and contour of my vision into focus, while her writing and editing chops helped embody that vision on the sentence level. One of my favorite humans, she’s warm, professional, and a joy to work with. When you are in the trenches of collaborative writing, this matters so much! Her feedback on my writing was always respectful, honest, and sharp. I came to rely on her guidance and responsiveness, cherishing her as a true thought partner on this project. I ended up with a proposal that one agent called ‘bold and moving’ and Lauren was an essential part of that.”
—DANA SUSKIND, AUTHOR OF Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise and THIRTY MILLION WORDS: BUILDING A CHILD'S BRAIN
“If you are fortunate enough to recruit Aaron as a writing coach/sidekick/co-conspirator/editorial mentor, you will have made a first, brilliant decision toward the authoring of your book. Aaron is a truly remarkable consultant and literary partner, full of creativity, a love for words, and a set of impeccable interpersonal skills. My own work simply might never have been completed without his gentle encouragement and careful editorial guidance. He is a joy to work with, and I recommend him with confidence and unqualified enthusiasm.”
—TOM BOYCE, AUTHOR OF THE ORCHID AND THE DANDELION: WHY SOME CHILDREN STRUGGLE AND HOW ALL CAN THRIVE, AND CHIEF OF DEVELOPMENTAL-BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
CONTACT
We want to hear from you.
To learn more about availability and pricing, fill out the contact form and we’ll be in touch.
Please note that working with us never guarantees securing an agent or a book deal.