“Eleanor Rust and Tristra Newyear go boldly where their heroines did. Impassioned and well-researched, Founding Radicals is a delightful book with an important message about the ways we remember and forget.”

— Elizabeth Cobbs, author of Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé

“Founding Radicals is an engaging romp through American radical traditions centered on the life of Fanny Wright. Lively, accessible, and well-researched, this book introduces readers to an often-neglected and much-maligned figure whose name was, in her own time, a frequently invoked epithet meant to keep women activists from challenging the boundaries of respectability and Christian orthodoxy. Read this book and resist!”

— Lori Ginzberg, author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life and Tangled Journeys: One Family’s Story and the Making of American History

“With accessible and engaging prose, Newyear and Rust create the historical contexts for Fanny Wright’s writing, public speaking, and social activism. Along the way they share the stories of other forgotten women who fought for equal rights and paved the path for later Suffragettes and activists. This book is a must-read for everyone interested in women’s voices and social reform. It will remind them that a host of other women have preceded them, adding hope and strength to the ongoing fights.”

—Etta Madden, author of Engaging Italy: American Women’s Utopian Visions and Transnational Networks; managing editor of Utopian Studies; professor of English Emerita, Missouri State University

Positioning Statement

A revelatory work of popular history that recovers the bold women who shaped America's founding ideals—and were then written out of the story. Founding Radicals introduces Frances Wright and ten of her most compelling contemporaries—radical orators, poets, philosophers, and organizers—who challenged the young republic's deepest contradictions at the very moment they were being written into national myth. Written by two trained historians who produced the acclaimed Frances Wright: America's Forgotten Radical podcast series, this book arrives at a moment of acute national reckoning with women's rights, racial justice, and the real meaning of American freedom: vital stories for any reader who wants to understand how the country was actually made.

Market

Market Opportunity and Audience

For readers of The Agitators, We the Women, and The Small and the Mighty—as well as fans of Hamilton, BookTok Regency history, and popular women's history

Women's history surging: Women's and gender history titles have consistently outperformed broader history categories on both trade and academic lists; according to NPD BookScan data, women's history and biography has grown ~18% over the past five years, outpacing the general history category

The antebellum gap: The decades between the Revolution and Civil War remain one of the least-covered periods in popular American history, creating genuine white space for a well-researched, narrative-driven book

Founding Fathers fatigue: Publishers and readers have registered growing demand for founding-era narratives that move beyond Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison—the 2020s have seen strong sales of titles reframing early American history through underrepresented voices

Women's rights at the center of national debate: Post-Dobbs, questions about women's legal status, bodily autonomy, and civic participation are at a historic high—books tracing the roots of these struggles have exceptional resonance

African-American history market: Maria Stewart and Frances E.W. Harper connect the book to a robust and loyal readership; Black women's history titles have seen strong crossover sales and library adoption, especially in the wake of 2020's racial justice movement

BookTok / Regency history crossover: TikTok's #BookTok community numbers 200+ million views; Regency-era historical fiction and nonfiction are among the platform's most active niches, creating a direct bridge to readers already fascinated by the early 19th-century world these women inhabited

College adoption potential: The book's combination of primary source orientation, diverse voices, and accessible narrative makes it an ideal text for undergraduate U.S. history, women's studies, and American literature survey courses—a market of several million students annually

Library market: Women's history and American history titles remain among the most consistent performers in public library acquisition; the book's broad scope and readable narrative style positions it well for both public and academic library purchase

Podcast-to-book pipeline: The authors' Frances Wright: America's Forgotten Radical podcast built a proven, engaged listenership—a ready-made first-buyer audience with demonstrated interest in this exact subject

Authors' Credentials

Eleanor Rust, PhD — Doctorate in Classics from USC; deep research expertise in early 19th-century lifeways, material culture, and historical context; professional marketer with 20+ years of experience securing high-profile national coverage

Tristra Newyear — Alumna of Wesleyan and Indiana Universities; historian and publicist/PR strategist with 20+ years of experience; proven track record (together with co-author Eleanor Rust) placing clients in The New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic

Combined 40 years of professional marketing and PR experience—rare and valuable for a history title; the authors are not just subject-matter experts but proven media operators

Podcast producers: Created and hosted the 8-episode Frances Wright: America's Forgotten Radical (2024 limited-run documentary series), building credibility, an audience, and existing media relationships in this space

Regional media presence: Authors have conducted speaking engagements and interviews on Cincinnati's NPR affiliate and established podcasts including Lost Ladies of Lit; strong regional networks in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee

Indiana-based: Both authors are based in Indiana, with direct community ties to Frances Wright's historical footprint in the region; positioned for strong regional launch events

Publicity

Print, Broadcast & Major Media

Major trade reviewers: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness (PRO), among others

National newspapers: The New York Times (Sunday Book Review, op-ed), The Washington Post (op-ed), USA Today, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal

Women's and feminist media: Ms. Magazine, Bust, Bitch Media, Jezebel, The Lily (Washington Post), ELLE (books coverage)

History and culture: Smithsonian Magazine, American Heritage, Lapham's Quarterly, Literary Hub, The Paris Review (Daily), JSTOR Daily

Political and ideas media: The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Politico, The Nation, Harper's Magazine, The New Republic

Black media: The Root, Essence, Ebony, The Grio, Black Enterprise (Maria Stewart/Frances E.W. Harper angle)

NPR shows: Fresh Air, On Point, 1A, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, To the Best of Our Knowledge, Throughline

Broadcast and streaming: PBS NewsHour, C-SPAN Book TV, Amanpour and Company, History Channel programming, PBS documentary potential

Indiana/Ohio/Tennessee regional media: Indianapolis Star, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati NPR affiliate (WVXU/WGUC), Tennessee newspapers, regional TV morning shows—all with direct Frances Wright geographic hooks

Op-ed strategy: Bylined pieces by the authors in major outlets on women's founding-era impact, historical erasure, and the contemporary relevance of early feminist organizing—timed to Women's History Month (March) and/or publication date

Podcasts

History & women's history: Backstory, American History Tellers, You're Wrong About, Revisionist History (Malcolm Gladwell), Lost Ladies of Lit (prior relationship), Stuff You Missed in History Class, History Extra, The History of Literature, The History Shelf

Books & literary: Literary Disco, The Maris Review, Bookish Broads, The Stacks, Reading Women, From the Front Porch, What Should I Read Next?

Politics & ideas: The Ezra Klein Show, Pod Save America, The Argument (NYT), Political Gabfest, Amicus (Slate)

Women & feminist: Feminist Frequency Radio, The Broad Experience, Gender Reveal, Mouth London, Rebellious Wellness Over 50

African American history & culture: Code Switch (NPR), Pod Save the People, Therapy for Black Girls, 1619 (NYT), About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge

Spirituality & freethought angle: On Being with Krista Tippett, The Secular Buddhist, Freethought Radio, Humanism Today

Social Media & Digital Marketing

Authors' Platform & Built-in Demand

Podcast audience conversion: The 2024 Frances Wright: America's Forgotten Radical podcast (8 episodes) built a documented listener base—a ready first-mover audience with proven purchase intent for this exact subject matter; podcast episode notes and show pages will be updated with book release information and links

Author social media: Authors will develop coordinated Instagram, TikTok, and Threads presence focused on content pillars: #WomensHistory, #FoundingEra, #ForgottenHistory, #HistoricalWomen, #BookTok; estimated organic reach to be amplified through existing podcast listener network

BookTok strategy: TikTok's #BookTok has 200+ billion total views; #HistoryTok and #WomensHistoryTok are rapidly growing sub-communities; the authors' visual storytelling skills (honed through podcasting) translate well to short-form video; target: 10–15 pre-publication creator partnerships with history and women's history BookTokers (typical range: 10K–500K followers per creator)

Bookstagram: Target women's history, feminist, and historical fiction Bookstagram accounts; Bookstagram's core demographic (women 25–44, college-educated) maps precisely to Founding Radicals' primary buyer profile; ARC outreach to 20–30 accounts with 5K–100K followers

Regional PR campaign: In addition to joining forces on a continual social media campaign, the authors will also work through a “regional” PR campaign that focuses on Indiana, Tennessee, and Ohio (three states that are all central to the book).

Email/newsletter strategy: Authors to build/leverage their own newsletter list from podcast subscribers; outreach to aligned newsletter publishers (women's history Substacks, feminist media newsletters, history educator newsletters) for placement—combined potential reach of 100K+ engaged subscribers

Influencer outreach: Target history-focused influencers including: historians with social followings (e.g., #PublicHistory community on Twitter/X and Bluesky), women's studies professors with active social presence, and feminist cultural commentators; micro-influencers (5K–50K followers) often yield higher engagement rates and more authentic recommendations than macro-influencers

Facebook groups: Active outreach to Facebook communities including “Women's History Network” (15K+ members), “We Love Historical Nonfiction” (50K+ members), “History Lovers” (100K+ members), and feminist book club groups; authors to participate as subject-matter experts, not just promoters

Summary Message

The story isn't over: These women's fights for liberty, due process, and equal opportunity didn't end in the 19th century—they're the direct ancestors of every debate happening right now about who America's values actually apply to.

Not footnotes—foundations: Frances Wright, Ernestine Rose, Maria Stewart, and their peers weren't marginal figures. They shaped the intellectual and political DNA of American reform movements, from abolitionism to the labor movement to women's suffrage.

The founding era was messier—and richer—than we were taught: The standard narrative of Founders and Framers leaves out the people who pushed hardest on its contradictions. This book fills one of the most significant gaps in popular American history.

Podcast to page: For listeners of Frances Wright: America's Forgotten Radical—this is the full, deeply researched story you've been waiting for, with ten new voices and the full sweep of the era.

For the BookTok generation: If you love Regency-era fiction, if you follow #HistoricalWomen, if you've ever wondered why you've never heard of these people—this book"s for you.