The Advocacy Group - TAG

What The Advocacy Group - TAG does

The Advocacy Group - TAG Inc. is a privately held, single-author independent publishing company incorporated in Ontario, Canada, that operates as the in-house publishing platform for sapphic romance author K. Kenley (real name Kayla Shanks). The company sells books and bookish merchandise direct-to-consumer through its own Wix-hosted e-commerce website (theadvocacygroup.ca), targeting readers of sapphic/queer romance who value intentional healthy relationship dynamics, low-angst HEA endings, and comprehensive trigger warnings. The company evolved from healthcare advocacy work into fiction publishing, and currently lists a small frontlist of novels and novellas (The Hunt Master, Harper Uncovered, Rowan Unfolded) alongside bookish merchandise such as character stickers, art prints, and bookmarks.

The technology stack is intentionally minimal and entirely third-party: a Wix-based storefront handles e-commerce, BookFunnel delivers purchased ebooks to readers' preferred reading apps, and a print-on-demand partner fulfills international orders. There is no proprietary platform, no AI involvement in any content or artwork, and no integrations beyond the e-commerce-to-delivery handoff. The author personally handles writing, artwork, marketing, and order fulfillment; cover and interior artwork are outsourced to named illustrators (Ashton Artistryy, Valenntina_arts) rather than automated.

Revenue is generated through unit-priced direct sales — ebooks at $9.99 CAD, paperbacks at $16.99-$22.99 CAD, merchandise at $2.99-$9.99 CAD, and bundles at $24.99-$29.99 CAD — with a freemium newsletter-acquisition model that offers the Rowan Unfolded ebook free in exchange for email signup. Distribution is exclusively through the company's own website with no third-party retail or marketplace presence; physical Canadian orders are shipped directly (often signed and personalized), while international orders route through print-on-demand. The business is bootstrapped with no external funding, no headcount beyond the sole author-operator, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

The Advocacy Group - TAG

Legal name

The Advocacy Group - TAG Inc.

Website

https://theadvocacygroup.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Advocacy Group - TAG Inc. is an Ontario-based indie publishing company that sells sapphic romance novels, novellas, and bookish merchandise directly to readers through its own website, operated by sole author K. Kenley.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Sapphic romance fiction
• Indie book publishing
• Bookish merchandise
• Self-published novels
• Healthy relationship fiction

Headquarters

HQ city

Chatham

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Direct sales of ebooks, paperbacks, and bundles through the company's e-commerce website. Paperbacks include signed and personalized options. The Hunt Master Bundle includes signed book, map, bookmark, and sticker.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of bookish merchandise including character stickers, art prints, and bookmarks featuring characters from the Love, Communicated series.
3. Newsletter Subscriber Acquisition: Free ebook (Rowan Unfolded) offered to newsletter subscribers as lead magnet. By purchasing the free ebook, customers agree to sign up for the newsletter. This builds an email list for ongoing marketing and future releases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Advocacy Group - TAG Inc. self-publishes and sells sapphic romance novels written by in-house author K. Kenley, offered in ebook and signed/personalized paperback formats. The company also sells bookish merchandise (character stickers, art prints, bookmarks) and themed product bundles. Products are sold direct-to-consumer through the company's own e-commerce website, with digital delivery via BookFunnel and print-on-demand fulfillment for international orders.

Product overview

The Advocacy Group - TAG is a Canadian publishing company that serves as an in-house platform for author K. Kenley. The company publishes sapphic romance novels with healthy relationship dynamics and intentional storytelling. The product portfolio consists primarily of authored books (novels and novellas) available in both ebook and paperback formats, along with bookish merchandise. Core titles include The Hunt Master (fantasy romance), Harper Uncovered and Rowan Unfolded (contemporary romance), and the upcoming Eloise Unravelled. Products are sold directly through the TAG website with various format options (ebooks delivered via BookFunnel, signed/ personalized paperbacks), and merchandise such as character stickers, art prints, and bookmarks. The company has an upcoming launch of Eloise Unravelled (July 2026) and recently released Harper Uncovered (January 2026) and Rowan Unfolded (November 2025).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Hunt Master: Paperback Fantasy romance novel (signed and personalized paperback, $22.99 CAD) about Kahlen, the Hunt Master, and Morrigan, daughter of the High Priestess. A low-angst cozy fantasy with spice about reincarnation and soul-ties. Includes a map of main locations drawn by the author in Procreate.
• The Hunt Master: ebook Digital ebook ($9.99 CAD) of The Hunt Master, delivered via BookFunnel. Same story as the paperback featuring Kahlen and Morrigan. No refunds for digital products; no physical copy shipped.
• The Hunt Master Bundle Bundle ($29.99 CAD including shipping within Canada) containing signed and personalized paperback of The Hunt Master, a map of main locations drawn by the author, a character sticker, and a double-sided bookmark. Cover art by Ashton Artistryy.
• Harper Uncovered: Paperback Romance novel paperback ($22.99 CAD) about Harper Chance and Delaney Woods, a demisexual woman who loves rally cross. Signed by the author with personalization available. Part of the Love, Communicated series.
• Rowan Unfolded: e-book Free debut ebook ($0.00) available exclusively for newsletter subscribers, delivered via BookFunnel. A novella about Rowan Lancet and Larissa Batham about finding love after choosing self-love and therapy. Low angst HEA with hint of spice. Customer agrees to newsletter signup on purchase.
• Rowan Unfolded: Paperback Physical paperback ($16.99 CAD) of the debut novella Rowan Unfolded, 186 pages with easy-to-read font. Signed by the author with personalization available. The ebook version is free for newsletter subscribers.
• Eloise Unravelled: Paperback Pre-order romance novel paperback ($22.99 CAD) about Eloise Parish and Gwen, a story about healing and finding love after loss. Signed and personalized copies available. Expected to ship by July 20, 2026.
• Harper and Delaney 2" Stickers Two-pack of 2" x 2" stickers ($4.99 CAD) featuring Harper and Delaney characters from the novel Harper Uncovered. Artwork by Ashton Artistryy. Sold as collectible bookish merchandise.
• Rowan Unfolded Prints Set of 2 art prints ($9.99 CAD) sized 4" x 6", one of Rowan and one of Larissa from the Rowan Unfolded novella. Artwork by Valenntina_arts. Sold as bookish merchandise and collectible.
• Rowan Unfolded Bookmark Bookmark ($2.99 CAD) featuring Rowan Unfolded artwork, showing both front and back of the bookmark. Can be bundled with the paperback and art prints.
• Rowan Unfolded Bundle Bundle ($24.99 CAD including shipping within Canada) containing signed and personalized paperback of Rowan Unfolded, two art prints (Rowan and Larissa), and a bookmark. $5 CAD discount is automatically applied.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% HEA endings guaranteed in all books

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IngramSpark: Book distribution and print-on-demand platform offering indie authors access to retail and library channels. A potential growth lever for TAG if it chose to expand beyond the own-website D2C model.
• Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP): Dominant self-publishing platform that TAG could potentially use for distribution but currently does not. Represents the structural alternative for indie romance authors and the primary competitive pressure on D2C-only models.
• Carina Press: Harlequin's digital-first romance imprint, with explicit inclusion of LGBTQ+ and sapphic titles. Broader incumbent operating at scale across all romance subgenres but with overlapping reader demographic and similar digital-delivery model.

Others

• BookFunnel: Ebook delivery and reader-acquisition platform currently used by TAG for digital fulfillment. Functions as infrastructure/enabler rather than competitor, but represents an ecosystem dependency.

Direct peers

• NineStar Press: LGBTQ+ independent publisher of romance and speculative fiction. Comparable to TAG as a smaller-scale indie publisher serving queer romance readers with digital-first and print distribution models.
• Bold Strokes Books: Established independent LGBTQ+ fiction publisher producing romance and genre fiction for queer readers. Directly comparable to TAG as a publisher specializing in queer romance, though operating at significantly larger scale with broader genre coverage.
• Ylva Publishing: Independent publishing house focused on lesbian fiction and sapphic romance. Closest direct comparable to K. Kenley's K. Kenley Author brand in terms of target audience (sapphic readers) and content positioning (lesbian/queer romance with strong character arcs).
• Desert Palm Press: Independent publisher specializing in lesbian romance and sapphic fiction. Direct competitor for the same niche reader base that K. Kenley targets with the Love, Communicated series.

Emerging players

• Talia Hibbert: Inde rom-com author who built a sizable readership through digital-first publishing and direct fan engagement, then expanded to traditional publishing. A possible trajectory analog for an indie romance author scaling from D2C.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/k.kenley_author
• TikToktiktok.com/@k_kenleyauthor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tagthe-advocacy-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Advocacy Group - TAG