About Iva Embley
Writer. Marketer. Data enthusiast. Persistent experimenter.
I’m Iva Embley Neumann, an author and former business consultant who has spent much of my career trying to understand why people do what they do—and what the numbers can tell us about it.
Before writing full-time, I worked in marketing, business consulting, data analysis, and organizational strategy. I advised organizations including AT&T, KPMG, Twynstra Gudde, and Heineken, helping clients analyze markets and audiences, refine strategies, and translate complex information into practical decisions.
My career later took an unusual turn when I became the director of EFP, a Dutch forensic psychiatry expertise center. It was a fascinating environment where psychology, data, human behavior, and complex decision-making intersected daily.
Eventually, writing won.
From business strategy to book strategy
Under the pen name I. C. Cosmos, I write character-driven thrillers and the No-Nonsense Girl’s Guides for writers and independent publishers.
Independent publishing brought many of my earlier interests together again: storytelling, psychology, marketing, analytics, and experimentation. It also reinforced something I learned long ago in consulting:
What people say should work and what actually works are not always the same thing.
These days, alongside writing, I spend a great deal of time exploring the practical side of publishing and book marketing—advertising, positioning, discoverability, reader behavior, and the many small decisions that determine whether a book finds its audience.
I’m gradually bringing more of that work to IvaEmbley.com, along with occasional thoughts and resources on writing and self-publishing.
I have little interest in magic formulas, secret algorithms, or promises of effortless success. I’m much more interested in useful ideas, thoughtful experiments, and helping authors make better-informed decisions.
Because good marketing isn’t about convincing everyone to buy your book.
It’s about helping the right reader discover it.