News

« Headlines

TV crime wave for CHA

16.01.08 Benedicte Page

A nine-month television sponsorship campaign will see CHA authors James Patterson, John Grisham, Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Richard Montanari promoted on the FX channel's top crime shows.

The deal, which CHA says is the publishing industry's longest-ever TV sponsorship, will focus on nine titles from the five authors and will sponsor three of FX's most popular crime series: "24", "NCIS" and "The Wire". Each month will focus on a new title, sponsoring 15 hours of programming per week. The deal will encompass two 15-second adverts to begin and end each episode, alongside six five-second "break-bumpers" coming in and out of the commercial breaks.

Senior marketing manager Adam Humphrey said the association would "help to build a strong affinity" between the channel and the authors and titles featured.

The news comes as CHA unveils a big push for crime writer Karin Slaughter this year, with two new titles from the American author, a major advertising campaign and a new look. Slaughter's next Will Trent novel, Fractured, is out in July, and she has also penned a novella, Martin Misunderstood, out in paperback from CHA in the autumn.

Both Century and Arrow have new jacket looks for the author, and along with the TV advertising on FX in April and July, there will also be outdoor poster sites and online activity to widen her fanbase.

Martin Misunderstood tells the story of an accountant who feels that life is passing him by, and who takes refuge in his love of crime fiction. So immersed is he in the stories that he fails to notice crimes going on all around him, until a co-worker is brutally murdered and he finally sees his chance to shine.

Kate Elton, Arrow publishing director, described it as "both a gripping short thriller and a cracking canter through the crime fiction genre," promising that "Karin's going to have a lot of fun with Martin's love of crime fiction."

Media Benedicte Page Random House Chatto

See Also