Collaboration power
As a self-published author, I’ve had to get creative with partnerships.
Last autumn, it felt like you couldn’t move for Wicked brand collaborations.
From Liberty to Lush, brands jumped at the chance to associate with the Universal Pictures movie. Aside from the commercial arrangements and the chance to sell more product, movie collaborations make creative sense for brands, too: it’s a chance to surprise and delight customers whilst also showing relevance to the cultural zeitgeist.
Of course, Wicked is simply the latest in a long list of collaboration-friendly movies spanning the decades which also includes the likes of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. That these three examples all have bibliographic heritage speaks volumes about the enduring influence of fiction books. But it also begs the question: why wait for a book to be turned into a movie before getting serious about collaborations?
When I failed to land an agent or a publisher for my debut children’s picture book, Unken Dunken Makes Pancakes, I knew I’d be facing an uphill struggle as a self-published author in a highly competitive category (don’t get me started on celebrity children’s book authors). But sometimes, staring failure in the face gives you the fight you need to succeed: early on, I realised that collaborations could quickly help the book reach a wider audience, build it as a "brand" and boost sales. That realisation kickstarted a chain of events.
First stop? Exploring film and TV opportunities. After all, why start small?
With a stroke of luck and a senior industry executive who saw something in my book, I secured Unken Dunken a reading on Channel 5’s Milkshake! Story Den. While no money changed hands, it gave me the confidence to speak to brands (as you well know, "As seen on TV" is a powerful selling point). And that, I did.
Unken Dunken is about a girl and her uncle having fun making pancakes together. Though it’s not specific to Pancake Day, the annual event provides a natural "hook". And from my full-time day job in retail branding, I knew that seasonal events were becoming ever bigger, broader and more varied, in the UK at least. So, I approached a major flour brand and a dairy brand (flour and milk being two pancake ingredients that are name-checked in the book). After a few emails back and forth, discussions fizzled out, so it was back to the drawing board.
Why wait for a book to be turned into a movie before getting serious about collaborations?
Next up? Bird & Blend – an expanding high-street tea retailer that happens to launch pancake-inspired tea infusions every year for Pancake Day. It also happens to have its HQ close to where I live and has a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (I specifically published Unken Dunken to increase the representation of dual-heritage children’s book characters). They were happy to offer space for a reading in each of their two Brighton stores. Yes, I was an unknown author but the readings were a good fit with their community values, their DEI ethos and, of course, one of their seasonal product ranges. Plus, customers are increasingly expecting an experience when they shop in physical high street stores – a free book reading provides just that.
Fast forward two years (with many café, arts organisation and nursery readings – collaborations of sorts – in between) and today I’m proud to be delivering a multi-brand sensory storytelling event in collaboration with Lush. I’ll be reading my book with its interactive elements and offering copies for sale. Lush will be sampling some pancake-adjacent products (think vanilla and cocoa). Bird & Blend will be sampling their latest pancake-inspired tea infusions. And we’ll be giving out goodie bags, which will include make-at-home pancake mix donated by Søstrene Grene. It works because all of us, from content to community engagement, will be getting something out of it. And tickets went in a flash.
Throughout the last few years, I’ve also built a mutually supportive relationship with the Open Minds Project, a charity that distributes books featuring inspiring Black characters to schools and nurseries. I can’t thank them enough for their encouragement on my journey. In turn, I give a sales discount and I try to support them wherever else I can, because what they are doing directly aligns with why I published the book I did.
If collaborations like those I’ve forged can work for me, they can work for any agent or publisher with a new – or existing – book to promote. And it doesn’t need to be Booker Prize-winning, New York Times Bestselling or to have inspired a Hollywood movie or Netflix series. Together, my collaborative relationships have helped me sell more books, as they’ve give me a greater opportunity to engage with my target audience on a richer, deeper level. They’ve also helped me increase my book’s brand awareness.
To give you a head start, here are my top six tips for successful collaborations:
- Relevance is key: If customers understand why you collaborated with a certain brand, they’re far more likely to engage and support the collaboration.
- Align your values: Collaborations are far stronger when you and your collaborator’s values are really in sync, so choose them carefully.
- Consider all options: Brainstorm potential collaborators, start broad and narrow your options down. It’s far better to consider a proposal which you politely decline because it isn’t right than to have no options at all.
- Maximise the opportunity: Make sure you’re ready to make the most of it through your marketing mix. Work closely with the other party to see if there’s anything you an provide by way of visual brand assets, author quotes or appearances.
- Make it memorable: Consider how you can ensure the collaboration has lasting impact. How can you make it experiential rather than simply transactional?
- Ensure there’s equity: If money isn’t changing hands (which it often doesn’t in the realm of collaborations), make sure you know – and you’re happy with – what is promises to deliver.
What’s next? I’ll think on it, post-Pancake Day. One thing’s for sure, though: I’m looking forward to Wicked: For Good – part two of the franchise – in cinemas later this year.
Happy Pancake Day.
