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A “massive publicity push” for Christmas is being planned by Quadrille Publishing as it seeks to rebound from a quieter first half of the year.
The publisher has already started reprinting copies of Gordon Ramsay’s World Kitchen and Janet Street Porter’s new book, Don’t Let the B*****ds Get You Down, after Waterstone’s, W H Smith and Borders confirmed the books would feature in their Christmas campaigns.
Quadrille, which will be celebrating its 15th anniversary later this year, said it would report its audited accounts for 2008 shortly. Turnover is expected to be close to £12m, compared to £11.5m in 2007. Quadrille sales director Ian West said he did not expect the company’s 2009 sales to be quite as high, but said early indications for its autumn titles are “really strong”.
According to Nielsen Book-Scan, the publisher’s sales so far this year are down almost 50%. However, this does not take into account its coedition business, or the phasing of its bigger TV tie-in titles towards the end of the year.
West said sales in the first half of the year were above budget, but added that many of its lead titles were moved to autumn this year due to TV tie-in schedules. He said that despite the fact that these books were coming out later than last year, he thought that this Christmas could be a good one.
West added there would be a “massive publicity push” with Street Porter appearing on “Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word” TV show, which runs for 12 weeks from November. Both books will also have separate serialisations in the Daily Mail, and radio and national press publicity is also planned.