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Publishers are seeking out innovative ways to target shoppers as they promote their big titles for the summer.
HarperCollins said it was hoping to recreate the paperback success of Fifty Shades of Grey with Revenge Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger’s follow-up to 2003’s The Devil Wears Prada. The book, released on 20th June, will re-create its fashion-conscious theme with two jackets, featuring inverted yellow and black colour schemes. Random House is also hoping to tap into Fifty Shades’ success for the paperback launch of Lisa Jewell’s Before I Met You (9th May). After working with Stylist magazine for E L James’ first UK event last year, it is doing the same for Jewell, with a reader event at a cocktail bar in June and extensive advertising with the magazine in print and online.
Penguin division Michael Joseph is hoping to create a summer talking point for new crime thriller Natural Causes with posters which appear as if adverts for a helpline. The poster, developed by Penguin and creative agency One Darnley Road, offers a number to call for help on how to deal with “experiencing Literary-Induced Psychosis (LIP) after reading Natural Causes.” Calling the number will lead to a recorded message offering tongue-in-cheek advice, such as: “Greying Hair? Embrace it. Worn with confidence it can be quite a dishy look.” The book, a previously self-published début by James Oswald, will be released on 9th May.
MJ marketing manager Tim Broughton said: “Crime fiction is a competitive marketplace, and launching a new author requires a creative approach. We were determined to produce a campaign which was not only arresting, but also entertaining, encouraged discussion and formed an experience that readers were keen to share.”
Hodder will work with charity The Reading Agency and the Schools Library Authority to raise awareness of Jodi Picoult’s new YA novel Between the Lines (20th June). Hodder will target teen reading groups, and add new teen-friendly content to Picoult’s official Facebook page and Jodi’s Bookclub app, with reader competitions and interviews.
Atlantic is offering a trip to Amsterdam in support of the paperback release of Herman Koch’s The Dinner. The book, which costs £2.99 when bought with the Times in W H Smith throughout May, will also be available as an exclusive edition in Waterstones with a chapter from Koch’s next novel and reading group notes.
Waterstones loyalty card customers can also win a five-star weekend for two in Amsterdam, the book’s setting. Independents are also being supported, with Independent Alliance Bookshops able to win £100 of John Lewis vouchers for creating the best p.o.s. for the book in their area.
Canongate will continue to promote Yann Martel’s Life of Pi as the DVD is released, with print and e-book versions including an advert for the DVD, while a DVD flyer will promote the book. The Further Adventures of an Idiot Abroad by Karl Pilkington will have video adverts on YouTube featuring Michael Palin, and an online “bucket list” game.