The New York Times takes a look at the story of first-time author Steven Hall and the lengths that publishers are going to in order to find the new hot best-seller. In the case of Hall, whose first novel, The Raw Shark Texts has been well-reviewed and compared to House of Leaves , his publishers have gone all out with pre-publication tours. These tours seek to woo and inform booksellers whose influence is conventionally seen as diminishing due to the increased importance of online vendors like Amazon.
In January, about two months before Mr. Hall's novel, "The Raw Shark Texts," was scheduled to hit the shelves, Canongate U.S., Mr. Hall's publisher, footed the bill for four days of wining and dining, with Mr. Hall pitching his book in person to people who can help determine whether it sinks or swims.
Like a novice politician, Mr. Hall shook hands and talked patiently with booksellers both small and powerful, from an assistant store manager in Minneapolis to the head buyer at City Lights, the renowned San Francisco independent.
There were four long dinners on his schedule, plus a handful of media interviews, a book signing, three photo shoots and a meet-and-greet at Powell's Books in Portland.
It was heady stuff for Mr. Hall, who before this had never left Europe. He was born in Derbyshire, England, outside Manchester, and now lives in Hull, a "tiny, deprived, poor little city," he said.
In order to grab a piece of the diminishing book market, Hall's publisher haven't ignored the online world, of course. During the lead up to his publication date last week, Hall was given a blog on the influential Powell's website.
Another new marketing tactic in the publishing world is the addition of what are known as "book trailers." Just what they sound like, these cinematic teasers adopt the rhythm and style of movie trailers. While I can appreciate the art and intention behind them, I wonder if they wind up removing some of the mystery behind the books they're trying to promote. I enjoy the "not-knowing" that happens when you start a new novel, and I feel like these trailers remove a little of that.
You can judge for yourself by watching a couple of my favorites:
Londonstani by Gautam Malkani
King Dork by Frank Portman
2
st_even
Milwaukee, WI
September 2006
APR 03, 2007 08:10 PM
Well, this is apparently a good book, but this kind of blitz is also behind The Da Vinci Code being a huge success, and will be used to turn all kinds of crap into instant literary classics. =/
Luz said:
what's up with all this "Mr. T experience" talk? if you're referring to the song on King Dork,
IT'S THE STOOGES.
Frank Portman, also known as Dr. Frank, is the lead singer of the Mr. T Experience and the author of the book King Dork that was mentioned in this article.
He was also a much-liked writer for the SG Newswire for an all-too-brief amount of time.
Was so upset........really found me out......I thought you meant the THREE STOOGES.........duhh
9
angrboda
I'm lost
November 2005
APR 04, 2007 03:23 AM
I think this form of marketing is a brilliant idea. As a budding book author I would hope to find a publisher that does this amount of work to promote my work!
Those trailers did absolutely nothing for me. The whole reason I pick up a novel is to escape that high-glitz, ultra-hyped, sensory-overload world that is film, tv and music. From what my friends in the publishing industry are telling me, booksellers are getting into deeper and deeper shit because the normal hype machine they use to promote their authors is breaking down. The power of choice afforded to readers by internet sellers means that traditional publishers and booksellers can no longer cram the latest literary 'trends' down people's throats the way they could ten years ago, thus inflating the popularity of their big-hitter titles.
I just find this another pathetic attempt at trying to promote literature in a way that appeals to the quick-fix youth demographic, while missing the point entirely that bestselling literature should be about quality, originality, and the progression and evolution of the artform.
11
soft_shoulder
Madison, WI
May 2006
APR 04, 2007 04:59 AM
Poor books. Its like pop music, the ones with big money support sell.
So many great books overlooked. =/
The words - Diminishing book market - make me sad.
Flinty said:
The power of choice afforded to readers by internet sellers means that traditional publishers and booksellers can no longer cram the latest literary 'trends' down people's throats the way they could ten years ago, thus inflating the popularity of their big-hitter titles.
I'd argue that point. I doubt that with the internet we're seeing a wider selection of top sellers, and in fact, all signs point to the opposite.
I think the internets capability to sell or not sell "trendsetting/popular" books still comes down to the individual. You either choose to read good books or you read crap. The masses, well they tend to read crap that is easily digestible. What is horrible, in this situation, is that the publishers are taking writers and making them into PR advocates. Instead of judging the book on it's content it is how well the author can respond to a barrage of questions.
On the up side, a writer does need to make money and like any other artist is going to have their "serious" work and their fluffy stuff. If they could promote their fluff to the masses and get it to sell while working on their great masterpiece more power to them.
Flinty said:
Those trailers did absolutely nothing for me. The whole reason I pick up a novel is to escape that high-glitz, ultra-hyped, sensory-overload world that is film, tv and music.
I agree. I think that this is just an extension of some of the awful covers and quotes and descrptions on the back of books.
I work at a bookstore, actually, and we get a lot of UK books, the presentation of the UK books aren't nearly as bad as the domestic ones.
IPOD
RADIO
PointBlank
New York, NY
November 2004
APR 03, 2007 05:54 PM