Report 2013 - Kelly Fagan HERE - Australian Publishers Association
Report 2013 - Kelly Fagan HERE - Australian Publishers Association
Report 2013 - Kelly Fagan HERE - Australian Publishers Association
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Key Findings (cont.)<br />
The other significant difference that should be highlighted is the timing of a campaign. The two format style of print<br />
publishing employed by most publishers in the UK, whereby the hardback and e-book are released at the same time<br />
followed by a paperback release six to twelve months later, can be quite advantageous in the new digital landscape.<br />
Many publishers treat the first release almost like a sampler campaign – with promotional activity centred around the<br />
acquisition of reviews, reviews, and more reviews. Independent reviews from the mainstream press of course, but<br />
also, consumer reviews from places like Amazon and GoodReads.<br />
In many ways it’s like road testing a book before committing to a full promotional spend for the paperback. A recent<br />
example of this in action is The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Acquired in a storm of publicity at the Frankfurt<br />
Book Fair, the book was first published in hardback in April <strong>2013</strong>. The book was praised in the press, and hailed<br />
by several media outlets as the next Gone Girl. The hardback received almost 200 reviews on Amazon, a quarter<br />
of which were 5-star reviews. In August <strong>2013</strong>, HarperCollins published the paperback complete with a widespread<br />
advertising campaign. Posters, outdoor and press ads all featured the book and the tag-lines ‘This summer’s Gone<br />
Girl’ (a quote from India Knight) and ‘Got a Gone Girl shaped hole in your life Try this’ (a quote from the Evening<br />
Standard). Lauren did a British publicity tour, and the book went to number one on the bestseller lists.<br />
Of course, with a shrinking second format market, we in Australia rarely have the luxury of a two print format release,<br />
but it is definitely worth noting that as online retail becomes an ever increasing part of our market – it may not always<br />
be necessary or wise to spend a title’s entire promotional budget up front.<br />
5. Industry Bodies<br />
Finally, in this new and evolving world of merged departments and changing roles, professional bodies such as the<br />
Book Marketing Society and <strong>Publishers</strong>’ Publicity Council are like an oasis for like-minded professionals. Learnings<br />
are shared, experiences discussed and particularly for junior members of staff, interactions with industry experts are<br />
hugely valuable.<br />
Author: <strong>Kelly</strong> <strong>Fagan</strong><br />
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