Report 2013 - Kelly Fagan HERE - Australian Publishers Association

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Key Findings (cont.) The other significant difference that should be highlighted is the timing of a campaign. The two format style of print publishing employed by most publishers in the UK, whereby the hardback and e-book are released at the same time followed by a paperback release six to twelve months later, can be quite advantageous in the new digital landscape. Many publishers treat the first release almost like a sampler campaign – with promotional activity centred around the acquisition of reviews, reviews, and more reviews. Independent reviews from the mainstream press of course, but also, consumer reviews from places like Amazon and GoodReads. In many ways it’s like road testing a book before committing to a full promotional spend for the paperback. A recent example of this in action is The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Acquired in a storm of publicity at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the book was first published in hardback in April 2013. The book was praised in the press, and hailed by several media outlets as the next Gone Girl. The hardback received almost 200 reviews on Amazon, a quarter of which were 5-star reviews. In August 2013, HarperCollins published the paperback complete with a widespread advertising campaign. Posters, outdoor and press ads all featured the book and the tag-lines ‘This summer’s Gone Girl’ (a quote from India Knight) and ‘Got a Gone Girl shaped hole in your life Try this’ (a quote from the Evening Standard). Lauren did a British publicity tour, and the book went to number one on the bestseller lists. Of course, with a shrinking second format market, we in Australia rarely have the luxury of a two print format release, but it is definitely worth noting that as online retail becomes an ever increasing part of our market – it may not always be necessary or wise to spend a title’s entire promotional budget up front. 5. Industry Bodies Finally, in this new and evolving world of merged departments and changing roles, professional bodies such as the Book Marketing Society and Publishers’ Publicity Council are like an oasis for like-minded professionals. Learnings are shared, experiences discussed and particularly for junior members of staff, interactions with industry experts are hugely valuable. Author: Kelly Fagan 4
The Australian Retail Space In Australia in early 2013, bookshops were closing at a rate of one per week. In 2012, some two hundred accounts with an annual value to the market of $10,000 and over closed. Some of Australia’s oldest and most respected book stores have been forced to downsize to smaller more affordable retail premises in order to survive, and in Melbourne two local bookstores launched public appeals for support so that they could keep their doors open until Christmas. When I left for the UK, it was amidst reports from Nielsen Bookscan that sales through Australian bookshops in 2012 had dropped a huge 9.3% in value; that discount department store Target would no longer employ a book buyer; and that in general the past twelve months were seen as ‘one of the toughest years in the trade in a long time’. 1 And then there were Those Amazon Rumours. 2 Australia source of purchase 2012 volume share % 3 Dymocks 12% QBD 5% Collins 3% ABC Shops 3% Newslink 3% DDS 19% Others 16% Leading Edge 11% Department stores 3% Amazon 6% Specials 13% Other online 6% Combined e-book and hard-copy book purchases made online in Australia (by volume) currently sit at 13%. Modest predictions see this rising to approximately 35% over the next four years – more if Amazon opens a fully-functioning .au shop front. Locally, our two largest online retailers, Booktopia and the Pearson-owned Bookworld, are reporting significant growth year-on-year. Last year saw Bookworld try to capture the Christmas market quite aggressively with high-profile print, television and online advertising. There’s no longer any doubt that the Australian market is being revolutionised by digital sales and publishing. But does this spell doom and gloom for traditional trade publishers ‘Not at all’ argues Stephen Page, CEO of Faber and Faber. What’s up for grabs for publishers – in Australia and in the UK – is the significant opportunity to be valuable to writers and readers at a time of great change. 4 1 http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/DetailPage.aspxtype=item&id=25903 2 http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/cloud/amazon-lands-in-australia-20120621-20q6y.html 3 As reported by Nielsen bookscan, 2012 4 Face-to-face interview with Stephen Page, CEO Faber and Faber, 12 June, 2013 Author: Kelly Fagan 5
Page 1 and 2: A Very Long Engagement: how the new
Page 3 and 4: Overview With book marketing, every
Page 5: Key Findings 1. Differences/similar
Page 9 and 10: An Australian book consumer benchma
Page 11 and 12: The UK Retail Space When I approach
Page 13 and 14: The UK Media Space (cont.) As in Au
Page 15 and 16: Marketing and Publicity Department
Page 17 and 18: The Evolution of Marketing and Publ
Page 23 and 24: What Does it Mean to Connect Direct
Page 25 and 26: What Does it Mean to Connect Direct
Page 27 and 28: Cross Industry Collaboration In thi
Page 29 and 30: Conclusion jThis report led me down

Report 2013 - Kelly Fagan HERE - Australian Publishers Association

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