Sticky Notes Blog

A blog of writing news, tips, and inspiration from Fat Plum

Case study in book marketing: The Historian Vs. The Traveler

Today's Wall Street Journal has an informative article on the marketing of summer best sellers ("How Novel Differences Shaped a Battle Between Two Best Sellers," by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, WSJ, 8/15,2005, p A1). In particular, the article foces on the reasons why one book can end up with nearly five times as many copies in print in the span of a few months. The books in question are Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" and John Twelve Hawks's "The Traveler." Both authors are relative unknowns. Both novels are aimed at best-seller markets, and both enjoyed strong marketing and promotional pushes from their publishers. The key difference seems to have been author participation in the promotional process.

Striking a chord with the independent booksellers, in particular, helped reach the influential readers who help set reading trends among the public. "Word of mouth is still much more important than any kind of advertising," says Laurence Kirshbaum, Chief Executive of Time Warner's book group.

Even if a book gets a good send-off from retailers, though, big-box discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will swiftly ship a book back to the publisher if sales falter to make room for new titles. That can be costly. As a result, publishers are increasingly dependent on free publicity, which depends on authors making themselves available for signings, readings and media interviews.

This is where Ms. Kostova, a 40-year-old mother of three who has been working on her book for a decade, shone. She set out on a 15-city tour as soon as the book hit stores, ensuring continuous coverage in the form of feature stories in newspapers, online, and on radio and TV. She also landed a much-coveted appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America," which was broadcast on June 28.

Mr. Twelve Hawks, by contrast, is famously reclusive. He says he lives "off the grid," and neither his editor nor his agent know him well. His refusal to be interviewed or go on tour actually helped drum up prepublication publicity because "The Traveler" is about the need to preserve personal privacy. But after the book's release, his anonymity damped sales, despite what retailers say was an otherwise impressive marketing campaign by Doubleday that included a Web-based game and a two-CD promotional brochure.

Roberta Rubin, owner of The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, Ill., a leading independent bookseller, says people came into the store asking for "The Historian," and that didn't happen with Mr. Twelve Hawks's book. "We do a lot when a writer is coming to our store: We have a window display, we advertise, we promote. And all of that is invaluable to selling a book," she says.

The lesson: No matter who you publisher is, how big the print run is, as an author you must expect to help shoulder the burden of getting the word out.

Posted by Cindy on August 15, 2005
This entry was posted in the following categories: Marketing and promotion