When was the last time you saw, read, or heard something about a novel that made you commit the book to memory for future purchase?
In my case, four books immediately come to mind.
The first is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Last year, upon learning that I was writing a historical trilogy, my neighbor's sister began telling me about this book she was reading. It so captivated her, that when she finished it, she planned on re-reading it just so she could underline her favorite passages.
The second is a novel called The Collector by John Fowles. In one of Sol Stein's writing books, he recommends novelists to study this particular novel.
The third is Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Though I'd heard of the book on numerous occasions, it wasn't until I heard an editor say it was the best Christian fiction book ever written that I finally decided to read it.
The last book is Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout. It was this amazing review by the Washington Post that influenced me.
Now think about a book advertisement that caught your attention.
This time, three books come to mind:
The first is advertisement from my childhood. It's Dianetics by L. Ron Hubbard. While writing this, I left my computer, found my husband, and asked whether he could remember the book that was advertised with a volcano. He remembered the name of the author, and I was able to find the title on Amazon.
The second is an advertisement I saw on the daily e-mail sent by Publisher's Weekly. I think the title may have had the word Monster in it. The advertisement had a red, demon-looking beast in it.
The last book, I cannot tell you anything about the title or author. However, the commercial usually airs during CNN's Showbiz Tonight. The plot has something to do with a painting (no it's not The Da Vinci Code,) and the cover has what I believe is a Van Gogh painting on the front.
Why is it that I can remember the first group so clearly, but not so with the second group?
In an era where we are bombarded with commercials, advertisements, and pop-ups, a recommendation from a trusted source becomes golden.
According to the PRSA, publicity is five times as effective as paid placement in getting a consumer to purchase a product.
A study featured last year in Publisher's Weekly stated the #1 reason a consumer purchases a book is because a friend (trusted source) recommended it. Ads were extremely low on the list of persuaders because the consumer views them as biased.
I'd love to hear your comments on this. What influenced you to buy your last five books?
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Friday, May 19, 2006
Why Publicity? Part II
Great thoughts, Jess! I absolutely agree that a friend's recommendation, or even a stranger's, is what will make me actually use my own money to buy a book. Sometimes an award will. A Christy, Booker, National Book Award, that type of thing.
ReplyDeleteI bought Peretti's Darkness book because everyone told me I should. I bought Peace Like a River (thankfully) because an editor I admire (Chip MacGregor) gushed about it and he seldom gushes.
I bought Posession a Romance because Walter Wangerin Jr. said I must.
Very seldom will I buy a book because of paid hype.
A lot of the books I read are because an editor has said, "You need to read this book." Peace Like a River was one. Secret Life of Bees was another.
ReplyDeleteA good writer friend recommended The Kite Runner. Wow.
It's all by word of mouth. That's why I've tried to give away Watchingt the Tree Limbs to book clubs because I know if several catch the excitement, it will influence sales.
This is so true, Jess! That's just why I love knowing other Christian writers and having resources like Novel Reviews to help me select good books to read. Once I hear several writers I admire comment on the greatness of a particular book, I put it in my mental "to-read" file. Because of referrals from friends, I've been reading Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz, Charles Martin's Wrapped in Rain, Athol Dickson's River Rising and Stephen King's book on writing. I loved them all!
ReplyDeleteWell, this is interesting. I usually find myself in the position of being the one to recommend books to others. :) I think the last time I read a book based on a friends recommendation was when Toby @ NavPress sent me Chateau of Echoes. If I'm looking at a new author (newly published or new to me) cover art is often the first factor that influences whether or not I'll even pick the book up to read the summary on the back cover. Other factors include whether the summary has a good "hook" that makes me want to delve into the book to read the whole thing. And of course there's authors that as a reader I have a good track record with. I'm also interested in exploring as many genres as possible so I have a good knowledge of what's being published, what's popular, what I think worked (and didn't).
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Jessica.
ReplyDeleteI would never have purchased Peace Like a River - and it is SO GOOD --if it wouldn't have shown up on so many authors/editors favorite book lists.
A new author has to be recommended to me - I don't put much value in back cover copy or blurbs.
Once an author resonates with me - I'm his/or hers pretty much for the long haul.
I'll read popular books sometimes -like the Left Behind series - so I can join in conversations.
Perhaps it's the same principle that Jesus built His Church upon: "You shall be My witnesses," or "Go into the world and make disciplies." It was never about billboards, placards or perfectly placed ads in the Jerusalem Sentinel. It was about people. As John said, "That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched -- this we proclaim..." (I Jn. 1:1). People who have been touched, moved, inspired are by far the best salespersons. Two problems arise however: 1.) Word of mouth takes time -- probably more time than most ad campaigns calculate and anticipate, and 2.) The logistics of person-to-person contact is spontaneous and uncontrollable, unless you're talking about spokepeople placement, which is much more on par with pure advertisement than grassroots chatter. Great series Jess!
ReplyDeleteI've got a stack of books that I've read that I give away at work. The girls ask me, "Is it good?" "Eh," I say. I can't help but be honest. So, when I say, "You HAVE to read this one," they do.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is besides the publicity, besides the marketing, the most important thing, in moo, is writing a book that is incredible.
I've been known to pop up all over the internet singing the praises of a book I've fallen in love with. I can't help myself.
Sometimes though, we think our stuff is better than it really is. We wonder why people aren't gushing and don't realize that maybe it's not gush-worthy.
It's pretty difficult to gauge the merit of our own work. But when you see people who aren't your best-friend or publicist advertising your work all over God's creation, that's a pretty good indication that you have written the book you set out to.
The book that may not sell well, but ought to.
I just bought five books last week for my birthday so I'll try to run through them. One I bought because it was nominated for a Christy award and I'd never read that author; one has a similar topic to a book in my proposal; one is set in Chicago where I live; another is the sequel to a chicklit book I won last year; and the fifth one was a historical book by a well-known author I rarely read (I thought the setting was unique).
ReplyDeleteBoy, that was fun. If only I didn't have to wait another year in order to buy five books at once!
Okay, since Ruth mentioned Chauteau of Echoes, I'll admit that was the one I bought because it was nominated for a Christy. I'd heard about it enough but had read it was a ghost story (although the ghost wasn't real) and that really turned me off. What a pleasant surprise to find out that description of the book was totally wrong. Siri's an amazing writer. I'll read her stuff again!
ReplyDeleteWow . . . what a great article. This was so timely in where I am in my own process of advertising and promoting. I constantly keep asking my friends. “What would make a reader take a chance on a new author?” “How do you promote or build momentum when nobody knows you?” How do you spark a word-of-mouth campaign big enough that others take notice?”
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I am lucky when I go to choose a book, in that I order music for the store I manage, so I have a magazine called Christian Advance where I breeze over the new releases. It’s not necessarily the author (though I do have my favorites and buy their stuff regardless), or the cover art. It’s the synopsis that grabs my attention. I just read a book my first-time author Brandt Dodson called, Original Sin. It made for a very good read, so I immediately e-mailed him to congratulate him since I know as a first-time writer how important feedback is.
As Ruth said, I am usually the one doing the recommending to friends and I buy anything that grabs my attention. The last five books I read where chosen because of the synopsis and 4 out of the 5 didn’t let me down.
I try recipes and read books on personal recommendations. Although I will stand in a book store and read the backs of novels for hours to find one I like, I prefer to save time through a recommendation. I also recommend the authors I love to friends.
ReplyDelete