Adventures in Book Marketing with Simon Kernick's DEADLINE

Right now is not the time for authors to settle for traditional ways of book promotion, i.e. hoping and praying that their newest book on offer will be noticed and magically sell copies. Publishers are also trying to figure out creative and unorthodox ways for their titles to garner attention when there is simply too much competition for reader eyeballs. Most of the time, I applaud unusual promotional practices, because everybody needs an edge, a way to stand out. But when I first heard what UK retail chain WHSmith was doing with special editions of Simon Kernick's thriller DEADLINE, which Corgi originally published in paperback last year, my reaction was, shall we say, rather pointed: "Wow. Talk about a jaw-dropping, epic, book marketing fail."

As Marketing Week's Ruth Mortimer discovered, WHSmith is stocking a special, promotion-only version of DEADLINE - which can be obtained for free as long as the customer also pre-orders THE LOST SYMBOL -- with Dan Brown's name prominently displayed on the cover. And she did not like what she saw, not at all, not after initially thinking that DEADLINE was written by Brown because of the name placement:

So I picked up Deadline. Would it be the story of a young female journalist struggling for the scoop of the decade against the odds? At which point, I noticed someone else’s name on the cover beneath Dan Brown’s: Simon Kernick. “Aha,” I thought, “The title is actually ‘Simon Kernick: Deadline.’ Perhaps Kernick is the fictional detective starring in this novel?”

But as I looked closer, it dawned on me that in fact, Brown had not written this book at all. And Kernick is not the detective hero of the piece. The front cover, which proudly boasted that it was “exclusive” to WH Smith, bears the legend: “Dan Brown. If you like your thrillers as fast, furious and unputdownable as Dan Brown, then we thought you’d enjoy…Simon Kernick. Deadline.”

I had got it entirely wrong. Kernick is, in fact, the author of Deadline. Brown is not.

This is selling one author’s book with the name of another author as the hook to draw in the shopper. Rather than simply referring to Dan Brown on the cover notes, suggesting similarities between the authors’ styles, at first sight it seems that Brown is the main writer.

The whole top two-thirds of the book is dedicated to Brown, rather than Kernick. Careless shoppers, like me, could quite easily buy it thinking it was Brown’s own work and only realise their mistake when they’d parted with their cash.

Pace J. Miller, who scanned in both front and back covers of the WHSmith edition of DEADLINE, was similarly outraged: "[This cover] designed to mislead and deceive the careless book buyer, or at the very least cause what is commonly referred to as ‘initial interest confusion’.  The danger is exacerbated when this book is placed right next to Dan Brown’s books, which it was when I found it in WH Smith (a UK bookstore chain). The thing is, Kernick is not some crappy first time author who can’t sell a copy.  His previous novel, Relentless, was the 8th best-selling paperback, and the best-selling thriller in the UK in 2007."

What surprised Mortimer, Miller and me was way in which Dan Brown's name was cross-promoted with Simon Kernick's work. UK publishers, especially of crime and thrillers, have a long history of using cross-referencing - specifically the specialized hardcover dust jacket slipcovers that proclaim "As good as [bestselling author X] or your money back, GUARANTEED" or the like -- and blanketing their top titles (and the books they want to sell like top titles) in tube and train stations. But this appeared to venture beyond over-the-top territory into misleading readers. 

After I posted the article on Twitter yesterday afternoon, others followed suit with reactions ranging from disbelief ("What is wrong with you, publishing industry?!) to clarification ("it's actually a marketing success - but an ETHICAL fail") to coming up with rather resourceful ideas, like the Simon Kernick is Awesome Photoshop Contest currently going on at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. But Jason Pinter, who saw the promo edition of DEADLINE in the flesh while on tour in London last month, had a far different, and much more positive, reaction, ("most US thriller writers would kill for the same marketing [and sales]") which he expanded on in an email to me yesterday evening:

I've seen so many advertisements and so much marketing material that is bland beyond belief and likely doesn't sell a single copy. When I saw this promotion in the UK a month a go, my first thought was, "Wow, good for Simon." The bottom line is that this will sell boatloads of Kernick books and elevate his status and recognition. So from a bottom line marketing standpoint, it's one of the most effective promotions I've ever seen.

As for Kernick vetoing it--why on earth would Kernick would he ever do that? He gets his name on a book cover with arguably the biggest author (book for book) in the entire world. Tons of his books get prime placement in one of the country's biggest booksellers. It will introduce him to thousands of readers and likely sell thousands of copies. And when you see the book in person, it's a whole lot easier to 'get' what they're doing. Plus it ties in to Kernick's latest hardcover, which is even better for him. I don't think anybody really considers Dan Brown a brilliant writer--from a thriller standpoint you can argue more that he is a good storyteller--so I disagree with anyone saying Kernick's rep will be hurt by this. If anything, it puts him on par with a global phenomenon. So for every person who  thumbs their nose, they'll be drowned out by a whole mess of people who now consider Simon Kernick's name when thinking of Dan Brown.

I think some of the backlash stems from slight (or perhaps major) animosity towards Brown from a segment of the literary community that thinks that either a) he's not a good writer, b) the book wasn't that good, or c) a combination of both. But one thing that's abundantly clear is that there is a massive disconnect between the literary community and the rest of the book-buying world. I think people forget just how massive Dan Brown is--it's like a YA author being compared to J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. On the adult side, Brown is the biggest author in the world, and sharing a cover with an author of that stature, from a sales standpoint, is worth its weight in gold. Whether Brown's name takes up too much of the cover is a point that could be debated, but all I can say is that when I saw these copies with my own eyes, I 'got' what they were doing immediately.

In the U.S., it's a similar situation to how Andrew Gross began his career. He co-wrote several novels with James Patterson--one of the world's biggest selling authors and someone else with a spotty 'literary' pedigree--and when Gross's own book came out he was immediately recognized, bought and read to a far greater degree than 99% of debut novelists. When people read Gross's books they saw that he had talent, and all it did was give a shot in the arm to an author whose talent warranted it. The same goes with Kernick. The most important thing, bar none, is to get readers to pick up your books. And beyond once-in-a-blue-moon opportunities like a movie adaptation or an Oprah pick, linking your name in such strong fashion to a massive bestselling author is perhaps the most effective marketing an author can get.

"I sincerely hope that no one feels duped in any way," said Kernick this morning by email in reference to Mortimer's article, "[but] to be honest, I'm still not a hundred percent sure what all the fuss is about. This was always a one-off promotion to promote my books by giving away DEADLINE with pre-orders of the new Dan Brown book in WH Smith. THe book with the new cover is not, never was, and never will be for sale, and DEADLINE's still in print with its original cover and available in Smiths and elsewhere. I also knew about the whole thing from the start, and it seems to have worked because my backsales have gone up very substantially in the weeks since it begun, and both Transworld and Smiths are very pleased. I guess, in conclusion, I'm fairly relaxed about the whole thing since anyone who got the book as part of the promotion, got it free and should have been told that it wasn't by Dan Brown but my me."

Seliina Walker, Kernick's longtime editor at Transworld (which is also Dan Brown's publisher) concurred on both the promotional elements and resulting sales: "As far as we're concerned at Transworld, this was a WHSmith initiative aimed at driving pre-orders for The Lost Symbol while giving a high profile front-of-store promotion to Simon who is, as you know, one of the UK's most popular thriller writers. All parties, including both authors, are fully briefed and gave approval for the promotion, which was always perceived as a short-term one. As a result, advance orders for The Lost Symbol have rocketed, and there has also been a huge uplift in Simon's backlist sales. As for the 'misleading' element in the article, we took care to signpost clearly all elements both at point of sale and on the book itself."

Unorthodox, or even blatant, as this particular promotion was, the bottom line is that so far, it's working for Simon Kernick - which means similar gambits may well be employed more often in the future, and might work just as well for crime & thriller writers in need of a marketing push.

Comments

[Dave]

Hey, as far as I can tell, people are talking about Simon's books. Which, for Simon, can't be a bad thing...

[I.J.Parker]

It may be working, but it's still reprehensible and should be embarrassing for Kernick. On the other hand, both Brown and Kernick are in the business of making money at all cost, so they're probably in sync on this. As for the buyer: Maybe Dan Brown fans are by nature careless and it serves them right. Or if Kernick writes like Brown, they'll be grateful to be introduced to him in this manner.

[Jason Pinter]

"Both Brown and Kernick are in the business of making money at all cost."

First off, IJ, that's a pretty thoughtless and petty statement. I think the point that most people are missing is that this book was being given away for FREE. Nobody was paying money for a Simon Kernick book thinking it was a Dan Brown book, and I'd be surprised if Simon was making a dime off of these giveaways. If anything, as Simon has said, it has helped sales of his backlist. What that means is people are READING these free copies, enjoying them, then going to check out his other work.

As for Dan Brown, let's look at the facts for THE DA VINCI CODE: it was the fourth book by an author whose first three books had mediocre sales. He was already being published by his third different house (that's got to be a record after four books). And it was the second book to feature the character of Robert Langdon, whose first book, ANGELS & DEMONS, was hardly a success when it came out. Yeah, that sounds like a TERRIFIC strategy for an author willing to do anything for money.

[Graham]

To echo Jason's point: "The book with the new cover is not, never was, and never will be for sale..."

In my opiniion, that makes it acceptable. No one is being tricked out of their money here. If they are lost they've only lost a little time, and can presumably recoup it by selling the book to a used book store. Or maybe it will become a rare collector's item some day!

[tess gerritsen]

I think it's a brilliant way to introduce a writer to new readers. Transworld has always had a highly creative marketing team, and this looks like a win for Simon. I would have said yes to it, too.

[David J. Montgomery]

Well said, Jason.

Kernick's a good writer and hopefully this will give him greater name recognition. It's nice to see publishers trying something new when it comes to promotion.

[Naomi Johnson]

And the reverse side of the ploy: I don't care for Dan Brown's work, ergo I will not be buying Simon K's work either. Nor even picking the book up to read the jacket.

[Lauren]

I agree that it's rather ridiculous. I'd really like to know what Dan Brown thinks of this, having his name prominently displayed on a book.

However, I have to also agree with the first commenter. It DOES have people talking about (and maybe even reading) Kernick's book. So on the marketing side - it is working.

[David J. Montgomery]

Naomi,

You really wouldn't try a book just because the publisher compares it to Dan Brown? Damn.

[Jason Pinter]

I have no problem with people criticizing this campaign, but if you're going to do so please read Sarah's entire post and the comments from involved parties.

Lauren - As Simon's editor clarifies, Brown and Kernick have the same publisher and both authors approved the campaign.

In order to receive the Kernick book you have to pre-order THE LOST SECRET. At that point you get the free (I repeat, FREE) copy of DEADLINE. There are big displays both in the stores and on the book with details of the giveaway.

Again, people have every right to their own opinion, but I disagree with knee jerk "hawk...ptoeey!" reactions without understanding what is actually going on and what the promotion entails.

[Nigel]

Brown's name is displayed far too prominently on the cover, so a lot of people are going to pick this up, believing it's Brown's work rather than Kernick's. That does seem intrinsically unfair. Although they might be getting the book for free, don't forget they're also committing to order the new Dan Brown from a specific retailer at a specific price. If their decision to do so is based on what they think is a free copy of a Dan Brown book, then this promotion is blatantly misleading.

Having said that, I think the far bigger mystery is: why Kernick? Thematically his books aren't anything like Dan Brown's (although the recent ones share the cardboard characters and sloppy prose). More importantly, I'd be alarmed to think he might need this kind of marketing push. Since ditching his far superior police procedurals in favour of these often quite trashy thrillers, he's been selected by Richard & Judy, stocked by all the major retailers - i.e. supermarkets - and presumably sells by the bucketload. Surely Transworld have more deserving writers whose careers could really have done with a boost?

[Erin]

I'm looking at this book cover, and I can't figure it out - which of the two books is that? The phrasing indicates it's the Dan Brown book, but if so...why is there no title? Dreadful.

[Blake Crouch]

I will admit to being confused when I first saw the details of this promotion, but I think it was because I wasn’t there holding the book in my hands and didn’t have the information that it was FREE and part of a pre-order promotion. I hope Kernick doesn’t take much heat for this. Having put out a free novella called SERIAL on Kindle in May with Jack Kilborn/JA Konrath through Grand Central, it has been, to some extent, a lesson in ingratitude. No matter that something is given away...no matter that the product description is made explicitly clear, a select number of people will take it upon themselves to beat the gift horse to death. If someone picks up this book and doesn’t have the mental prowess to deduce that Dan Brown didn’t write it, then perhaps they should stick with less intellectually vigorous activities than reading.

[I.J.Parker]

I stand by my opinion of this. It's a trick designed to confuse people and should be beneath the author. And Jason Pinter said himself: why should Kernick care? He sells a lot of books that way. I suppose that means anything goes as long as it sells a lot of books. The fact that this particular edition is free doesn't really enter into it. What was wrong with a more modest cover comparing Kernick to Brown and perhaps with Brown's endorsement and then giving it away free?
This business is simply dishonest.

[Genre Reviews]

Since the book with this cover was free, I don't see any ethical problem with it. I do think the cover (since it was made especially for this promotion) could have been clearer about what the deal/promotion was so as not to confuse potential buyers, but that's the only problem I see.

[R.J. Mangahas]

Though both sides present an interesting argument, I would like to point out something that Jason Pinter mentioned in his e-mail.

"In the U.S., it's a similar situation to how Andrew Gross began his career. He co-wrote several novels with James Patterson--one of the world's biggest selling authors and someone else with a spotty 'literary' pedigree--and when Gross's own book came out he was immediately recognized, bought and read to a far greater degree than 99% of debut novelists."

I wouldn't call it a similar situation, because there is a major difference. In the case of Andrew Gross, he co-authored the books. That means James Patterson (besides his name emblazoned on the covers) actually had involvement with the book. I'm not saying that having his name on a cover with James Patterson hurt Gross in any way, but with Kernick, it appears that Dan Brown's name is simply there to be used as a "if you liked this author...."

Now I see nothing wrong with offering a free book when pre-ordering another. I personally just don't think that it should have Dan Brown's name so prominently displayed on the cover.

[Jason Pinter]

R.J. is right, it's not a apples-to-apples comparison, I used it as an example of using one author's name to help promote another. Now, let me run down exactly why I think this is so overblown. Here is how one would actually come to own the free book:

1) You decide to pre-order Dan Brown's THE LOST SYMBOL from W.H. Smith. for £9.99 (£2.00 down payment + £7.99 on pickup).

2) At that point, and ONLY after you have pre-ordered THE LOST SYMBOL, you are given a free copy of DEADLINE by Simon Kernick (with said cover). You do not pay a penny (or in the UK, a pence) extra for the Kernick book, and you do not even have to accept it. You only get the book by pre-ordering Brown's book--you cannot purchase it, it is not given away with any other offer, and it is not forced upon you.

I disagree with Nigel's statement that some might pre-order THE LOST SYMBOL because of the free giveaway. I doubt many people buy something because of something free that might get, at least not without looking at the fine print. People who are unhappy with their free Kernick book are probably the same people who get upset when they don't get the prize they want in the Cracker Jack box. And my guess is that anybody who is 'duped' by the Brown/Kernick cover is also duped by all those Nigerian princes looking for someone to collect their frozen assets.

[Jason Pinter]

Quick apology - That last comment came off way snarkier than I intended.

[Joanna D'Angelo]

I agree with Jason Pinter - it was a good promo tool and yes - it's about getting eyeballs to notice another writer.

[Finn Harvor]

"At that point, and ONLY after you have pre-ordered THE LOST SYMBOL, you are given a free copy of DEADLINE by Simon Kernick (with said cover). You do not pay a penny (or in the UK, a pence) extra for the Kernick book, and you do not even have to accept it. You only get the book by pre-ordering Brown's book--you cannot purchase it, it is not given away with any other offer, and it is not forced upon you."

This is fine, and accurate, Jason, but it sidesteps the issue of the initial hook, which is the book's misleading visuals.

[Allen Appel]

This reminds me of those old Mad Magazine ads that would say things like (in tiny type) "this book is not by JAMES MICHENER in giant type. The cover originally infuriated me, but after having the whole deal explained it seems way too complicated to stay angry about. But if I had been sent this book with this cover to be reviewed, I would have spent at least half the review ripping the publisher to pieces.

[Howard Shrier]

How come no one's trashing the publisher for using the word "unputdownable" in the blurb?

[David Thayer]

What I find fascinating about this promotion is the perception of the book buying customer. The benefit they derive from preordering Dan Brown's book is receiving a book written by Simon Kernick for free although the customer may be confused by the cover. WH Smith must be assuming that the target customer is someone they will never see again once the Dan Brown uproar subsides. If that's the case, that customer is unlikely to buy Simon's backlist or any other book not written by Dan Brown. The obvious answer here is to have all books written by "Dan Brown" or stop chasing customers who don't read.

[Richard S. Wheeler]

I would not want to piggyback on a more successful author other than to welcome an endorsement from one. I suppose that is generational. I want my work to stand and fall on its merits, and have no wish to borrow anyone's moxie.

[Sandra Parshall]

It seems absurd to me, but if the author is okay with it AND READERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GETTING, it's no more sickening than any other form of advertising. I suppose we may see a time when blurbs by well-known writers are printed on covers in larger type than the obscure author's name and title.

[angela]

I went to Barnes and Nobles today to purchase the book, but I was told that it was either pulled or never got published. Do you know anything about that?

[ali]

I considered this matter with interest, but wanted to wait until the excitment subsided.

Anything that might [and I stress 'might'] get some non-readers back into reading is for my $00.02 well worth it and must be applauded.

Let's hope the Dan Brown effect may get reading back on the agenda at the water-cooler to some degree.

The real issue [that this post raises] in my opinion is that as bibliophiles, we all must work hard to talk about books to as many people as we can in the real world, as well as online. At dinner parties, when I get my haircut, when I'm at the dentist, shopping, talking to work colleagues, etc I always make a point of telling people what the best books are out currently. I buy volumes of books as presents, never anything but books from Ali [my friends know], and to some it may well be the only book they read that year, but others, it prompts them to enter a bookshop and pick up another, and habits form.

The Dan Brown release can only but help uplift "books" into the 'line-of-sight'. Books are a crucial and relevant part of the human experience of life. Many people I know may only read the Dan Brown this year, but in many cases it will get many others back into reading.

I applaud methods to get non-readers back browsing bookshelves. Using Dan Brown as the 'bait' on the Simon Kernick 'hook' a good way of doing just that; as Kernick's thrillers are highly addictive; this little campaign may help all of us in the world of reading, books, and bookselling.

You only need to look at how 'books' and 'thinking' are treated by totalitarian regimes to understand that books are considered dangerous by the controllers.

This debate illustrates just these points.

Tell a non-reader the best novel you read last week, or buy them a copy of it - we all need to push books, because if we don't there will be no publishing industry of any significance, and debates like this will echo in the memory only.

Ali
www.shotsmag.co.uk

[Richard S. Wheeler]

There is the question of self-respect in this. Would, say, Hemingway or Steinbeck or Fitzgerald, as struggling young authors, accept any part of such an arrangement? I don't think so. For the rest of his days, Mr. Kernick will know he got a free ride, and it had little to do with the merit of his work. I would not want to be in his shoes.

[David]

I don't see how any reasonable person could interpret this as anything but misleading and cynical on its face. Argue all you want about sales effectiveness, writers' talent, and their willingness to go along with it. It doesn't change the lie supported by simple typography and placement. It's a stunningly willful ignorance. This is genre fiction, so perhaps it isn't as indicative of anything but of a particular market or demographic (I'd like to think there'd be more respect for these readers, regardless). But it surely doesn't do much to distinguish the writers, less so because they're so willing to go along with it.

The publisher has effectively turned what is usually considered a craft, at the least, into dish soap.

[Dana King]

That's just cheap. The real irony is that Kernick is twice the writer Dan Brown, but he's the guy trying to ride brown's coattails.