The Nexrt New Thing

The WSJ weighs in on the marketing effort for Michael Crichton's next blockbuster - Next - which is going to have a 2 million copy first printing.

The marketing for this book, like Scriber's marketing for Robert Ferrigno's Prayer's For The Assassin, focuses on a fake website, and is both clever and memorable. And as Galleycat points
out, even a little creepy.

This is new territory and its exciting to see publishers trying new things and exploring new media. Efforts like these are expensive  - between creating the sites and the videos and advertising them - the bills are in the six figures - but six figures on line goes a whole lot further than it does on TV or even magazines.

One issue is the "fakeyness" of the sites and if it will add to the content or detract for readers who don't get it right away. Since these books are fiction, there's an argument that fictional sites, companies, newspapers, ads are fair game. Another argument is that its too transparent and too forced.

I'm not sure, myself. I can't look at the efforts as a potential reader happening upon them, I'm an author and an advertising vet. But I am curious to see how it all plays out.

 

Ultimately the question is - but will it sell books - and my answer is always - at least they're trying. Advertising is about exposure before it is about sales. You can't get someone to buy something if they don't know it exists. Your first and most important job is  to get the potential reader to to focus on the idea, the book, the author and/or the cover from among the thousands on the shelf.   

Comments

[Jeff]

Depending upon how it's done, these "fake Web sites" represent another step in storytelling. The Web can be used to convey additional backstory or to extend the story in different ways. All of which are likely to result in additional sales for the actual book.

But, storytelling in this medium is very different than in print. Even a traditional Web designer will stumble in the creation of these sites unless guided by someone versed in creating "narratives" for digital media. This goes way beyond simply developing an author's Web site.