Around the Internet I often see a perception among readers and commenters that the sole reason certain books become wildly popular is because the publisher made them popular. This, presumably, is meant to discredit the success of the book by attributing its popularity not to the book’s merits, but rather to the efforts of a publisher to foist the book onto a gullible public.
Here’s the thing. If it were actually possible for publishers to market the heck out of a book and guarantee that it became as popular as Twilight, well, don’t you think they would? All the time? With every book?
To be sure, marketing helps a book’s popularity, and a publisher can work wonders when they bring all of their resources to bear to give a book a boost. But that just gives a book a shot. What happens from there depends on the book itself and whether it catches fire with its readers.
People who follow the movie industry know that studios are usually pretty good at advertising their way to a certain opening weekend box office draw. In the words of the president of Sony Screen Gems, “Most of a movie’s opening gross is about marketing.” After that, though, what happens is a result of that all important and elusive “word of mouth,” which as this fascinating New Yorker article details, can often be about reaching multiple market segments with the concept of the film itself. Even the very best advertising can only do so much. At some point the movie itself has to sink or swim.
Lots of books get marketing dollars. Not all books become Twilight or The Da Vinci Code or The Help or Harry Potter or insert insanely popular book here. One or more of those books may not be your cup of tea as a reader, but it doesn’t mean that your fellow readers were duped into buying them. Better, I think, to consider what it was about the book that inspired such dedicated readers than to ascribe that special zing to outside forces.
Photo by Zack Sheppard
Francis says
We can however conclude that the literary value of quality of writing isn't so important either, TWILIGHT isn't much in that department.
All the people care about is the story. Good storytelling.
Anonymous says
Very well, however, I think the readers often assume "great things" from a book if given special attention from marketing. But yes, word of mouth and quality will prevail in the end.
LurkerMonkey says
Wow. I'm the first …
I'm glad you posted this. You had a previous commenter who made some remark about TWILIGHT's success being due solely to marketing. But that book was a word-of-mouth thing among girls long before it picked up a marketing budget.
And a lot of times, books with major marketing pushes don't do well at all. I'm thinking of certain follow-ups to enormously successfully debut novels.
It strikes me that marketing is just one piece of the puzzle, but as always, the thing is the book.
p.s. My word verification was "tryst." Honestly, now …
Christine Macdonald says
Well said. As long as we stay true to our work, and write something worth reading – who knows. The public may gobble it up, or not. Phenomenon is the gravy, our work is the meat.
Serenity says
Love this.
Emily White says
It's funny you say that because I never even heard of Twilight until the movie came out (yes, I was living under a rock) and even then, I wasn't interested in reading it until I heard all the bad reviews around writers' groups.
I must say I loved the series and have been trying to convince everyone I know to read it. Word of mouth from readers is a wonderful thing. If the feedback about Twilight had not been so passionate, I never would have given it a read.
Tracy says
Word of Mouth will always be the most popular marketing tool ever … and publishing companies have no control over that. If I see or hear something I like, I talk about it. It's human nature.
Now, if my publishing company would like to pay the money to have my book set in a place of honor at B&N so more people are tempting to pick it up, I'm not going to argue. As a writer, it's my job to make people unable to stop talking about it when they're done reading.
Nathan Bransford says
francis-
I think even that depends on the book itself. THE BOOK THIEF is beautifully written and "literary" and has reached phenomenon status.
I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about which books become phenomenons. They just tap into something.
Candyland says
Just goes to show, you never know what will sell, until it sells.
Kate says
So true. I've seen many movies advertised like crazy, for months in advance of release, only to watch them flop. Advertising only gets you so far! And every one of those books on your list has its naysayers, in fact, I've only read one of them! (Twilight, book 1.) That doesn't diminish the amazing achievement of each writer to reach to public in such a unique way.
To say that marketing is the ace takes credit away from writers and their ability to write great books that inspire people to pass them along.
I have to admit, thought, that mega books make me skeptical. I honestly lose interest. And this doesn't come from a resentment toward said writer's success. I don't really know what it's about. But I do know that my book club is talking about reading The Help and my response is 'snore.'
reader says
True, but placement on tables and displays WILL make people buy books — I'm guilty of this myself as a reader. I can only pass by a table at so many bookstors so many times before I feel compelled to see what all the fuss is about.
I'm usually disappointed, but the pub got what they wanted, my 25 bucks — I didn't have to like it for them to make a profit. Mission accomplshed.
Also, I think it was Jeff Klein who said in an interview (he gave a specific example from a client) that a book of his with table placement was selling a thousand or more copies a week — after it was taken off the table it plummeted to 200 or so. Tables matter. Displays matter. Pub push matters. It's not everything, but hell, it matters more than most want to admit.
I know of writers who've written series books and a big chain only carried the second book, not the first or third. What is the chance that a reader will seek out the other books, if they don't even know they exist?
Thomas Taylor says
Publishers have a vested interest in promoting the idea that their efforts can are responsible for given bestseller's success. But word of mouth is many times stronger than marketing, and the amount of books being pulped is clear proof that shouting at people from billboards doesn't always work.
Kate says
Also, 'literary value' has become a pretty pointless concept to me. And I was an English major in college. It's like only listening to the movie critics. If I did that, I'd have missed out on tons of movies I love. Or only buying expensive wine–because it's expensive. My favorite sauvignon blanc is 13.99.
I recently learned that my Victorian lit professor taught Twilight in her gothic class last year (we're friends on Facebook. Go figure.) Trust me, she'd have plenty to say about its merits in terms of craft, themes, etc.
But what book without literary value would find a place on a syllabus for a university-level literature course? At a progressive lib. arts college no less? It makes me wonder if cultural impact elevates a book's "literary value" status.
Josin L. McQuein says
*humph*
You OBVIOUSLY know nothing about how real publishing works. Therefore, I shall never read this blog again!
*grumbles*
Silly agents thinking they know more than everyone. Like people actually need to LIKE something for it to be popular. Like is needs to resonate and reach the audience. PFFT. It's all smoke and mirrors.
Don't you know anything???
There's only ONE popular book out there and every ten years, they rerelease it with a new name and hunt and replace the names of the characters. Then they foist the same stupid recycled mess on the public and refuse to put anything else out until they buy it!
Some unsuspecting author is chosen by random draw to be the next hit. Like the lottery.
It's all perfectly logical…
Anonymous says
All good points, but I can see where this perception comes from. Stephanie Meyers herself in many interviews has made the whole process seem simple.
She has said that she dreamt the plot, took 5 months to write the book, sold it quickly and it became an overnight success because of help from her agent and publishers. She made it all sound so easy and simple. Maybe for her it was, who knows.
But I think word of mouth along with a good marketing plan and strategic placement in book stores all make an impact in sales.
Margaret Yang says
Nathan, are you channeling Donald Maass? He says that all the time, but apparently he has to *keep* saying it because nobody listens.
I wonder if they'll listen to you.
I find the concept of "it's all marketing" insulting to the writer. As if her writing/storytelling ability means nothing. Excuse me, but I like to think we're better than that.
Matthew Rush says
It seems that like most things there has to be a kind of perfect storm which cannot ever be completely understood.
Anonymous says
This is such a basic – not stupid, but overlooked – observation.
That said, how does the thesis that marketing opens the movie / launches the book and word-of-mouth pushes book/movie to success square with the drum beat message of an author being expected to do everything to promote a book?
Basically, how does publicity figure into this equation? ie., marketing + publicity + word-of-mouth
Sangu says
Nathan, I agree. Many of my favourite books haven't been iconic, superstar bestsellers, but books that have done fantastically well on their own merits rather than pure marketing. Think of 'The Time Traveler's Wife', which by and large came out of nowhere, was not publicised unduly, and became stupendous.
Jess says
I think it's rather silly to assume that publishers can make anything a phenomenon just through marketing. That's like saying a meteorologist can make it rain just because he/she says is should.
As someone with marketing experience, I know that you can do all you want to sell a product through various techniques, but if the consumers aren't interested, they're just not going to buy it.
But at the same time, good marketing practices help them make more "educated guesses." I think that as much as rejection hurts and makes us feel a little bitter towards those in the publishing industry, it's unfair of us to assume that these people can just wave their magic wands and make one book more popular than another. That discredits the years and years and years of experience these people have had. They may not be able to "make" a book become a phenomenon, but they have been around long enough to recognize the little clues that tell them that something has a better chance of making it big. And what do you think they're going to spend marketing money on? The book that is well written but will likely only attract a small leadership, or a book that is a little lower in quality but will be read by more people?
I'm not saying the publishers are driven entirely by money. I honestly believe that most of them are genuinely interested in producing quality literature. But the sad fact of life is that money makes the world go 'round, so money is going to play a big part in what makes it to the shelves.
And how great is it when a book that IS written well becomes that phenomenon? In cases like those, everybody wins.
abc says
Word of mouth can be amazing. Two years ago I was wandering around the teen section of our local library when a surprisingly outgoing goth girl inquired as to what I was looking for. (She thought I might want prom themed books. As if!). I asked for her recommendation and she said, "OH MY GOD YOU HAVE TO READ TWILIGHT! IT'S SOOOOO GOOD". Then she stuck a copy in my hand and wouldn't let me leave without it.
She didn't even work there.
Mira says
Agreed!
Love your point that if publishers (or anyone) could make a phenomenon they would.
I think publishers may be able to recognize a book that will sell well, and put marketing into it. That might help.
But you have to have the book first!
You can't just make any book into a phenomenon. You have to have the book, and the timing in terms of the culture.
Peter Dudley says
Lipstick on a pig doesn't change that it's a pig. You can't market true trash to phenomenon status.
Blaming Marketing for the lipstick is jealousy wrongly placed. People who grouse about THE DA VINCI CODE and other phenomena believe that The Industry put through a book that is not as good as the one I wrote. If THAT can be a phenomenon and mine can't, then clearly it's all because of Marketing.
Everyone wants their book to be the Heidi Klum of publishing. But Phyllis Diller with a good marketing department doesn't get on the cover of SI's swimsuit edition.
ryan field says
Maybe it's about luck and timing, too.
D. G. Hudson says
Marketing is a tool for introducing the product, and making its availability known. After that, as you said, Nathan, the book sells itself (or not) via word of mouth, or sometimes strictly because of the subject matter.
IMO, wizards, magic, vampires & the occult (Da Vinci Code)usually have a dedicated audience of readers. Other subjects may not garner such immediate attention, without the marketing push.
I think some of the books which are hailed as the latest 'must read' fall miserably short of expectations. This could be due in part to the reviewer's estimation of what comprises a 'great' book.
Phenomenons happen when everything fits together in the right order, at the right time, and the subject matter has that magic ingredient that resonates with the readers. That is the elusive golden key we pursue.
Mark Terry says
I suspect it comes down to lightning in a bottle. I've been reading Rick Riordan for years, really enjoying his Tres Navarre mystery novels written for adults. In terms of awards and reviews those books were phenomenally successful, but as far as I can tell he never approached bestseller lists. He continued teaching middle school during their publication and seemed happy with that.
But when he wrote The Lightning Thief, something else happened. Same writer. Same skill set. Different story, idea, market, publisher, etc. And no pun intended on the "lightning in a bottle." It's not like Rick's the first person to write about Greek gods. Right story, right writer, right publisher, right audience, right time.
Kimber An says
Well-stated, Mr. Bransford.
I think when people hate a certain book they simply cannot imagine how anyone else can love it, so they come up with something which has nothing to do with the book's merits.
Or they call the readers stupid.
If they're aspiring authors themselves, this makes absolutely no sense.
1) You learn nothing as a writer.
2) You insult your own potential readers.
Ridiculous.
Here's the thing, these same people read the books and then make a lot of noise about them.
Stephanie Meyers and J.K. Rowling DON'T CARE if you bought the book because you hated it. They only are that they're getting paid. And all that noise you're making is *Free Publicity.*
So…if you want to write and get paid too, it makes a lot more sense to just LEARN and then PRACTICE instead of hate.
Kristi says
I actually tend to distrust strong word of mouth recommendations — I'm not sure what that says about me. Maybe it's because I've read a few strongly recommended books and didn't see what all the fuss was about. However, after reading THE BOOK THIEF, I can't even tell you how many people I've recommended it to and many of those people have told me they loved it as much as I did. I tend to recommend things that I have a strong emotional reaction to (regardless of genre). For instance, THE HELP was an entirely different book and I loved that one as well.
I'm guessing both those authors (Markus Zusak and Kathryn Stockett) weren't trying to 'make a phenomenon.' They just wrote the book that was inside them and people responded to the passion in them. We should all be so lucky! Great post, Nathan! 🙂
Nick says
I feel like I ought to have known what The Help was and not had to have googled it just now.
Julie says
Nathan – I agree 100% about your take on THE BOOK THEIF. Its just great.
There's also books like 13 REASONS WHY that send a strong message about something high concept and have done extremely well.
Nathan, is there a different type of marketing for books like 13 REASONS WHY or GO ASK ALICE, edgy but deliver some kind of message?
Anonymous says
Is that Blackwell's in Oxford? Yikes what an awesome picture!
Bane of Anubis says
Excellent post, sir.
Lisa Schroeder says
It is true, though, that publishers will work hard to get a book they think WILL generate a lot of word-of-mouth buzz (and which they paid a lot of money for) on the NYT list when it comes out, right? They send the author on a pre-pub tour, do a huge first print run, tie in school visits with the regular tour the first week out, etc.
Now, whether the book *stays* on the list is then out of the publisher's hands. And that's your point, right? That the things a publisher, and an author too, can do only go so far.
sewbissy says
At first glance, I thought that was a photo still from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You know the part where they're in Veruca Salt's father's office, looking down at the the crowd of employees opening chocolate bars? Talk about an example of (fictional) marketing that sparked (fictional) rampant buying. In publishing I suppose readers are so used to being told by ads that the next book out has the veritable "golden ticket" of transporting story or prose that we must rely on word-of-mouth to really go into our "chocolate"-buying frenzies. Wouldn't it be nice if book stores were as fun as the candy shop in Willy Wonka, complete with singing shopman?
Kristin Laughtin says
Exactly! Sometimes publishers will back a book very strongly and it does take off and become a phenomenon. But if this strategy worked with every book, there would never be any flops.
And of course, some books build up slowly over time before becoming huge, either by word-of-mouth or an astonishing review…
Anonymous says
I think a book that gets shelf space as your walk in the door has a better chance to be a bestseller than a book that you have special order.
John says
Just as we have evolved dietary instincts that will make us eat more sugar and fat than are good for us in our new environment of plenty, we have psychological instincts that make us want to devour stories that are just as destructive to our psychological metabolism over the long term.
Mmmmm, sparkly pedophilic vampire purity-pledge boys… this is good literature because it's popular? Then gummy bears must be health food.
Dawn Maria says
Hmm… are you putting THE HELP in the same category as TWILIGHT or DA VINCI CODE? I thought it was making it by word of mouth. (Not that I don't think it deserves to hit that level of success.) The book's launch seemed rather quiet, but as the months wore on, it keeps gaining ground. I can see why; I'm a third of the way into it and I can barely put it down.
Francis says
@Nathan: You're right of course. However, there was a thread on your forums recently discussing TWILIGHT, and I distinctly remember reading some snarky comments about it, as well as some arrogant ranting about how badly written it was.
The point I was trying to make is that if a book is superbly written, but is so boring that THE REJECTIONIST is likely to dedicate a rant on it, it might not be successful. Splendid writing isn't enough to sell a book these days, in my opinion.
So, while people might forgive clumsy or lazy writing (which some people say TWILIGHT is. I'm still on the fence), they will know forgive a bad story.
We would all do well to write the very best novel we can, stylistically and grammatically speaking. Unlike Stephen King, who in his memoir ON WRITING said plot isn't important, I do think story is of massive importance. Robert Mckee dedicated an awesome book to writing story and plot (which I think you even recommend somewhere on your blog). I think TWILIGHT, HARRY POTTER or THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE were all massively successful because of the authors's talent with storytelling.
Everyone seems to agree though: what really sells books is the word to mouth.
Terri says
An author acquaintance of mine told a rather bizarre story of how a mega-marketing campaign nearly did in his career.
Someone in the publishing company zoomed in on his debut novel as 'the next big thing.' They threw the kitchen sink at it in terms of marketing and exposure.
It didn't meet their sales expectations. Now, don't get me wrong, it was far from tanking. In fact, for a debut novel, the sales should have had his agent/editor/publicist doing a little happy dance.
It was a success, but not a blockbuster, and someone decided that this was the writer's fault. Cue the scapegoat! I think you know how the tale goes from here.
Don't feel too sorry for him though, the advance he received was borderline obscene.
In self-deprecating style, he says it took him over ten years to recover from his publisher nearly loving him to death. He is now with a different publisher, happily and comfortably ensconced at the high end of the mid-list and enjoying his career instead of defending it.
PS: I didn't pick up a Harry Potter book until all the crazies condemned it for promoting witchcraft. I figured any book that the wingnuts hated had to be all right by me, and I was right!
Ginger Simpson says
You do have to agree though, that books (ghost) written by celebrities do acquire much more media than say… me for example. *smile* The "stars" receive unheard of advances and their sales skyrocket over night. It may not be a "phenomenon", but "who" you are does have some measure in your future.
My word verification was Micsist. If that's a new dish at McDonald's. I'm passing. Yuk!
Susan Quinn says
I agree that, generally speaking, story trumps everything (marketing, craft, etc). While it's fascinating to ponder the mega-hits (and I know that's important because that's where the industry makes so much of its money), I have to wonder more about the spectrum of books. TWILIGHT and HARRY POTTER are the outliers at the far edges of the distribution of books sold, with sad books selling a hundred copies or less at the other extreme.
I'm curious about the ones in the middle, and what makes them popular. Does marketing have a significant effect on these "middle road" (in terms of popularity) books? Or is it all right place, right time, word-of-mouth success?
I like the example cited above of Rick Riordan. Great book! Lousy movie. Devotees of the book were disappointed, so even there it kinda fizzled. And the marketing on that was HUGE. But something was lost in the translation (my guess: humor) that deflated the popularity bubble that boosted The Lightning Thief into the stratosphere.
Anonymous says
I think we'll see books end up like movies: direct to video, indie, and blockbuster. And each will get the appropriate marketing dollars. Of course, some will tank under each category.
M Clement Hall says
I'm hoping someone will explain the reason for the success of the daVinci code. It certainly has escaped me. In no way am I trying to demean its success, I'd just like to see the reason for it analysed.
Lisa Desrochers says
I agree with everything that you said, Nathan. But the thing NOT marketing a book will surely do is guarantee the book is NOT a phenomenon. There are a few books (very few) that have clawed their way to the top solely on merit and/or word of mouth. (think The Shack) But if a publisher doesn't back a book with marketing $$$ it sends a clear signal to the industry (reviewers, media) that they don't expect it to break out big, and therefore the book gets NO review/media attention. So, whether a book has a shot at being the next Twilight or not does depend on marketing to a large degree.
Anonymous says
@reader: but placement on tables and displays will NOT make people buy LOTS of books.
Erica75 says
I'm a little late, but I ditto Emily. I hadn't read the Twilight series until it got bad press. And then I liked it (like how I started the sentence with And? Bet that got some of you going!). AND I now feel like me reading my novel over and over in a darkened closet accompanied only by my hanging ballroom gowns isn't going to do it.
Ah, marketing! Wherefore art thou marketing?
Stephen Prosapio says
Good post and good to remember. I was going to mention the negative side to a big mkt plan, but that was already mentioned. To further that point, I read a much hyped book a couple years back that had an okay story but very poor characterization and writing. There actually seemed a backlash (speaking of Amazon ratings) for the next book in the series as it was trashed in reviews much harder than those for the original novel. I was on the fence on buying it and decided against it.
I take exception to books that get a lot of hype AND phenomenal reviews (Dan Brown's latest comes to mind) but are widely trashed by those "duped" into reading them. The problem is that the buzz generated was that powerful word of mouth based on his *prior* work. Hardly seems fair, but what's that saying, "The Customer is always right."
Anonymous says
@Hall:
Da Vinci Code had a nice controversal plot, which people talked about. And this generated plenty of word-of-mouth.
Scott says
Loved the Palen article, Nathan. And it relates: my job is to tell an agent how successful my book will be with a certain audience. Trying, still trying…
Thanks.