Fizzled Launches

If you’re old enough to recall mini CDs, then you know that there are some marketing problems dollars alone can’t solve. Occasionally, brains are required to connect consumers (readers) with products (books).

I’ve been watching closely the lead up to and launch of a particular book—which one isn’t important—that had all the elements to make for a best seller…big marketing budget, plenty of attention from the publisher, a committed and personable author, terrific early reviews, a story tailor-made for buzz-building and sales-driving marketing. This book has been out just over a month now, and so far, while it’s not fair to say it’s completely fizzled, it certainly hasn’t set the world on fire. No best seller lists, meager attendance at the book’s Facebook page… right now, it’s not even on Amazon’s list for its sub-genre.

So…what was missing? Simple. The missing element was—and remains—external vision.

The people doing the marketing have been obviously focused on how they look inside the four walls of their conference rooms. So those glowing early reviews got them plenty of kudos. Problem is, those reviews mean nothing to readers (especially this book’s audience).

When they unveiled the book’s Facebook page, there were more kudos to be had. But the author already had a page with a following, and there’s no content, community, or interaction on the book page that would encourage people to interact. There’s no “experience” for readers. It’s also not properly indexed, so it’s hard to find.

And most importantly, what content is there is not mobile friendly, thereby cutting out 751 million active Facebook users. To be clear: more than half of the people who use Facebook actively do so from a mobile device. So if your content is inaccessible via mobile, you’re doing it wrong.

(It’s worth noting that this book audience skews even more mobile than the rest of us so I find this especially aggravating.)

In the end, the (expensive) marketing around this book has fallen into a no-man’s land between readers and those who influence them, thereby connecting with few. It’s as if nobody took the time to think about the average Jane and Joe Schmo readers, how they find books, what gets them excited. And the thing is, great trade reviews + “it’s coming” messaging + “buy now” messaging simply isn’t it.

So what would have worked? Creating an engaging mobile experience. Rewarding people who spread the word to their friends (with something connected like, oh, say, books). Soliciting fan art. An appropriate celebrity endorsement. A guerilla t-shirt campaign. Carefully evaluated ad spends. In other words, a fully-formed marketing program that is focused first and foremost on the people who have the power to put a book on A List, the readers. Of course I’m completely biased, but I think someone from Outside the Hallowed Halls of Publishing could make a significant difference.

Here’s the thing: I don’t know what expectations the publisher had for this book, but whatever they were, it could be doing better. Much better. It is the first of a trilogy, and as such, I hope the folks pulling the strings don’t make it the book equivalent of the Sony D-88, because the story deserves better.

So the lesson for us all? Never, ever, forget to look around, outside your immediate environs. Test everything. Monitor your marketing activities, and when something isn’t working, change it.