In Catalonia and Spain, April 23, el dia de Sant Jordi, is the most important day of the year for book sellers when up to two thirds of the year’s sales are made. In the weeks previous, booksellers, authors and publishers have been hard at work in order for their marketing campaigns to reach the greatest number of readers possible.
Some of the latest online marketing techniques that stand out from within the wide range available are: dedicated microsites, apps for book titles and booktrailers, some of which are veritable works of art.
Amongst this year’s bestseller favourites are two small publishers that have only recently come on the scene. Sembra Llibres and L’altra Editorial, both acutely aware of the importance of their online profile have produced booktrailers for their most recent launches including La nostra vida vertical (Yannick Garcia, Premi Documenta 2013). These audiovisual works go beyond the classic television advert, giving us a taste of the atmosphere the book creates. And it’s thanks to this visual attraction that they offer the chance to hook the more occasional reader.
Likewise, interaction between author and reader is not a new phenomenon. Publishers work hard to gain and maintain fans’ loyalty online and through social networks, offering ingenuity and quality content to do so. Here at Polar Star Films we produced several marketing videos for the author Paulo Coelho about upcoming book releases. The videos, in which he responded to questions recorded online by his fans, played a key part in generating interest during the publisher’s online marketing campaign. Similarly, big publishers such as Harper Collins and Random House amongst others, are backing video marketing and social networking with numerous Youtube channels, Twitter and Tumblr accounts. Checking out Haperteen’s Youtube channel it seems that it’s the teenage market where the battle is really going on.
Whether you celebrate this Sant Jordi (Saint George) Day with a conventional paperback or digital e-book, we wish you happy reading!