unforum

[degravedi]

Upcoming Novel Trilogy and ARG from Tim Kring

[Jas0n]

I can't talk about any others, but there are plenty of novelists who are looking at taking this type of approach. Problem I've been told is most publishers are stuck in the 18th century and have no idea how to promote a book. I think it's a great approach for the authors as it gives people more motivation to purchase the books - I'm looking forward to finding out if the payoffs any good. I know some are looking at having outside sources fund the game and use that as a means to convince the publisher their books are marketable.

I'm really looking forward to Stephen King's first ARG/Novel combination

[notgordian]

I remember attending a convention a few years back and hearing L.A. Banks talk about book promotion -- largely, it is up to the author. She discussed holding a bus tour around Philly showing off the locations featured in the books, and handing out temporary tattoos at clubs -- these were personal promotion techniques at her own expense to establish and maintain a fan-base.

So, yeah, agreeing with Jas0n on this one -- there are always exceptions (Penguin's 'We Love Stories' and Scholastic's '39 Clues') , but for the most part this will probably be author-driven rather than publisher-driven -- especially since the largest brand recognition benefits will probably be felt by the brand (in this case, the copyright holder / author).