The Big Bad Book Blog

One of our favorite moments of last May’s BookExpo coverage was this one-liner from Bob Miller of HarperStudio: during a discussion on “Stupid Things Publishers & Booksellers Do,” he said, “No more Tuesdays with Marley?” He was, of course, referring to the hastily (and poorly) produced copycats that tend to follow breakout successes in the book world. (Here’s looking at you, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.)

The lesson is to not let market trends alone dictate the book you decide to write and publish. Most of the time, book buyers will see right through a blatant attempt to piggyback onto a successful book that was probably a success because it was a well-written and smartly packaged book—not because it contained special subject matter (boy wizards, emo vampires, etc.) that readers craved in and of itself.

Anyway, if you thought Tuesdays with Marley was clever, you’ll love the fake-bestseller contest put on by Steve Hely, author of How I Became a Famous Novelist (Grove Press). His book includes a mock NYT bestseller list [PDF alert], and he invited others to come up with their own bogus book titles. A personal favorite, from @ami_with_an_i: “Punk Girls Don’t Get Fat: The Secrets of Staying Skinny on Just Two Packs of Camel Wides and a Flask of Cheap Whiskey a Day.” See them all on Twitter and on Facebook. (PS: This is also near-brilliant social media marketing, obviously.)

The Nielsen Company has released a report on the pervasive, indomitable Harry Potter brand in media, PW Daily reports. Most curious in the report is the money made from Potter transubstantiation: U.S. consumers spent $11.8 million on Harry Potter-licensed trademark cookies, candy and gum products since June 2002. Some other highlights:

• The first four Harry Potter films have grossed more than $3.5 billion worldwide
• The four Harry Potter movie soundtracks combined have sold more than 1.1 million copies in the U.S. There have been 180,000 total downloads of songs from those soundtracks.
• According to a recent Nielsen Cinema survey of moviegoers, 28% of persons 12+ in the U.S. have read one or more of the previous Harry Potter books, and 15% have read all the Harry Potter books to date.

According to Nielsen’s press release, of the top selling books in the U.S. since 2001, three were Potter books. Four Potter films are included in the 20 highest grossing films of all time.

Barnes & Noble announced deeper discounts for their membership club members to help compete against discounters, warehouse clubs and online retailers. Members pay $25-a-year and receive a 40% discount on fiction and nonfiction bestsellers, and a 20% discount on all hardcover titles. They will also continue to receive a 10% discount on everything else sold in the store, including coffee and paperbacks. Members had received an extra 10% discount in addition to the usual 30% discount off hardcover bestsellers, and a 10% discount on other adult hardcover titles.

In an article by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg of the Wall Street Journal, Joseph J. Lombardi, Barnes & Noble’s chief financial officer, is quoted as saying “You have to be competitive. We’ve been talking about softness in the hardcover business, and this lets us support that format with our best customers.”

To learn more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116174027712702867.html?mod=2_1167_1

The history page on Simon & Schuster’s website proudly declares that its founders made it “the first publisher to offer booksellers the privilege of returning unsold copies for credit—a practice that revolutionizes the book business,” happily oblivious to all the anger and controversy their little invention has caused. continue reading