New Media to Sell Old

by Mark Fogelberg

With all due respect to a certain futurist/CEO, many people - especially the people I would like to converse with - still read books. Perhaps its the portability, the on-demand entertainment possibility, the ability to engage one's imagination.

Books = Still Very Good.

So when a publisher makes a smart effort to market books differently, there's greater hope for a pulp future.

For the new release, Celebutantes, St. Martin's Press put its marketing dollars behind the creation of video trailers. (Celebutantes is the story of 26 year old Lola Santisi as she narrates her way through Hollywood in the days leading up to Oscar.) The trailers are as well-produced as ones for movies and video games - you know those video screen thingies meant to extinguish book reading. Using video and contemporary marketing channels to market an older product form? Nice.

St. Martin's Press set up a channel on YouTube for the trailers. Since this is PG blog, I'll allow you to find your own way to it.

It will be interesting to see how the book sells upon its release. For those not interested in paper, I am certain that a celluloid pixel version is being shopped round them thar Hills.