Saturday, July 10, 2010

Lost Symbol looks to dominate summer

09.07.10 | Benedicte Page in The Bookseller

Transworld says it has the biggest paperback subscription in its 60-year history for Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, out on 22nd July.

The publisher also announced there will be more Brown to come for Christmas, with an illustrated version of the book and an enhanced e-book "in the pipeline" for November.

More than 750,000 copies of the new paperback have been subbed across the publisher's UK and international markets, with over 1,300 free-standing display units also shipped out. Publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said support from all retailers had been "stellar". He said: "Dan Brown started out here as a paperback phenomenon and The Lost Symbol is perfectly positioned to continue that momentum."

Transworld said it has also seen a May to June uplift of 75% for Brown's backlist as a result of a "concerted pre-awareness campaign", with a pre-order deal at W H Smith offering customers who buy a copy of any Brown backlist title a free copy of the new paperback on publication.

The marketing campaign for The Lost Symbol paperback, which is aimed squarely at the holiday read market, will run from 19th July, on roadside and shopping mall six-sheets and Adrail and Underground four-sheets, plus an Irish campaign to include Adrail and Dublin bus supersides.

A digital ad campaign will also feature in 18 shopping centres, with a packshot of The Lost Symbol set against video and audio of a wave-lapped beach. Transworld is also launching a "summer reading challenge" on Facebook, Twitter and targeted book websites, offering a reading list made up of its own titles and headed by The Lost Symbol.

The e-book of The Lost Symbol will be re-priced on paperback publication, but pricing is unconfirmed.

However, director of media relations Alison Barrow said Transworld had pencilled in an illustrated edition of The Lost Symbol for release on 11th November, with an enhanced e-book to be made available simultaneously. Both The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons have also been published as illustrated editions.

The Lost Symbol in hardback was the bestselling adult hardback ever in the UK, with sales of over 1.4 million copies to date.

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