Strange Ads Promote an Author Who Isn't Real and a Book That Doesn't Exist

IFC's upcoming The Spoils of Bablyon, a comedy miniseries that spoofs serious miniseries, is based on a book that seems to be sold out in Hudson News stores around the country. The problem with keeping the book in stock, though, is that there were never any printed copies. Eric Jonrosh (and the jig will be up when he shows up on TV and looks a lot like Will Ferrell, who produces the series along with the rest of the Funny or Die crew) is the megalomaniacal author of the book, and his persona has become the avatar of IFC's marketing for the show. "[Andrew Steele and Matt Piedmont, who wrote the series] created a character—well, we don't even like to call him a character," head of marketing Blake Callaway tells AdFreak. "We like to pretend he's real. We've written the fake book reviews. He's committed to literacy, because if you can't read, you can't read Jonrosh." The writer's megalomaniacal streak is borne out in the ambitions of the miniseries, which appears to span a period from the 1930s to the 1980s, if the trailer (see below) is any indication. So IFC has an appropriately grandiose ad campaign, with the book-focused executions littering bookstores and branded Little Free Libraries installed in cities like Dallas and Minneapolis in partnership with that organization. Callaway says he hopes to entice writers from the blockbuster-ier end of the literary spectrum to turn out for the show's Los Angeles premiere in January. "[James Patterson] is on our wish list,"... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2013-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #wall street #fifty shades #makes sense

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Percival Everett, Author of ‘James,’ Wins National Book Award for Fiction

Jason De León received the nonfiction award for “Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-21 03:36:15 UTC ]
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U.K. Author Cynthia Murphy Lands Three-Book Deal with Delacorte

Following a successful slate of U.K. releases and U.S imports, author Cynthia Murphy will pen new YA thrillers under a three-book deal with Delacorte Press. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Channel 4 ‘fired’ Boris Johnson from US election show for promoting his book, co-host says

Former British prime minister kept bringing up his memoir despite being warned to ‘put it away’ and was later replaced on TV panelUS election 2024 – latest updatesUS election results 2024: live map and trackerBoris Johnson was “fired for banging on about his book” during a guest appearance on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-06 01:15:40 UTC ]
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A Few ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ Fans Get Early Access to Its Author’s Next Book

For Robin Wall Kimmerer’s lecture in Norman, Okla., on November 1, the first day of Native American Heritage Month, Scribner arranged an exclusive shipment of her forthcoming book 'The Serviceberry,' which publishes on November 19. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Majority of UK children’s books with Black main characters written by white authors, study finds

Report finds that books with main characters from minority ethnicities or who are disabled or neurodivergent are written by those who do not share the protagonist’s identityMore than half of children’s books with marginalised main characters are by writers and illustrators who do not share their... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-10-03 17:10:48 UTC ]
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Sharjah Book Authority Approves 303 Translation Grants

The Sharjah International Book Fair translation grants drew 2,506 applications for these grants for publishers, to and from Arabic. The post Sharjah Book Authority Approves 303 Translation Grants appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-09-13 13:34:04 UTC ]
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Major Publishers, Authors Guild Sue Over New Florida Book Banning Law

A major lawsuit challenges Florida's book banning law, SPARE is finally coming out in paperback, and how the NYPL memed its way into saving more than 50 million bucks from being cut from its budget. All in today's top book news. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-08-29 16:33:25 UTC ]
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Major Publishers, Authors Guild Sue Over New Florida Book Banning Law

The August 29 complaint over H.B. 1069 argues that the statute is vague and overbroad, and that it has led to the improper removal of hundreds of books from school and classroom libraries in the state. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Susan Wojcicki, YouTube CEO and Promoter of Google's Book Scanning Program, Dies at 56

Susan Wojcicki, best known as the head of YouTube but also a key player in convincing the book world to allow Google to scan books into its search engine, died of lung cancer on August 9. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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True Crime and Transcendentalists: When Designing a Book Cover Takes You on a Long Strange Trip

Designing a book cover is always something of an emotional roller coaster. There’s the excitement of nailing it on the first try (rare!); there’s the low of working hard on an idea, only for it to be discarded; there’s the struggle (every time) and the self-doubt (ever present) that come with... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-08-02 08:57:20 UTC ]
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A new generation of authors is finally making book merch interesting

Sable Yong’s debut book comes with some unusual marketing merchandise—a perfume to match. Sable Yong always wanted to make a perfume. She calls herself a “frag-head,” having previously written about fragrances for Allure and hosting the podcast Smell Ya Later with Tynan Sinks. Still, producing... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-07-22 09:00:00 UTC ]
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A Real Contender for Best Book of the 21st Century

A work of literary fiction with a mystery at its center that explores family, friendship, and loss. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-07-19 16:15:00 UTC ]
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The Strange Case of Posthumously Published Books

What are the personal, ethical, and moral considerations that go into books published posthumously? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-28 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Authors Against Book Bans Officially Launches

The group's 1,500 members from all 50 states aim to provide “support and encouragement for the educators, librarians, parents, and students who are the first line of defense against censorship, and for the authors whose books are under attack.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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YA Author Lee Wind Launches Kickstarter to Donate Books to LGBTQ+ Teens

Wind, who is also chief content officer at the Indie Book Publishers Association, is creating a limited collector's edition of his latest YA novel, initially published this spring by Chicago Review Press, as an incentive for donors to his Kickstarter campaign benefitting LGBTQ+ teens. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Scott And Mark Hoying's Debut Children's Book Celebrates Their Real-Life Love Story

The Pentatonix singer and his husband say "How Lucky Am I?" parallels their own experiences as a married couple, including their dream of starting a family. Continue reading at HuffPost

[ HuffPost | 2024-06-20 16:24:07 UTC ]
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Authors drive boom in US marketing demand as they seek help to plug books

Writers say investments in book promotion to augment publishers’ in-house staff are key to successKatherine Reay has written a dozen novels. When The Berlin Letters, her most recent, hit the shelves earlier this year, she embarked upon a 30-stop promotional book tour.“I love the personal... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-06-07 11:30:48 UTC ]
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It’s Time We Added Full Credit Pages to Books

The perks were few and far between when I was an editorial assistant in book publishing in the early aughts. Mostly I did the job for the books and the proximity to authors and the occasional access to free leftover sandwiches from some lunchtime meeting or other (I was also lucky to do this... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-06-06 08:55:08 UTC ]
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Authors, Publishers Sign PEN America Letter Protesting New South Carolina School Book Rules

More than 380 authors, publishing houses, and advocacy groups have signed an open letter protesting "vague and overbroad" new South Carolina education standards, slated to take effect on June 25. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten Books by AAPI Authors We Loved This May

From heartfelt rom-coms to reproductive health primers to middle grade sci-fi, we're rounding up some of our favorite May books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-30 04:00:00 UTC ]
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