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 ]

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Facebook Expands Mobile Video Feature That Helps Content Creators Make Money

In July, Facebook made a big move into YouTube's turf with plans to launch Suggested Video—a feed of curated video clips from brands like Funny or Die, the NBA and Tastemade. After a small test over the past three months, it's now showing up in more mobile news feeds. Clicking on a video from a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hayward ordered to set aside £6.9m in Fifty Shades lawsuit

A woman who founded the publishing firm which initially released Fifty Shades of Grey has been ordered by a US judge to set aside $10.7m (£6.9m) for her former partner after being found guilty of defrauding her out of royalties for the book. Australian Amanda Hayward and Jennifer Pedroza were... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hawkins has biggest-selling Amazon ebook of 2015

Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train (Transworld) is Amazon.co.uk’s biggest selling ebook of 2015 so far, the retailer has revealed. The list of top 20 ebooks of the year is dominated by female authors, with E L James’ Fifty Shades of Grey companion novel, Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as told by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-08-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Grey' Rules Overseas In July

The latest installment in E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey series, Grey, hit #1 in France, Italy, and Spain last month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-08-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rimowa Reprises An Aviation Classic, The Junkers F13

But it's not airborne—yet.Flying and suitcases go hand in hand, so it makes sense that the German luxury luggage brand Rimowa has added an airplane to its arsenal of goods. But instead of designing a sleek contemporary craft from scratch, the company took a page from the history books and... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Go Set a Watchman knocks EL James's Grey from top of UK book charts

Harper Lee’s long-lost novel has sold over 200,000 copies in the UK over the past weekEL James’ reign at the top of the UK book charts for the last month with her erotic bestseller Grey has been ended by a novel written in the 1950s and abandoned in a box for decades: Harper Lee’s Go Set a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E L James: 'more novels on their way'  

Fifty Shades of Grey author E L James has written a new romance, and is halfway through writing a second, she revealed in a Twitter chat with UK fans. The writer took part in the online gathering yesterday (29th June), but the hashtag for the chat #AskELJames was hijacked by people criticising... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fifty Shades Ltd made £10m profit last year

E L James’ own company Fifty Shades Ltd had a “very successful” year to the end of September 2014, with a turnover of £18.1m and profits of £9.8m. However, this was down significantly on the previous year, when the company generated £43m with a profit of £25m. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Look at Me': The first-ever Instagram book is a self-help guide for brands

You’ve read books in print. You might have read books online or on a mobile device. But until now you probably haven't read a book on Instagram. Jason Sperling, executive creative director at agency RPA, today began publishing his new 160-page book, “Look at Me When I'm Talking to You,”... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK Twitter event for E L James

E L James will be holding a live Q&A from the Twitter head office in London's Piccadilly next Monday (29th June). The bestselling author of the Fifty Shades of Grey series will hold the live #AskELJames Q&A at 6pm. The five best questions on the day will win a signed copy of the latest... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US 'Grey' sells 1.1m in four days

The latest instalment of Fifty Shades of Grey has sold 1.1m copies in the US in all formats, Penguin Random House has revealed. Anne Messitte, publisher of Vintage Anchor in the US, said Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian sold 1.1m copies in trade paperback, ebook and audio in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: ‘Grey’ Stays Put at #1

For the second week in a row, E.L. James’s 'Grey,' the next installment in the Fifty Shades of Grey series, topped Apple’s iBooks bestseller list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An Erotic Evolution: How the Fifty Shades Boom Has Travelled

With the huge launch last week of E.L. James's new novel, 'Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey As Told By Christian,' the erotica category shows no signs of slowing down. Here's how publishers from India to Italy are making the most of the lucrative category. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"Record breaking" sales for Grey on first day

Cornerstone has claimed that the first day sales of ‘Grey’ have been “record-breaking” for an adult paperback in the industry. The latest edition of E L James’ bestselling series – Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian went on sale around the world yesterday, just 18 days after the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Busy day' for shops as Christian Grey arrives

Waterstones is expecting a "busy day" marking the release of the latest edition of E L James' blockbuster hit series Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told By Christian (Arrow). The chain's flagship Piccadilly store in London has a front of store window display dedicated to the release (pictured),... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EL James heads to Texas for rare signing event as fourth novel, Grey, is released

Sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey, told from Christian’s perspective, is Amazon.co.uk’s most pre-ordered book of the year Related: EL James to publish Fifty Shades sequel telling story from hero's point of view An independent bookshop in Texas that opened its doors for the first time earlier this... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Fifty Shades of Grey novel puts Christian Grey centre stage

Grey, the fourth book in EL James’s erotic series, is released on the birthday of her fictional male anti-heroFifty Shades of Grey author EL James is ringing in the birthday of her fictional anti-hero, Christian Grey, by releasing the fourth book in her series of erotic novels in the dark hours... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cornerstone plans Thursday 'stunt' for 'Grey'

Cornerstone will put on a launch day “stunt” to mark the release of E L James’ Grey (Arrow) this week. Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian will be published this Thursday 18th June– the same day as the fictional Christian Grey’s birthday. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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iBooks Bestsellers: ‘Grey’ Stays on Top

Though not yet on sale, 'Grey,' the next installment in E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey series, took the #1 spot on Apple’s iBooks bestseller list for the second week in a row. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fourth Fifty Shades book whips up unprecedented pre-ordering frenzy

The new instalment – this time written from Christian Grey’s perspective and published on 18 June – is set to dominate the publishing world once againIn July 2012, as the irresistible cultural tidal wave that was the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy was still swelling to its extraordinary peak, the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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