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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Flipboard Partners with Condé to Launch Ads

Social reading app Flipboard has struck a deal with Condé Nast to display full-page ads in several of the publisher’s titles. Starting today, readers of the New Yorker on Flipboard’s iPad app will begin seeing branded content from American Express throughout the virtual magazine. In October, a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2011-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #limited number #vice president #digital sales #print editions


Foyles continues kids book giveaway

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 25/07/2011 - 08:46 Foyles continues its free book giveaway today (25th July), offering five titles free to children and teen readers. The five Foyles London stores have been giving away the titles free over this weekend and today, the first... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #teen readers


Books-A-Million in last-minute Borders bid

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Fri, 22/07/2011 - 09:32 Books-A-Million has bid for up to 35 US Borders stores in a last-minute offer to try and save part of the 40-year-old bookselling chain. The chain, which also runs stores under the names Books & Co., Bookland and Joe... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bookselling chain #borders stores #bloomberg reports


Three Golden Rules for book reviewing: What are they?

Possibly the most famous book review, ever, was written by the young Irish wit and polemicist John Wilson Croker. Croker is still remembered, though obscurely, as a founder of modern political conservatism. What's more, according to some sources, John Wilson Croker invented the very term... Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book reviewing


John Blake signs Murdoch book

Written By: Neill Denny Publication Date: Thu, 21/07/2011 - 08:45 John Blake has signed a book by a journalist-turned-lawyer on the Rupert Murdoch story, for publication next February. Called The Rise and Fall of the Murdoch Empire the book will be written by John Lisners, who worked for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #decade ago


Murdoch Books signs Olivia Newton-John cookbook

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Thu, 21/07/2011 - 09:00 Murdoch Books has bought a healthy living cookbook from "Grease" star Olivia Newton-John. Managing director Christine Jones bought US, UK, Australian and New Zealand rights from Louise Georgeson. LivWise will be published in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #zealand rights #absolutely delighted


Borders is Toast, But Don't Blame E-Books

A physical bookstore closes, but it's not the fault of ebooks. Presented By: Get Ready for Tomorrow Today with Cisco The way the world consumes and shares data will dramatically change in the next five years. Is your network ready to handle the load? Friend and follow Cisco across the web as... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2011-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Terry Jones first Unbound author

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 19/07/2011 - 08:55 Former Monty Python star Terry Jones will become the first author to have his project published by the Unbound crowdfunded publishing project. His book, Evil Machines, comprises 13 tales parodying man's relationship with... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #terry jones


E-Book Revolution Upends a Course

TRANSFORMEDFor some new releases, digital sales outpace print sales. The Columbia Publishing Course teaches the old and the new of the business. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Gift author returns with Union

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 14/07/2011 - 08:56 Union Books editorial director Rosalind Porter has bought a book on the intersection of creativity and commerce by Lewis Hyde, author of The Gift. Porter acquired UK and Australia and New Zealand rights in Common As Air:... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #zealand rights #devon mazzone


Amazon drops price of ad-supported Kindle

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 13/07/2011 - 15:32 Amazon.com has dropped the price of its advertising-heavy Amazon 3G Kindle to $139 (£86.91). Telecoms company AT&T is sponsoring the Kindle with Special Offers, which will include campaigns for customers and sponsored... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #special offers #jeff bezos


Orla Kiely to create range of baby and toddler books

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Wed, 13/07/2011 - 07:47 Designer Orla Kiely, best known for creating handbags and hats, will launch a new range of baby and toddler books in September with Colours and Numbers, inspired by her own trademark designs. The books will be published by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Van Someren promoted at HarperCollins

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Tue, 12/07/2011 - 08:27 HarperCollins has promoted Vikki van Someren to group commercial director. She will be responsible for overseeing the publisher's non-traditional retail business. Van Someren's new job, in addition to her role as head of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #simon johnson


Ziff Davis Promotes Dan Costa to VP of Content and Editor-in-Chief of PC Mag

Dan Costa is now senior VP of content for Ziff Davis and editor-in-chief for PC Mag, harnessing his 17 years in technology journalism. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #senior vp #ziff davis


Fathers Day fails to boost June book sales - BRC

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Tue, 12/07/2011 - 09:37 Widespread offers and Fathers Day failed to affect book sales falling in June compared to 2010, according to the British Retail Consortium. Figures out today show total sales in the UK were up 1.5% last month in comparison to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #june compared #year-earlier level #fathers day #e-book readers


Media Decoder: Sheila Bair to Write Book on Financial Crisis

Sheila C. Bair, who ended a tumultuous five-year term as chairwoman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation this month, has landed a book deal to give her inside account of the financial crisis. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Print book sales decline in first half of 2011

Written By: Charlotte Williams and Philip Stone Publication Date: Fri, 08/07/2011 - 09:55 Print sales across the book market have dropped by 3% in the first six months of 2011, compared to the same period last year, with Jamie Oliver the bestselling author over the period, ahead of Julia... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #charlotte williams #book market #jamie oliver #bestselling author #julia donaldson #james patterson #simon schuster #sales growth


BA and PA set to oppose Amazon-Book Depository merger

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 07/07/2011 - 09:06 The Booksellers Association has announced it will formally oppose the merger of Amazon and The Book Depository, with the BA saying that Amazon already had a "de facto monopoly". Meanwhile, the PA is actively considering... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #booksellers association #formally oppose #book depository


BA opposes Amazon and Book Depository merger

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Thu, 07/07/2011 - 09:06 The Booksellers Association has announced it will formally oppose the merger of Amazon and The Book Depository, saying that Amazon already had a "de facto monopoly". read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Claudia Mody leaves Waterstone's for The Book People

Written By: Lisa Campbell Publication Date: Wed, 06/07/2011 - 08:01 Waterstone’s children’s range buyer Claudia Mody is to join The Book People as a buyer for Red House it's children's consumer-facing book club. Mody will start on 1st August at The Book People. Seni Glaister, chief executive... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book people #1st august #seni glaister