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

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Strange Ads Promote an Author Who Isn't Real and a Book That Doesn't Exist'


Young Authors Associated with President Biden Land Book Deals

Amanda Gorman, who wrote and recited the official Biden Inaugural Poem, and Brayden Harrington, the teen who spoke at the Democratic Convention of bonding with Biden over stuttering, both landed book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #young authors #amanda gorman


Nolan Promoted to Publisher of Penguin Books

Patrick Nolan has been promoted to publisher of Penguin Books, among several other role changes at Penguin Random House imprint Viking Penguin. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin books #penguin random house


BiblioBoard, PW’s BookLife Launch New Library E-book Program for Self-Published Authors

BookLife Elite will offer public libraries access to a curated collection of unlimited, simultaneous-use indie e-books, meaning library readers can access the books instantly—no holds lists. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-01-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published authors #public libraries #e-book


Earle marks decade as an author with two books for Andersen

Andersen Press has acquired the 20th children's novel from Phil Earle, 10 years since his first book was released.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-08 02:54:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #andersen press


Read Harder: An Own Voices YA Book With a Black Main Character That Isn’t About Black Pain

We've got books for the Read Harder task asking you to read an own voices YA book with a Black main character that isn't about Black pain. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-01-07 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #read harder #ya book


Hodder Studio strikes two-book deal with Wolf Road author Lewis

Hodder Studio is publishing the next two novels by Beth Lewis, author of debut The Wolf Road, starting with "powerful novel" The Origins of Iris, which touches on themes of self-discovery and survival. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-12-21 05:11:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hodder


Barack Obama took a break from promoting his own book to highlight 17 of the year’s best

The former president’s annual list is an eclectic mix of fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-12-17 08:56:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barack obama #annual list #eclectic mix


5 Books About Complicated Families by BIPOC Authors

Here are five books written by BIPOC authors that each detail the intricacies of different complicated families. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-12-01 11:37:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bipoc authors #books written


Audio Book Recommendation: Make Me Rain by Nikki Giovanni, Read by the Author

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Nikki Giovanni’s slightly raspy, slightly sibilant voice draws listeners into Make Me Rain,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-27 11:56:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nikki giovanni #editors recommend #audiobook listening #audiobook clips #featured listens #literary hub #audio book #audiobook


Which books make the best gifts? Authors weigh in.

Rumaan Alam, Janet Evanovich and Glennon Doyle, among other writers, are here to help with your holiday shopping. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-25 13:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #books make #authors weigh #rumaan alam #janet evanovich #glennon doyle #holiday shopping


'Ready Player Two' author is going on a virtual book tour in 'Roblox'

Real book tours aren’t practical during a pandemic, but the virtual kind might suit at least one author very nicely. Ernest Cline is showcasing his new novel Ready Player Two in a Roblox event, and it will appropriately include a treasure hunt. While... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-11-23 18:00:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ready player #ernest cline #treasure hunt #book tour


How the Literary World Reinvented the Book Festival in Real Time

As the literary world moved online in 2020, a central question for many organizations was how to manage the annual festivals that gather thousands of readers from around the world. Here, the directors of five festivals—Sara Ortiz of the Believer Festival, Lissette Mendez of the Miami Book Fair,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-03 09:57:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #real time #central question #lissette mendez #literary hub #book festival #literary world


Amazon Publishing launches first UK ad campaign for celeb author

Amazon Publishing is launching its first ever ad campaign for a celebrity in the UK, rolling out digital signage across 100 London bus stops for essay collection Nothing Like I Imagined by US actress Mindy Kaling. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-13 00:14:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ad campaign #amazon publishing


‘Solutions and Other Problems’ author Allie Brosh talks cats, depressions and the joys of Zoom book tours

Brosh’s long-awaited graphic memoir comes seven years after her bestseller, “Hyperbole and a Half.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-10-08 11:49:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #graphic memoir


Switching authors on to book fairs

Back in March, I was watching Twitter like it was a countdown, waiting like so many others for the inevitable to happen and for the London Book Fair to be cancelled. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-23 20:10:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book fairs #london book fair


Explore Indigenous Futurisms With these SFF Books by Indigenous Authors

Explore Indigenous Futurisms by reading these 25 science fiction and fantasy books by Indigenous authors with Indigenous main characters! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-18 10:38:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sff books #indigenous authors #fantasy books #science fiction


The key to a more tranquil mind? One author argues it’s all about revisiting books from the past.

In “Breaking Bread With the Dead,” Alan Jacobs argues we should “sift the past for its wisdom and its wickedness, its perception and its foolishness.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-15 15:49:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #author argues


8 Transgender YA Books Written by Trans and Nonbinary Authors

These YA books with trans protagonists by trans and non-binary authors range from contemporary to speculative fiction, including titles like When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-10 10:38:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #nonbinary authors #ya books #speculative fiction #including titles #books written


Promoting authors

The publishing frenzy that is Super Thursday will leave many authors in the cold, having to find new ways to engage with potential readers of their work Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-05 08:53:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #promoting authors #super thursday #potential readers


21 Must-Read Books for 12th Graders by Authors of Color

From contemporary and historical fiction to science fiction and fantasy, including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao, these 21 books are must-reads for 12th graders. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-09-03 10:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #12th graders #science fiction #historical fiction