50 Shades of Marketing

A book is touted as being the most amazing thing to hit the bookstores since… well, since the last really amazing book. Bookstore shelves groan under the weight of multiple copies and less desirable tomes are banished to dimly lit corners and hard to reach upper shelves where the dust bunnies and spiders lurk. Not so subtle lighting guides you directly to the holy grail of reading entertainment.

So, do you buy it? Are you tempted by the bright lights and shiny posters?

Perhaps it’s because I’m a generally contrary person or perhaps it’s a case of once burned, twice shy, but the bright lights, flashy advertising and massive piles of stock tend to turn me off completely when it comes to buying a book. The more hype surrounding a particular book release, the less likely I am to even bother finding out what it is about.

I still haven’t read any Dan Brown novels. I’ve only read 116 pages of the first Twilight book, read while I was filling in some time while visiting a friend. It made me laugh. A lot. It was supposed to be a comedy, right?

Given all that I’ve just shared, you’ll probably be as surprised as I was to find a copy of 50 Shades of Grey in my shopping trolley a few weeks ago. I guess I was feeling a bit left out since I seemed to be the only person in existence who hadn’t read it.

I’m not going to discuss the relative merits, or lack thereof, of the book here. You can find a funnier review than I could ever hope to write at Cate Pearce’s blog and a much more thoughtful look at the phenomenon that is 50 Shades at Book Thingo’s blog. No need for me to reinvent the wheel. Suffice to say that I only read about 50 pages and skim read the rest of the book. Stylistic issues aside, I don’t find romanticising such dysfunctional relationships at all entertaining.

What does fascinate me about 50 Shades is the success of the marketing campaign. I’ve read so many fantastic books that barely rate a mention, yet this book is all anyone is talking about. Why is that? Why this book? What makes it stand out from the crowd?

I don’t think of myself as a literary snob. I’ve read (and enjoyed) my share of less than stellar novels. Each to their own, I say. What amazes me is the frenzy of interest and discussion stirred by one book, when there are so many wonderful books out there – funny, entertaining, shocking, tragic, creative, comforting, inspiring, frightening, uplifting books – that barely rate a mention.

Because if you love Twilight, you’re sure to love Pride & Prejudice. How could you not? The covers look so similar.

Perhaps even more annoying and frustrating than the novels that achieve book superstardom are the latest-literary-marketing-frenzy wannabes. The classics republished with similar covers to the latest hit. The rush of new novels featuring whatever hook has captured the attention of the masses. I can remember suggesting tongue-in-cheek to The Phoenix Files author Chris Morphew that maybe he should consider adding a sparkly vampire to the covers of his awesome YA series in the hope that they would gain more prominent shelf placement. For a while there, it was almost impossible to find a YA novel that didn’t possess a Twilight-esque cover, artistically black, white and red.

At the end of the day, it all just makes me a little sad. So many fantastic books overlooked because they simply don’t have a marketing gimmick that can capture the attention of the general public. It makes me especially grateful that as a book blogger, I get a chance to access a wide and diverse range of books and, in so doing, I’ve been able to read some amazing authors and novels that I would never have come across otherwise.

Perhaps that’s the real tragedy of the marketing frenzy that surrounds books such as 50 Shades of Grey. It’s not that people are reading a particular book, but rather that the spotlight shining on one particular book/genre casts a long shadow over a range of fantastic books that will sadly come and go from the bookstore shelves without catching the eyes of more than a handful of readers.

If nothing else, 50 Shades has reminded me why I’m wary of marketing hype. I’m going back to listening to the advice of my favourite book bloggers, reading through the new release listings looking for hidden treasure and occasionally taking a chance that a book that simply catches my eye will prove to be my next great literary love.