Marketing and promotion

[Ktrek]

I was wondering about the different ways Star Trek books are promoted? Or are they just sold to the major bookstores with the hope that fans will happen to see a new Trek book is available? I have never seen a single book poster for a Star Trek novel like I do many other series and authors. Is Star Trek supposed to just sell on it's own without any push by the advertising department?

That was always one of my complaints about the series Enterprise. I felt that UPN did not give it near the ad exposure it should have gotten and expected that the fan base would just come (the old build it and they will come philosophy). I don't believe that lack of advertising was the only reason Enterprise didn't see a 5th season but I really do believe it hindered it tremendously.

The only promotion I have seen for the books are on TrekBBS, Psi Phi, the occasional interviews online, and features in Star Trek Magazine (which I think only reaches a very small part of the fanbase).

So, anyway I was wondering if anyone could give some inside scoop as to how and where Star Trek books are promoted to try and maximize sales? I can't help but believe that a whole lot of potential fans are being missed by current strategies.

Kevin

 

[Defcon]

They also have/had cross-promotions with TokyoPop's mangas.

 

[Ktrek]

I was just thinking that, at least in this area, there was a time when you could go into a comic book store and find Trek books for sale as well as other genre related books. I have not seen such in years now. Seems like that could be a huge potential market.

Edit: I did forget about Shore Leave but a major presence at one sci-fi con a year is not a lot of support.

Kevin

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I was wondering about the different ways Star Trek books are promoted? Or are they just sold to the major bookstores with the hope that fans will happen to see a new Trek book is available? I have never seen a single book poster for a Star Trek novel like I do many other series and authors. Is Star Trek supposed to just sell on it's own without any push by the advertising department?

In years past, there were promotional posters, postcards, display dumps, and the like. (Heck, in one bizarre circumstance, I received a letter from Pocket Books promoting New Frontier; it was wasted money, I'd already bought the books.)

You don't see these anymore, and it's probably down to money. Bookstores have limited display space, they have limited marketing budgets, and if they're not going to use it, they're not going to buy the marketing materials from Pocket.

Yes, stores pay for that marketing material you see. Maybe not one or two posters. But a giveaway? They've spent money on it. A display dump? They've spent money on it. Maybe not directly by that store, but their corporate office certainly did.

If stores wanted the marketing materials, they would buy it. If stores wanted to buy it, Pocket would produce it. But because stores aren't buying the marketing, Pocket's not producing the marketing, and after a while Pocket stops offering the marketing materials because there's no demand for it.

 

[Ktrek]

I see Allyn. Do you know why with so many sci-fi related specialty sites Pocket does not at least do some banner advertising? I think banner ads would have been a great way to promote the Destiny series. It just seems that too much is relied on word of mouth, store exposure or Trek authors doing their own promoting. Maybe things will change if the new movie is successful.

Kevin

 

[Jim Johnson]

I've seen Trek lit advertised in Analog, Asimov's, and F&SF from time to time, but I let my subscriptions on them lapse, so I haven't checked in a few months.

EDIT: Speaking of marketing and promotion, I'll also mention that I'm on the Nebula awards committee and I haven't seen a single Star Trek book entered for consideration. I've received a double handful of Star Wars books and other media tie-in books, but not a single Trek novel.

 

[Dayton Ward]

Probably because the SW writers haven't yet figured out that it's a waste of time, and that those copies are better used elsewhere

 

[David Mack]

^ Mostly, it's because tie-in writers are generally too disorganized to realize that they can vote as a bloc to put their works on the preliminary ballot, the way "serious" SF writers do. (If you belong to SFWA and look at the rec list, all the nominated titles each year come from the same 25-35 members' recommendations.) It would only take a bloc of 10-15 dedicated tie-in writers to make sure that tie-ins get solid presence on the prelim ballot every year, but it never happens….

 

[OmahaStar]

There's promotion? Other than this site, where?

I can walk in to any of the chain stores around here and if I'm very lucky, there will be one shelf of Trek books, lumped in with the rest of the "media" books. In the Borders stores, there is less than that - there's half a shelf, and that's it.

There are no posters, or stickers, or anything of the sort in ANY store around here promoting Trek in any way.

Then I go into the independent stores and what do I see? Even less. One of the independents has one copy each of the most recent two Trek books. Another doesn't carry them at all unless they're specially ordered.

As for other promotion ... where? I don't see ads for them online, or in magazines, or in other books (except those printed by Pocket, and written by a Trek writer).

Remember the days when they promoted their books? Yeah, they're long gone. It's up to the writers now to market their own books ... their own TIE IN books. That's just sad, that the companies putting this stuff out won't spend a few bucks to promote the stuff they're trying to sell. Ugh.

 

[captcalhoun]

book stores pay for the display bins? wow. i work in a shop here in the UK and i've been told by management that our display dumps are paid for by the companies (eg Coke paid for our coke-branded fridge, The Sun pays for our Sun-branded paper stand) and that fee covers us putting the stock in that thing (not so much the Coke fridge, but we do have a Red Bull one specifically for Red Bull), so that seems the problem to me, who the hell pays to advertise someone else's stuff? you get them to pay you to advertise their stuff...

 

[Therin of Andor]

There's promotion? Other than this site, where?

How about every month, in the Titan ST Magazine? The latest books are reviews, upcoming books are previewed, and most months have an excerpt.

While Pocket would have no control over the reviewing process, certainly there's a lot of back and forth re preview covers and permission for excerpts.

 

[Therin of Andor]

book stores pay for the display bins? wow. i work in a shop here in the UK and i've been told by management that our display dumps are paid for by the companies

Pick up any copy of the Diamond Comics Orderpak and you see listings for certain SF and fantasy novels which can be ordered either individually, or (with a separate order number) as a batch of approx. 24 books in a promotional cardboard display tray.

About a decade ago, most ST books were also offered this way.

 

[Ktrek]

There's promotion? Other than this site, where?

How about every month, in the Titan ST Magazine? The latest books are reviews, upcoming books are previewed, and most months have an excerpt.

While Pocket would have no control over the reviewing process, certainly there's a lot of back and forth re preview covers and permission for excerpts.

I'm happy to see all that Paul Simpson has done in giving so much space to the books in recent issues. However, I wonder if this is not some kind of mutual cooperation that benefits both parties and thus you would be hard pressed to find a negative review of any new Star Trek book within it's pages. I'm just sayin'.

Kevin

 

[Allyn Gibson]

book stores pay for the display bins? wow.

Believe me, I've worked at several different levels of the entertainment food chain. Those cardboard display dumps for books you see? The retailer -- maybe not the individual shop, maybe the corporate warehouse -- pays for those. Bookstores buy that shiny Harry Potter stuff from Scholastic; Scholastic doesn't send reps around to deliver it. I can't imagine a publishing having reps, to be honest.

 

[captcalhoun]

our display bins all come via courier folded flat and with instructions to assemble. we get a book bloke round about every 6 weeks, but he's from the wholesaler and sorts out our megre set of MMPBs...

 

[Therin of Andor]

thus you would be hard pressed to find a negative review of any new Star Trek book within it's pages. I'm just sayin'.

Oh? I rarely read the reviews these days, because I'm behind with numerous ST books, but I recall numerous ST novels where the reviewing staff disliked them.

In any case, positive reviews do count as promotion. As so do cleverly written sometimes-negative reviews.

 

[Ktrek]

I doubt seriously that CBS is going to allow one part of the franchise dis another part of the franchise. It would not be good business. To get any truly objective reviews I think you have to look outside to those not connected with Star Trek in any monetary way.

Kevin

 

[Christopher]

I doubt seriously that CBS is going to allow one part of the franchise dis another part of the franchise. It would not be good business.

You mean like how Mangels & Martin dissed "These Are the Voyages" in The Good That Men Do?

Good business is drawing attention to a property. And like they say, any publicity is good publicity so long as they spell your name right.

 

[Ktrek]

You mean like how Mangels & Martin dissed "These Are the Voyages" in The Good That Men Do?

Good business is drawing attention to a property. And like they say, any publicity is good publicity so long as they spell your name right.

But Chris that's comparing apples and oranges. M&M did not dis "These Are the Voyages" they tried to right what they believed was a wrong in creating their story. I don't think that's the same as a reviewer writing a review that would come down hard on a book even though it may be justified. I doubt that Star Trek Magazine would go that far. They would probably avoid the book before they would publish an unretractable review that could piss off folks in the upper decks of CBS/Paramount.

Kevin

 

[William Leisner]

You mean like how Mangels & Martin dissed "These Are the Voyages" in The Good That Men Do?

Good business is drawing attention to a property. And like they say, any publicity is good publicity so long as they spell your name right.

But Chris that's comparing apples and oranges. M&M did not dis "These Are the Voyages" they tried to right what they believed was a wrong in creating their story.

You haven't actually read TGTMD, have you?

I don't think that's the same as a reviewer writing a review that would come down hard on a book even though it may be justified. I doubt that Star Trek Magazine would go that far. They would probably avoid the book before they would publish an unretractable review that could piss off folks in the upper decks of CBS/Paramount.

And on what do you base this baseless opinion? Which terrible book do you think STM gave an inflated review to? Which reviewer told you s/he was censored because they weren't being positive enough about the Trek books? Hell, who told you "folks in the upper decks of CBS/Paramount" were even aware there was a novel line??