From the House of Lungbarrow
By Matthew Kresal
Column 2:
BBC, can you spare some promotion?
2nd February 2011
It was with some surprise that I read yesterday on Facebook of a piece of news that the DWRS received from BBC books. If you haven't read it, either on the DWRS Facebook page or on the DWRS thread on Gallifrey Base, I shall reprint it here. It read: “The DWRS has just heard from a certain publisher that none of the Reprints will be advertised or announced. They'll just appear on the various websites when they go live. Bunker Soldiers being an example of this. So keep your eyes peeled!” I suspect that you, dear reader, are as surprised as I was. “None of the Reprints will be advertised or announced”? The very thought seems just a bit confusing. Why reprint the novels at all then?
In looking at this situation, I'm very much reminded of the situation regarding the later day James Bond novels. From 1981 to 2002 there was practically one new Bond novel published every year, first by John Gardner and then by Raymond Benson. Why do I mention this? Because, as time went on, those novels were in the very same situation as our reprints. The publishers didn't promote the novels very much and as a result the novels sold only a relatively small number of copies. The promotion of the novels was so light that even some Bond fans were unaware of the novels being published. Does the situation sound familiar?
The Bond novels should serve as a lesson and a warning. If you want fans to know that books based on their favorite series are coming out, it's best if you make some kind of announcement to that effect. To be fair, the reprints are exactly that: reprints of novels published at some point over the last twenty years. But, as the existence of this very Society proves, there are Doctor Who fans who want to read those novels that are being reprinted. It is the case however that not all of those fans will be members of this Society, despite the best efforts of ourselves. This is where promotion is important.
Those fans are likely to read the official Doctor Who Magazine or visit one of the large and frequently updated Doctor Who news pages on the web. If they were to read about the reprints on one of those pages or perhaps see an advertisement in Doctor Who Magazine, they are perhaps more likely to buy the reprinted novels. If those news articles or advertisements aren't there, the story is very likely to be a much different one.
Ultimately it's in interest of both the BBC and us the fans to promote the reprints. The BBC has an opportunity to use the massive backlog of Doctor Who stories and profit from it at the same time. For us the fans, it's an opportunity to finally get some of those rare novels that other fans have told us so much about for years. But if the fan's don't know about the reprints then there aren't going to be much in terms of sales. The future of the reprints could very well hang on an advertisement or new article...and it'd be a shame to lose future reprints by a lack of either.
In looking at this situation, I'm very much reminded of the situation regarding the later day James Bond novels. From 1981 to 2002 there was practically one new Bond novel published every year, first by John Gardner and then by Raymond Benson. Why do I mention this? Because, as time went on, those novels were in the very same situation as our reprints. The publishers didn't promote the novels very much and as a result the novels sold only a relatively small number of copies. The promotion of the novels was so light that even some Bond fans were unaware of the novels being published. Does the situation sound familiar?
The Bond novels should serve as a lesson and a warning. If you want fans to know that books based on their favorite series are coming out, it's best if you make some kind of announcement to that effect. To be fair, the reprints are exactly that: reprints of novels published at some point over the last twenty years. But, as the existence of this very Society proves, there are Doctor Who fans who want to read those novels that are being reprinted. It is the case however that not all of those fans will be members of this Society, despite the best efforts of ourselves. This is where promotion is important.
Those fans are likely to read the official Doctor Who Magazine or visit one of the large and frequently updated Doctor Who news pages on the web. If they were to read about the reprints on one of those pages or perhaps see an advertisement in Doctor Who Magazine, they are perhaps more likely to buy the reprinted novels. If those news articles or advertisements aren't there, the story is very likely to be a much different one.
Ultimately it's in interest of both the BBC and us the fans to promote the reprints. The BBC has an opportunity to use the massive backlog of Doctor Who stories and profit from it at the same time. For us the fans, it's an opportunity to finally get some of those rare novels that other fans have told us so much about for years. But if the fan's don't know about the reprints then there aren't going to be much in terms of sales. The future of the reprints could very well hang on an advertisement or new article...and it'd be a shame to lose future reprints by a lack of either.