Doing its part to promote an old-fashioned, relaxed summertime, The New York Times launched its Great Summer Read novel-serialization program in July. Part public service, part self promotion, the program seems to have succeeded on both fronts, as the eye-friendly inserts have been popping up everywhere from Metro North compartments to midtown Starbucks.
Though it’s too early to say if the program is improving the paper’s circulation figures, Alyse Myers, Times VP of marketing services, did offer anecdotal evidence. Many readers have admitted they are buying more than one copy per household to accommodate commuting schedules, vacationing teenagers, etc. And, she says, “I’m absolutely positive we’re selling more books,” referring to the coinciding reading events at Borders that have sparked sales (James McBride drew 300 people to the Columbus Circle store, which sold 100 copies of The Color of Water). Daryl Mattson, area marketing manager for Borders, said all its Manhattan stores sold four times the amount of the selected titles during the week they ran in The Times, compared to the previous week. “It’s been fantastic — and nobody really knew what was going to happen. It’s just such a smart and clever idea. You know, New York struggled with that one-city-one-book idea, because it’s so diverse — this is a great alternative to that.” (The Great Summer Reads selections so far have been, besides McBride’s, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, and Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s.)
Booksellers aren’t the only ecstatic ones. Adam Rothberg, VP, corporate communications for Simon & Schuster, said, “While we certainly wouldn’t measure the success of the NYT program strictly by immediate sales — there are ancillary benefits like advertising for other Scribner titles, as well as extended exposure of Gatsby itself to a million-plus readers — “sales in July 2004 were more than 25% greater than July 2003. Bookscan reported 4,400 copies of the trade paperback were sold during the week that ended July 18 (the week it ran in The Times), though some of these are due to the normal influx of school orders this time of year. “I’ve heard from several people that they read the excerpts and were so delighted to retouch base with the book — and have been inspired to buy another classic to read this summer,” said Michael Selleck, S&S VP, executive director, marketing. Myers said that some other publishers have called to say they would like to participate in future programs. This was to be expected: Even in the program’s early stages, the rights process was “not difficult” because the publishers and the paper “felt like there was a benefit for both,” she says.
What’s next? Myers anticipates an expanded program, which may include a children’s book. The Times might reach wider next time by including the national edition, and it is considering other seasons when people might slow down to take a novel with their morning paper.
