Chark Blog - Paris Hilton meets Jeffrey Archer

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I came across this headline on the blog of a celebrated British journalist Bryan Appleyard. He has written about Jeffrey Archer in the past and still writes about him a lot nowadays never favourably. But what interested me about the headline was the complete lack of connection between the two people mentioned. The only explanation I have is that Bryan Appleyard knows a thing or two about marketing as well as about journalism and that reckons that those two names juxtaposed will bring more traffic to his site.

This site averages 1500 visitors a day at the moment. Let's see if my pinching Mr Appleyard's idea can improve this number. A simplistic form of Google manipulation but most marketing ideas are pretty simplistic! I'll let you know the results of this scientific experiment although I am aware that Bryan Appleyard has written extensively about the threats to society of science itself.

Of course the problem is that if the results prove positive just about every book blurb will contain the words Paris, Hilton, Jeffrey and Archer, such is the me-too-ism of publishers' copywriters.

I've just received this extract from a marketing flyer about the forthcoming Frankfurt Book Fair:Record number of 7,223 exhibitors from 101 countries took part in the Frankfurt Book Fair 2005. 284,838 visitors came to the Fair from 121 countries, 6.3 % more than in 2004. About 30 per cent of visitors were from abroad. With these credential the fair needs to no introduction. This fair is the most important platform for the books and publishing industry to feel the pulse the market and open itself to the new opportunities.

What this says is that approximately 100,000 visitors came from overseas. I estimate that the average cost per person of attending the fair from overseas (airfares, hotels, food and drink, transport, cost of stand, opportunity cost etc) is of the order of $5,000. That means a total of $500 million. If the average margin from selling books is, say, 10% it would be necessary to sell an additional $5 billion just to pay for attending the fair. Hmm.

8/30/2006 7:39:05 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

But do you want to attract the sort of readers who are interested in Ms Hilton and Mr Archer?

Anne Weale

8/30/2006 12:58:48 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

On the contrary, I made the connection between Jeffrey Archer and Paris Hilton quite clear in the post. They were essential elements of a brilliant movie idea. And, as it happens, a post on Wallace Stevens was hit more often so, I'm afraid, it doesn't work quite as one expects.

Bryan Appleyard

8/31/2006 7:52:32 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Here is my personal way to look at what it costs to attend Frankfurt. Let me work with Richard's assumption and his numbers. A few years back, when I worked for a small publisher in New York, I would come to Frankfurt for three days only. I took it easy and I usually scheduled four appointments in the morning and four in the afternoon. Then I had a drinks meeting, followed perhaps by a reception, then dinner, parties and finally a nightcap at the Hof. On average I had about 10 serious appointments each day. In other words, during the book fair, I managed to have meetings with at least 30 people from 5 to 10 different countries. That brought my cost per appointment to $166. How much does one spend on a publisher's lunch (a meal in a restaurant, not the newsletter) these days in London or New York? Busy people even claim to schedule up to 18 appointments per day in Frankfurt, four or five days in a row. You can do the math on that one. Apart from keeping existing business relationships fresh, promoting and selling our list, checking out what the competition is up to, making new contacts and getting new ideas just walking the aisles, I saw all my publishing friends and had lots and lots of fun. Completely unexpected business here and there was for me always the icing on the cake. Not such a bad way to spend 5 K, but then I always spent less.

Thomas Minkus

8/31/2006 8:49:11 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

I used the word 'nipples' in my blog a few weeks ago, as part of a throwaway comment on Jordan's book. That one word has doubled visitors to the site, as people searching for'nipples' through Google ( you'd be surprised how many there are ) end up disappointed.

dave roberts

9/1/2006 4:34:03 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)

Anna, I'm afraid publishers take readers whoever they are and wherever they come from!

Bryan, you were right it didn't work as expected.

Dave, I don't think I'll try it but interesting nonetheless.

Thomas, Of course you're right too - but I still reckon the calculation is interesting if you take the gross figures.

richard charkin

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