Marketing 101

I'm going to do something a little unusual and write a post about a book we don't own...yet. The book is titled Heartsick, and the author is Chelsea Cain, who came out with an amusing Nancy Drew parody a couple of years ago. This new book is a straightforward suspense thriller, complete with a cop and a creepy serial killer, and it is set in Portland, Oregon (which is where Ms. Cain lives). It's scheduled for release in September, and the library has this title on pre-order.

The point of all this ("Finally!" you say), is that the publishing company sent out the Advance Reader's Copy (a perk of being a librarian) with the most clever packaging I've ever seen. The book has a plain white cover, with no title or other identification, smeared with a bloody hand print and spatters (fake, I hope). The book arrived in a clear plastic 'evidence bag' supposedly belonging to the Portland Police Department. Brilliant. I don't ordinarily look at these advance proofs, but this one grabbed my attention and I looked to see if we had ordered the book already. I can't tell you if the book's any good - I confess I didn't read the proof - but the publishing company is going to a lot of effort to advertise, so they obviously have high hopes for this title. Come September, you can see if all their work has been justified. And if you're really eager, you can put a hold on this title right now: Library Catalog