Marketing
Marketing Plan
Publicist: Katie Lucas
Title: The Essential Annotated Works of H. G. Wells
Author: H. G. Wells
Book Description: The subject of several movies, boycotts, and even an incident of mass hysteria, the novels and short stories of H. G. Wells have made a lasting impression on both literature and popular culture. From giant insects and man-eating plants to aliens from outer space, Wells is the creator of many of our most beloved and over-used science fiction tropes, and is hailed as the “father of science fiction.” A selection of Wells’ most fre- quently taught and influential works, this volume is the perfect introduction to the writings of H. G. Wells and great addition to an existing collection. With extensive footnotes, a detailed timeline, additional reading list, and original essays on the life and times of Wells and his contemporaries, The Essential Annotated Works of H. G. Wells will be an indispensable resource for teachers and students alike.
Categories: Fiction/Literary and Fiction/Science Fiction/General
Format: Paperback and ebook
Illustrator: None
Illustrations # (color or B&W): 1 black and white photograph of H. G. Wells
Trim Size: 6 x 9 inches
Page Count: 448
61 Imprint: None, publisher is Paragon Science Fiction
Warehouse Date: March 15, 2010
Publication Date: April 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-234567-89-7
List Price: 14.95
Print Run: 10,000
Book Code Title Abbreviation: HGWELLSPB and HGWELLSEB
Edition: First edition paperback and first edition ebook
Competition: Selected Stories of H. G. Wells, paperback, 14.95 This title is a competitor because it contains many of the stories in the Paragon edition without any annotation or supplementary materials. The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells, paperback, 65.00 Contains all of the stories in the Paragon edition, but is much more expensive and contains no annotation or supplementary materials. Five Great Science Fiction Novels by H. G. Wells, paperback, 10.50 Contains a few of the novels included in The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells, but without annotation or supplementary materials. The Works of H. G. Wells, Kindle edition ebook, 4.79 Contains all of the works included in The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells, but without annotation or supplementary materials.
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Audiences: • Science fiction fans, mostly adult men aged 30+ • College and university English literature and film studies professors • High school English teachers • High school and college students • Lower to middle class income • Mostly college educated
Readers that you want to attract: • College and university professors • High school teachers • Fans of literary science fiction • Fans of movies adapted from the works of H. G. Wells
Societies and Organizations: • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) • Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas (CSSF) • The Science Fiction Foundation in Liverpool, UK (SFF) • MIT Science Fiction Society • Baltimore Science Fiction Society • Bay Area Science Fiction Association (BASFA) • Birmingham Science Fiction Group in Birmingham, UK • British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) • Dallas Future Society • Darkstar science fiction club (based out of UC San Diego) • Northwest Science Fiction Society in Seattle, WA (NWSFS) • The Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association • ISFiC, Illinois Science Fiction in Chicago • Infinite Frontiers • Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society • World Science Fiction Society • Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc. • MISFITS, Minnesota Society for Interest in Science
63 Fiction and Fantasy • Melbourne Science Fiction Club (Melbourne, Australia) • NESFA, New England Science Fiction Association • National Fan Fantasy Federation • Philadelphia Science Fiction Society • Reading for the Future • SF Minnesota • Utah Speculative Fiction Council • Washington Science Fiction Association (Washington, D. C.) • Science Fiction Northwest (SFNW) • Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA)
Specific Audiences: • People who read or collect literary SF • People interested in the study of SF • People interested in future studies • Educators who teach SF in literature or film
Markets: Stores: Indies and chain bookstores, including B & N, Borders, Amazon, Chapters, and Powell’s. Author Resources: None, this author is deceased. Events: • Westercon (West Coast Science Fantasy Conference) • Loscon (Los Angeles Regional Science Fantasy Convention) • Norwescon (Northwest Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention) • MisCon (Missoula, Montana) • Fandemonium (Boise, ID) • Fool’s Cap (Redmond, WA) • MileHiCon (Denver, CO) • Orycon (Portland, OR) • Rustycon (Seatac, WA) • Life, the Universe, and Everything (academic symposium on SF held in Provo, ID)
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• Campbell Conference at the University of Kansas • Eaton Science Fiction Conference at UC Riverside • SFRA Annual Conference
Public Institutions: • Public Libraries • University and College Libraries
Specific Public Institutions: • Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculation (public library in Toronto, Canada) • J. Lloyd Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Utopian Literature (UC Riverside Library) • Science Fiction Foundation Collection (Liverpool, UK) • Michigan State Libraries Science Fiction Collection • MIT Science Fiction Society Library • Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Collection (Northern Illinois University) • Bud Foote Science Fiction Collection (Georgia Tech) • University of Maryland Baltimore County Science Fiction Collection • University of Delaware Special Collections • Bowling Green State University Popular Culture Collection (Bowling Green, OH) • Maison d’Ailleurs (science fiction museum in Yverdon-les- Bains, Switzerland) • Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (Seattle, WA)
Media: Magazines: • Library Journal • Publisher’s Weekly • Asimov’s SF • SFRA Review • Ansible Newsletter (http://www.ansible.co.uk)
65 • Vector Magazine and Matrix Newsletter (both published by the BSFA) • Locus Online (http://www.locusmag.com/) • Analog SF/F • The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction • Fusion • Strange Horizons (http://www.strangehorizons.com/) • Westwind Zine (published by NWSFS) • Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine (Canada) • The Future Fire • The Internet Review of Science Fiction (http://www.irosf.com/) • Kaleidotrope • Nova Science Fiction • Afterburn SF (http://www.afterburnsf.com/default.aspx) • Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Television: None
Direct Mail: Get email mailing lists from: SFWA, SFF, NWSFS, BSFA, and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction. Use emails to send press releases, request sign-ups to the Paragon email news- letter, and notify recipients of a free ebook offer (sign up for our newsletter and receive a free ebook edition of this title).
Radio: None
Website: Maintain a website for the publishing company with a few pages dedicated to this title, focusing on educator resources, including links to video and sound clips.
Blogs: • CSSF blog (http://www2.ku.edu/~sfcenter/CSSFLJ.htm) • Torque Control (http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/) • SF Signal (www.sfsignal.com/) • Bibliophile Stalker (http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/)
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• Neth Space (http://nethspace.blogspot.com/) • Io9 (http://io9.com/) • Big Dumb Object (http://www.bigdumbobject.co.uk/) • Forbidden Planet (http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/) • Revolution SF (http://www.revolutionsf.com/) • Genreville (Sf blog at publishersweekly.com) • From a SciFi Standpoint (http://scifistandpoint.wordpress.com/) • SciFi UK Review (http://scifi.uk.com/) • Mentat Jack (http://mentatjack.com/) • Old Bat’s Belfry (http://oldbatsbelfry.blogspot.com/)
Facebook: Company Facebook page with basic information about this title and some fun extras like sound clips from the Orson Welles radio broadcast, an interview between Orson Welles and H. G. Wells, and video clips of old H. G. Wells movies (all available on YouTube).
Twitter: Weekly facts about Wells, promotions, updates to the website, updates on the number of books donated to Reading for the Future.
MySpace: Company MySpace page with some basic information about this title.
Related Topics to this Book: H. G. Wells, movies based on Wells’ works (War of the Worlds, First Men on the Moon (1964 and 1919), The Time Machine (1960 and 2002), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1977 and 1996), etc.), science fiction and science fiction studies, sci- ence fiction and pop culture, future studies (the study of the future), Victorian literature and studies, social criticism, colonialism, and the 1938 Orson Welles radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
Strongest Selling Points: This is the only collection of Wells’ works created specifically for use in classrooms.
67 Genre/ Subject: H. G. Wells is considered “the father of science fiction.”
Author: H. G. Wells is considered “the father of science fiction,” and is studied in both Victorian literature and science fiction courses.
Tie-in with Holiday: The 64th anniversary of Wells’ death is August 14th, 2010.
Message to the reader: Science fiction can be educational.
Value to other Writers: None, except as a reference work.
Series information: None.
Key Selling Points: • Emphasis as a literary book used in classrooms. • Ideal for educators teaching H. G. Wells. • Contains all of Wells’ most commonly taught works in one affordable volume. • Annotated with additional resources for teachers and students such as informational essays and supplementary reading lists. • Suitable for students at both the high school and college level.
Strategy / Tactics: • Send press releases to all of the organizations, public institutions, and media outlets listed above. • Send review requests and ebook review copies via email to all of the blogs and online magazines listed above. • Use email lists to send press releases, request sign-ups to the Paragon monthly email newsletter, and notify recipients of a free ebook offer (sign up for our newsletter and receive a free ebook edition of this title). • Offer a promotion on our website—a free ebook edition of
68 Marketing
this title will go to any educator who signs up for our email newsletter. • Work with the Pacific Northwest chapter of Reading for the Future to create a promotion in which for every classroom that adopts this title, one copy of this book will be donated to Reading for the Future, an international organization that promotes literacy through science fiction.
Galleys: Most of the galleys and review copies sent will be in ebook format if at all possible in order to save money. • James Gunn, author and director of the CSSF • Ursula K. LeGuin • Frederik Pohl • Gene Wolfe • William Gibson • John Scalzi • Cory Doctorow • Kim Stanley Robinson
Review Copies: • Locus Online • Library Journal • CSSF blog (http://www2.ku.edu/~sfcenter/CSSFLJ.htm) • Torque Control (http://vectoreditors.wordpress.com/) • SF Signal (www.sfsignal.com/) • Bibliophile Stalker (http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/) • Neth Space (http://nethspace.blogspot.com/) • Io9 (http://io9.com/) • Big Dumb Object (http://www.bigdumbobject.co.uk/) • Suvudu (http://www.suvudu.com/) • Forbidden Planet (http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/) • Revolution SF (http://www.revolutionsf.com/) • The Internet Review of Science Fiction (http://www.irosf.com/) • SFRA Review • Strange Horizons (http://www.strangehorizons.com/)
69 • Genreville • From a SciFi Standpoint (http://scifistandpoint.wordpress. com/)
Book Launch and Event Opportunities: The book launch will be held April 17th at PSU with lots of displays about Wells and his work, including clips of film adaptations of his work and the full Orson Welles 1938 radio broadcast. Also, local professors would be invited to talk about how they teach Wells to their students. The event will be combined with a conference on educating with SF, “First Annual Educating the Future Conference,” the proceeds of which will go to Readers of the Future. A promotion will also be offered in which one copy of this title will be donated to Readers of the Future if the customer buys two copies at the book launch/ conference.
70 Marketing
Marketing Budget
Book title: The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells
Book Retail Price: $14.95 Average discount to the distributor: 50% Distributor earns: $7.47 Subtract from the retail price of: $14.95 Publisher Nets: $7.48
Average marketing budget of 5%: $0.37
Print Run: 10,000 copies
Marketing Budget is: $3,700.00
71 Marketing Plan
Title Description
Title: The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells Author: H.G. Wells List Price: $14.95 Page Count: 544
Description: The first in a series of annotated works of classic sci- ence fiction authors (such as Wells and Jules Verne), containing three of his short novels (one well known title and two little known titles) and several thematically related short stories.
Market: Since Wells was one of the forerunners of literary science fiction, this title will fit into our normal literary science fiction market, as well as allow us to sell the title to institutions such as high schools and universities. This title will also appeal to anyone who has an interest in science fiction as an area of serious study, especially educators.
Author Biography: 1866-1946. Although it hasn’t been quite seventy-five years since his death, all of the works of H. G. Wells published before 1922 are now in the public domain. This rep- resents the majority of Wells’ works, and releases us from the obligation to pay royalties.
Comparable Titles: The Complete Short Stories of H. G. Wells, Hardcover, $50.00 (out of print) Selected Stories of H. G. Wells (Modern Library Classics), Paperback, $14.95 The Complete Short Stories of H.G. Wells by H.G. Wells and John Hammond, Paperback, $65.00 Five Great Science Fiction Novels (Thrift Edition) by H. G. Wells, Paperback, $10.50
17 Tip Sheet The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells H. G. Wells Format: Paperback Publisher: Paragon Science Fiction Trim Size: 5.5” x 8.5” Publication Date: Spring 2010 Cover: Four Color Genre: Fiction/Literary Page Count: 544 ISBN: 978-1-234567-89-7 U.S. Price: $14.95
Hook: Explore the many worlds of H. G. Wells.
Selling Points: • Ideal for educators teaching H. G. Wells. • Contains all of Wells’ most commonly taught works. • Annotated with additional resources for teachers and students such as informational essays and supplementary reading lists. • Suitable for students at both the high school and college level.
Book Description: A selection of Wells’ most frequently taught and influential works, this volume is the perfect introduction to the writings of H. G. Wells and great addition to any existing col- lection. With extensive footnotes, a detailed timeline, additional reading list, and original essays on the life and times of Wells and his contemporaries, The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells will be an indispensable resource for teachers and students alike.
About the Author: A prolific writer, science scholar, and candid social critic, Herbert George Wells was the author of more than forty novels and a hundred short stories in more than sixty years of writing. Wells’ unique melding of social commentary and fantasti- cal narrative became the foundation for the science fiction genre and earned him the title of “the father of science fiction.”
18 Marketing Plan
Sales Sheet
Pub Date: April 15, 2010 Publisher: Paragon Science Fiction Title: The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells Author: H. G. Wells Expected Ship Date: March 15, 2010 Publisher/Dist.: Paragon with a fulfillment house Imprint: None Price: 14.95
Barcoded? Yes
UPC w/ price indicated? yes
EAN w/ price indicated? EAN, but no EAN price indicated.
Is retail ISBN printed on the book? yes
Format: paperback
# Illus. color: none, 1 black and white photo of Wells, 1 black and white photo illustrating “The Door in the Wall.”
Trim Size: 5.5" x 8.5"
Page count: 544
Print Run: 10,000
Carton Qty: unknown
Incremental Order Qty: unknown
19 Pub. Suggested initial order qty.: Depends on the market; at least 20 for orders from the educational market, and at least 3 copies for retail stores.
Returns: Yes
Previous Edition Information: None
New Edition: Yes, this is a first edition title.
Category: Fiction/Literary and Science Fiction/General
Page # in Catalog: page 2
Content: A collection of Wells’ most frequently taught works, in- cluding footnotes and additional supplementary materials.
Author’s Home: At the time of his death, it was London, England.
Previous Works by the Author: War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, etc.
Ad Budget: $1360.00
Co-op budget: $0
National Media: Library Journal, Locus Online
Tour Cities: None, the author is deceased.
20 Marketing Plan
Catalog Page
The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells Coming April 2010
Explore the many worlds of H. G. Wells with this new collection created especially for educators.
A selection of Wells’ most frequently taught and influential works, this volume is the perfect introduction to the writings of H. G. Wells and great addition to any existing collection. With extensive footnotes, a detailed timeline, additional reading list, and original essays on the life and times Paragon Science Fiction of Wells and his contemporaries, By H. G. Wells The Essential Annotated H. G. Wells Fiction/Literary will be an indispensable resource Fiction/Science Fiction for teachers and students alike. Paperback, 5.5" x 8.5" 544 pages About the Author: A prolific writer, ISBN: 978-1-234567-89-7 science scholar, and candid social $14.95 critic, Herbert George Wells was the author of more than forty novels and a hundred short stories in more than sixty years of writing. Wells’ unique melding of social commentary and fantastical narrative became the foundation for the science fiction genre and earned him the title of “the father of science fiction.”
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