Red Tower Books Publishing

So I know there aren't any set rules in marketing, but I strongly believe that those within the field should take a moment to jot down what Red Tower Books Publishing just did with their effective mass advertising. Not just those in marketing, but anyone who does advertising campaigns or just wants to better promote their stories.

For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, before summer hit, the book Fouth Wing by Rebecca Yarros was released and has been quite the hype. A month after its release, the physical copies were completely sold out everywhere. Additionally, I'd seen numerous TikTok videos of people owning multiple limited-edition sprayed edges copies.

The level of attention this book is receiving is almost as intense as when the Harry Potter series was initially released. Funny enough, I learned of the book prior to its release, and (not knowing just how big it was going to be) got the Kindle version. I read it the following day of its release and it completely drew me in to the point I was recommending it to anyone I knew who loved to read. So, I'd like to safely say I was one of the very first fans who helped blow it up.

Anyway, back to this bewildering marketing. A week ago, an unknown book without a name, picture, or any real information popped up on Amazon, Target, and so on. Either some clever fan discovered it, or someone from Red Tower leaked out that it was there to give it traction. Well, regardless of who the culprit was, it worked. Following the disappointment of Fourth Wing selling out earlier in the summer (which has restocked since then), people rushed to seize whatever this was, not wanting to miss their opportunity to get it. All anyone knew was that it was a book penned by Rebecca Yarros, and that was enough to send the fans into a frenzy.

Despite having only been available for preorder for a week, the unknown book somehow became an Amazon Best Seller. People were buying a product without even knowing what it was. CRAZY!

Then, yesterday morning, Rebecca herself posted a TikTok video doing a reveal, and she certainly didn't disappoint. She delighted her fans with an exclusive edition of Fourth Wing that features black-sprayed edges, a newly designed cover sheet, and two additional chapters from the love interest's POV.

Now, some of you might be wondering why that'd spark such an uproar? And I'm just going to say this; if J.K. Rowling announced she was rereleasing her books with a few chapters containing Draco's POV or Ginny, or Hermione, you can bet Potterheads around the world would be flying, not walking, to the nearest bookstores to get their hands on them. I'm not exaggerating when I say this fandom is massive, and it's only expanding. A few of you might take offense that I'm comparing the two books, but I want to express I'm a Potterhead myself (and am currently rewatching The Goblet of Fire as I write this), and all I'm comparing is the level of enthusiasm this book is getting, not in any way saying the two books give off the same energy. They don't. Not even a little, other than both being fantasy.

My point is I'm not sure how anyone could recreate this measure of intensity in marketing. Honestly, the advertising seems to come from the fans themselves, and that's a dream come true for any author. But I asked my older sister, who is a VP in Product Development for a movie poster design company, and she declared this to be a revolutionary form of marketing where the technique from the PR team provoked social media and the public. "It's genius, really. All the PR personnel did was dangle bait. You'd be amazed at how people react when they're being teased with merchandise. It plants a seed in their minds that this is something they should want. The primary goal was to target fans who have a significant amount of influence and a substantial number of followers and let it go from there."

She'd be right. Big Booktok accounts have all promoted Fourth Wing, and I'm not saying they all gave it a five-star review, but they reviewed it nonetheless. Even other well-loved authors gave their feedback, such as Sarah J. Mass, who "breathlessly" recommended it. I use her as an example because she was the reason I gave it a shot. See what I mean? It was a smart move by Red Tower Books to make use of her platform as well as others.

Alright, well, that concludes my review/opinion of the matter. I understand that this doesn't offer much to help promote your content. I'm not familiar enough with this industry to offer any advice. The purpose here was just to acknowledge how groundbreaking a simple marketing tactic can be. Promoting a product is a difficult endeavor, and demands an immense amount of effort- which is why having a PR team is ideal, as they can make something like this happen. I'm curious if Fourth Wing would've been able to attract the same amount of consumers without the assistance of professionals. Let me know what you think.