Marketing James Patterson Books Essay

over the last decade James Patterson has published an unprecedented number of best-selling intensitys, cemented a powerful trade denote image amongst a loyal following, and redefined the process by which authors create content to meet reader demand. From November 2000 by June 2003, Patterson had cumulative sales of over six million dollars, trailing only John Grisham during that time frame. He has generated the majority of his sales through a loyal readership that consistently lines up to taint his next inst on the wholement.keenly aw ar of this dedicated following, Patterson successfully sought to augment the proliferation of his titles with co-authors familiar with his blur that could share the workload, creating a practical(prenominal) assembly-line of best-sellers. Despite this wide success, the Patterson brand still has a sizeable luck for growth. Patterson cites a need to gallop his, relative to an other(a)(prenominal) best-selling authors, narrow reader base to capt ure a greater constituent of the omnivorous readers, amongst whom his brand penetration was much lower. There are two possibilities for Patterson to consider, both involving his relationship with book nine-spothouses.The book order of magnitudes provide an excellent source of individualized customer information, but have not themselves yielded an enormous amount of profitability for already-established authors such as Patterson. The first option would be to negotiate higher club royalties with the existing book club partnerships. Patterson himself has advocated this approach, citing that the clubs very much erode profits from bookstore store sales, and the clubs need him more than than he needs the clubs. The second possibility is for Patterson to embrace the book club marketing model, using the clubs customer information to market directly to the customer.Patterson could identify on an individual and international foundation the omnivorous reader that has not yet embraced hi s books. He could then tailor a marketing melt down centered around the promotion of his titles directly to these readers. Recommendation The first option would not really embrace the concern about Pattersons narrow reader base. While it may be true that the club needs Patterson more than he needs the club, it is still a means to reach a broader audience. It seems more likely that Patterson has merely under-used the club channel, which is why the second option would provide a better opportunity forPatterson to reach a larger target audience.He mentions that he has not yet become a badge author, meaning that he has not been able to break out of his genre and create a buzz across a wide wander of readers. He does not yet have the line wisdom as some of his best-selling counterparts, and without this name recognition he needs to seek other means to create a buzz for his next title. I would advocate allowing book club members scoopful access to his next release before it is release d in book stores or other retail channels.Clubs, with max rights to the pre-released book, would now have incentive to push Patterson as its preeminent selection. This would help create the powerful, and international, word-of-mouth melt down that he is seeking. First, those already loyal to the brand would now have the opportunity to create anticipation amongst other non-club Patterson loyalists, driving demand for its level offtual release in stores. Secondly, and more importantly, club members not loyal to the brand would now have an added incentive to sample a Patterson novel.Being granted easy lay access to what promises to be a best-seller might be the impetus necessary to finally penetrate more of the omnivorous readers. promptly Patterson would have a broad spectrum of readers across the globe discussing his novel and creating a buzz before it even reaches a mass audience. This is a similar model to the one employed in the movie industry, where movies are pre-released t o create a word-of-mouth campaign before its larger release. Patterson notes that the book industry is generally stereotypical, essentially waiting to retroactively replicate the success of the next blockbuster hit.With an exclusive pre-release to a guardedly pre-determined list of customers, Patterson would instead be proactively creating a buzz, and potentially, a blockbuster. In terms of channel management, this pre-release should satisfy all members of the channel. Certainly, the book clubs would embrace the idea of being able to market an exclusive release of a Patterson novel, and with exclusive rights, should be able to retain club members for longer commitments. More importantly, this would not have to come at the expense of the retail chains because club members generally would buy books through the club channel anyways.The retail stores, instead, could benefit from the buzz created by club members, as non-club members may now be clamoring to buy the book their friends ha ve already been talking about as soon as it is released in stores. A true blockbuster would increase the size of the pie for all channel members. Channel (2001) Strategic Resources Patterson ?Brand name dominant in crime fiction genre ?Many titles 3 per year vs. 1 for Clancy, Cornwell ?Cliffhanger endings diverge Patterson readers eager for next installment ? Marketing Expertise Patterson former Chairman of J. Walter Thompson Badge Authors?Name recognition 90% and 84% for Grisham and Clancy (Patterson 54%) ? Broader range of readers ? appropriates as a status symbols read these authors to impress others Book Clubs ?Individualized customer information ?Name-brand authors ?Capable of tracking all book sales and buying fashion Problems Resources ?Patterson name not as well known as his book titles ?Relatively narrow range of readers mainly crime fiction addicts ? Not as much status in reading a Patterson novel ?Relatively small international readership Incentives ?Book Clubs push aut hors with highest name recognition?Patterson books might not be promoted as heavily as books from badge authors ? Deals with clubs risk eroding bookstores profits ?Club members often terminate contract after commitment is over Coordination ?Retail stores can only track get behavior through surveys Recommendation ?Pre-release next best-seller prospect with book club members oPre-release gives book, as well as club members, premium status oGenerates a buzz before retail release in interior(prenominal) and international markets with Patterson loyalists and omnivorous best-seller readers oCreates anticipation to drive demand for purchases at retail stores.