Do You Have The Marketing Potential of the New Harry Potter?
February 2, 2008
Despite seven books, the world is still hungry for Harry Potter. And although JK Rowling is working on 2 new projects, I doubt whether she’ll be the one to provide loyal fans with more of the same. In fact, according to this post, at My Den, she’s been spotted working on a crime novel.
Can you imagine being able to put yourself in a position where you could provide all those hungry Harry Potter fans with new material to read? It would be a smart move wouldn’t it? Well, I believe Joanne Harris has done it with Runemarks. Read on to discover why, and see if you can emulate what Joanne has done, in your own business.
1) Originality, Whilst Still Appealing To Harry Fans: For any book to stand a chance of being as successful as Harry Potter, it needs to be original. Publishers have been inundated with manuscripts about wizards. And although the magical element of Runemarks will appeal to Potter fans, it’s about goblins, not wizards. And unlike the Potter books, Runemarks is set in the future – 500 years after the world ended.
2) Aimed At A Wide Audience: Like JK Rowling, Joanne Harris has created a novel which will appeal to both adults and children. So there is potential for a huge audience.
3) Marketing Advantage: Like any other product, even the most brilliant novels will die if they’re not marketed well. Joanne’s touring schedule suggests that she’s going to be spending much of this year promoting Runemarks. Plus, she has the advantage of having a huge fanbase who can’t wait to read the book and spread the word to family and friends.
4) Film Potential: If Runemarks is released on film, it will reach even more people. And, it would not only make a wonderful film; the potential for other merchandise – eg: boardgames, electronic games etc is definitely there. Plus Joanne has already proven herself in the film industry. The film based on her first novel, Chocolat was a huge success and that will go in her favour.
5) The Importance Of Timing: Harris has launched the book 6 months after the last Harry Potter book was released. This leaves a decent time gap for fans to read the last Harry book, then become hungry in their search for something else. And there will be plenty of fans out there desperate to find something new and brilliant to read. On it’s first day of publication, the last Harry Potter novels sold a phenomenal 2,009,574 copies in the UK alone.
So what do you think? Will Runemarks become the next Harry Potter, or will Potter fans move onto something else?
And can you think of ways you could apply some of what Joanne Harris has done to your own business?
Comments
13 Responses to “Do You Have The Marketing Potential of the New Harry Potter?”
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Hi Catherine,
Speaking of business (I have not read Harry Potter), this post reminds me a lot of what Ian did with his new business. His forfeits are like #1-originality. #3 could be compared to how he is targeting more clients through his blog/emails, plus he had loyal customers who followed him, plus, he has the potential to accomplish much more. And, he did such a great job on the custard pie forfeit, he may have a chance to become a film star, as well.
Timing, in business, is very important. If you can get in on the ground floor, your chance of success if much greater. In the US, now would probably not be the time to become a home builder. However, it may be a good time to start a business “staging homes”, as that is the new method that’s being used to sell a home quicker, and possibly for more money.
Thank you for the great thought provoking post, and letting me have my say.
BTW: love the picture.
Barbara’s last blog post..A New Reality Show – How Not To Blog?
There will be a FLOOD of helpless boy wizards decending into the breach of doom next summer…A funny thing is that JK was really not doing the next anything…It was her’s. Drawn from inspiration, but its own.
How many “next” Beatles have there been, 100?
Still listening to the original on the iPod
BTW not making any judgement on these books ata ll, just the me-too concept of modern art/commerce
RacerX’s last blog post..Personal Finance QuickTake: Microsoft to Buy Yahoo
They’re both called Joanne!
Maybe that’s what you’ve been trying to tell me
Joanna
Joanna Young’s last blog post..Are You Ready To Take a Leap With Your Writing?
Hi Barbara – that’s a great comparison with Ian’s business. It is weird imaging him and Steve in a film; Steve wearing his dunces hat.
The forfeits are a brilliant idea aren’t they? There is no way I could have done the custard pie one though – I think you have to be v brave to do something like that.
What is staging Barbara?
Hi Racer – very true – there will have been many me too Harry Potters. But I’m guessing most of them will have been written by the desire for money rather than the love of writing. I don’t expect JK expected to make much money at all from Harry Potter.
And I’m guessing Joanne Harris planned the timing of this novel, but she is far too original to be called a me too. I don’t want to spoil any of her books for anyone, but she doesn’t follow anyone’s rules. For example, the usual advice is that your main character should be likeable and a hero. Yet, her leading character in Gentleman and Players does v bad things throughout the book.
Talking of i-pods, I have heard people say that other similar products are better. But i-pods are certainly the most popular. I wonder why that is – is it because of the way they look, or the branding?
I don’t have one – anything like that is too small for me – I’d lose it.
Hi Joanna – Yes I also get those two muddled, as I do your name. Joanne and Joanna are so similar but I think Joanna sounds posher. Hey – and you live in Edinburgh same as JK – it just adds to the confusion.
Hi Catherine,
Interesting post. Ever since Harry Potter, I found myself looking to see what else was out there in terms of “young adult” reading.
Look in one of those chain bookstores, and you find all sorts of HP wannabees.
Artemis Fowl is actually quite entertaining, and I really enjoyed Pullman’s Golden Compass (and sequels).
Correspondingly, each year has seen 2 or 3 LOTR and HP movie wannabees as well, of which none has fared that well (maybe Narnia).
In the end, it’s about the stories, not magical sounding names and spells in books, nor special effects in movies.
I’ll have to check out Runemarks, though.
Nez’s last blog post..10 Ways to Explain The Number 1 Rule to Financial Responsibility
Nez – I too was a little disappointed in Narnia. The books – The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe etc, were amazing when I was younger. But, the film wasn’t half as good.
Sometimes the story gets ruined in a film doesn’t it?
What you say is true though – it is the story that matters and the wonderful characterization. I hope you enjoy Runemarks. I would love to hear how you compare it.
Have you tried Darren Shan? My son rates him highly – but I think the books are in a series so you need to read them in a particular order.
Hi Catherine,
To answer your question, “what is staging”, it is the process of setting your house up (decorating) to make it look like a model home, by getting rid of clutter, making sure it’s clean. and having all of the repairs done, too.
Barbara’s last blog post..A New Reality Show – How Not To Blog?
Thanks Barbara – that is the kind of thing you advised doing in an older post. So, people also set themselves up in a professional business doing this? That is interesting.
cathlawson’s last blog post..Do You Have The Marketing Potential of the New Harry Potter?
The quote you left from it on my site last night was certainly a fun one!
I think the timing is probably the most perfect aspect. As you say, hungry Potter fans looking for a fix. Of course, it needs strong writing and all that, but now that Harry Potter is over I think it has a better chance than it might have 1.5 years ago.
I see nothing wrong with identifying a gap in the market and having a go.
I’ve got a few Harry Potter books, but I was spoiled by an author called Jack Vance who for me is the absolute master of the genre, and for me took it to a level that was never surpassed.
But then again, before him there was Tolkien!
But I’ve missed the point a little – the difference with Rowling was that her book has appeal to the young and adults alike.
I don’t know if I was different getting into Tolkien and Vance when I was a kid though. It wasn’t exactly cool back then!
Ian Denny’s last blog post..Struggling Or Going Bust – Think Big To Get Out Or Even Rise From The Ashes After Your Demise
Yes, translating a book that takes several or more days to read into a film that is 2 or 3 hours is an art in itself.
From knowing how to pick and choose which parts to leave out to tweaking entire plots, to achieving that balance where the film will appeal to both fans of the original books from whence it came and to newcomers.
When it’s done correctly, you get masterpieces like Lord of the Rings.
Same with basically all other genres as well.
Nez’s last blog post..10 Ways to Explain The Number 1 Rule to Financial Responsibility
Hi Mrs M – Yes the timing is really important. I read last night that she began the book four years ago, and only finished it because her daughter kept pressuring her; so I guess she has her daughter to thank for finishing it at the right time.
Hi Ian – I have not read Jack Vance, but I’ll have a look. I don’t remember Tolkien being so cool when we were younger either. It seems to be the more recent films that made the books so popular doesn’t it?
Hi Nez – I’m guessing it must be really difficult to work out which bits to leave in and which to leave out. Apparently, the author of the book doesn’t always do it because it’s so difficult for them.
I suppose it must be hard when the film doesn’t resemble the way you actually visualised the characters and the setting in the book. I loved how they did the Harry Potter films, but I felt that Charlie and the Chocolate factory was completely ruined on film.
[...] Choose What Happens Next: When you come to the end of a good book, do you often wonder what happens to the main characters next? Try creating that story in your mind. Books like Alice and Wonderland and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory are wonderful for this exercise. Read or Reread Children’s Books: When you’re a child, anything you imagine seems possible. If you can imagine it, it’s believable. But when you become an adult work, bills and worst of all – OTHER PEOPLE’s OPINIONS, can begin to stifle these possibilities. Reading wonderful children’s books, such as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the rest of the Narnia series can help to open up your mind again. A book I’m really enjoying right now, which was written for both children and adults is: Rune marks by Joanne Harris. [...]