TUES 04.2013
16 THE BOOKSELLER DAILY KOBO TO TRIPLE MARKETING SPEND
AT THE LONDON BOOK FAIR E-READERS INSIDE Lisa Campbell
Kobo is to spend three times more this year than last on a global marketing campaign, defining its image as the “digital reading company for avid book readers”. TV adverts will begin in the UK on
29th April, with the slogans “for those who love reading above all else” and an advert focusing on how reading can build relationships between parents and children. Wayne White, Kobo executive vice-
president and general manager, told Te Bookseller Daily that the company will triple its 2012 marketing spend, aiming for the 14% of the population who are heavy book buyers. He added: “It was always part of the
long-term strategic plan to establish Kobo in a unique position in the market, of targeting that passionate reader rather than just the masses. We’re trying to say that ‘we understand you better than anybody else’.” To coincide with the marketing
PRIZES MANTEL LEADS WOMEN’S PRIZE CHARGE
Hilary Mantel is in contention for yet another major literary prize, with Bring Up the Bodies (Fourth Estate) on the shortlist announced at LBF this morning (16th) for the £30,000 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Orange Prize. Mantel will face competition from two previous
winners: Barbara Kingsolver, whose Te Lacuna won in 2010, is shortlisted for Flight Behaviour (Faber); and Zadie Smith, who scooped the award in 2006 for On Beauty, is in contention with NW (Hamish Hamilton). Meanwhile, Kate Atkinson is shortlisted for her much- praised eighth novel Life After Life (Doubleday), along
with A M Homes’ sixth novel, May We be Forgiven (Granta) and Maria Semple’s second outing, Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Weidenfeld & Nicolson). A win for Mantel would mean adding to her existing
treasure trove of accolades, which include the 2012 Man Booker, the 2012 Costa Novel of the Year and Costa Book of the Year awards, as well as the title of Waterstones UK Author of the Year at the Specsavers National Book Awards. Chair of the judges Miranda Richardson called 2013
“an exceptional year for women’s fiction”. Te winner will be announced on 5th June.
Agent Provocateur Superagent Daisy Frost’s LBF dish of
the day? David Shelley Page 22
push, Kobo will launch a “luxury” Kobo Aura HD e-reader to appeal to heavy book-buyers. Te new device, priced £139.99, has a 30% larger screen at 6.8inches and is in HD, with
265 dpi—a higher resolution than any other e-reader or tablet on the market, according to Michael Tamblyn, Kobo’s chief content officer.
AMAZON: FRIEND OR FOE? LBF 2013’s latest Great Debate tackled the issue of Amazon head-on, discussing the motion “Amazon is a positive influence on today’s book industry”. New Island Books editor Eoin
Purcell argued that Amazon is both “unfairly maligned” and “misunderstood”. He insisted Amazon was taking risks others weren’t, particularly with e-books. Booksellers Association c.e.o. Tim Godfray opposed the motion, arguing
that Amazon had a competitive advantage it was exploiting by being based in Luxembourg. American author Rob Levine similarly spoke out against Amazon. He
said: “Amazon has said the only thing they need is a reader and a writer. If you work in the industry, but are not a writer, then when you work with Amazon you are working to put yourself out of a job.” At a vote at the debate’s end, Amazon was a “friend” for 59 attendees, a Joshua Farrington
“foe” for 117.
Jonny Geller Publishers should not get in the way
of a book’s success, and need to stop “promiscuous publishing” page 10
Michael Krüger The LBF Lifetime Achievement Award
winner: “I don’t much like book fairs” Page 9
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