Race to Christmas Number One wide open

The race for the Christmas number one title is wide open this year, with no outstanding contender for the top spot.

Seven national retailers, along with prominent indies, have told The Bookseller their predicted top five titles for Christmas across all genres, with many maintaining it is still all to play for as there is “no Sir Alex Ferguson– type title” this year. Ferguson’s My Autobiography (Hodder) was last year’s Christmas number one.

Lynda Bellingham’s autobiography There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You (Coronet) has emerged as a strong contender in non-fiction, after sales of the book raced to more than 35,000 units this week, following the author’s death last Sunday (19th October).

W H Smith and Morrisons both tipped her title for festive success, especially as Simon & Schuster has brought publication of her second novel, The Boy I Love, forward from next February to 20th November.

James Jackson, head of books at Morrisons, said: “Lynda Bellingham’s offering has appeared out of the blue. With her new hardback fiction title due out on 20th November, it makes a perfect Christmas gift for mums . . . it is one to watch.”

Graham Norton’s autobiography The Life and Loves of a He Devil (Hodder & Stoughton) is also highly tipped by W H Smith, along with sport autobiographies from Kevin Pietersen (Sphere) and Roy Keane (with Roddy Doyle, published by W&N). The Keane title is also tipped by Morrisons and Waterstones.

Richard Humphreys, non-fiction buyer at Waterstones, said: “Never boring, Roy Keane has the potential to pick up readers of the Sir Alex Ferguson book last year. It looks like the perfect gift for all football fans and sport fans in general, and Roddy Doyle (on board as a co-author) has the potential to open it up to a whole new audience.” Humphreys also backed I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Phoenix) to perform well with the chain, following the education activist’s Nobel Peace Prize win earlier this month (10th October).

Foyles’ senior book buyer Heather Baker pointed to a trend in political non-fiction offerings from well-known authors this Christmas. She said: “It’s interesting to note the multitude of polemical titles, such as those by Owen Jones, Russell Brand and Laurie Penny, which we expect to do well as readers prepare for next year’s general election.” Sheila O’Reilly, owner of Dulwich Books in south London, also expects Brand’s Revolution (Century) to perform well, “depending on how much push Brand gives it”, and Blackwell’s agreed that Jones’ The Establishment (Allen Lane) would shift in volume.

In Cookery, both Baker and Blackwell’s trade buyer Katharine Fry predict Yotam Ottolenghi’s latest, Plenty More (Ebury), will sell well, while Morrisons tips Hairy Dieters: Good Eating by The Hairy Bikers (W&N) to post high sales.

However, only two retailers—Hive and Dulwich Books—included previous Christmas big-hitter Jamie Oliver’s new offering, Comfort Food (Michael Joseph), in their top five contenders for the Christmas crown. Oliver’s 2014 offering has had a slow start in comparison to previous years’ titles. Anna Derkacz, head of adult sales at Penguin UK, said: “Jamie’s Comfort Food remains the biggest cookery hardback of the autumn, and we feel confident that it will be the must-have cookery gift of the season.”

Many retailers said this year’s fiction offering was strong, with Man Booker Prize-winner Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Chatto & Windus) expected to perform well, according to W H Smith and Wordery, while Anthony Horowitz’s Moriarty (Orion) and C J Sansom’s Lamentation (Mantle) are also backed to entice customers. Chris White, fiction buyer
at Waterstones, said: “A new novel from C J Sansom is always an event, and that goes double for a new entry in
the Shardlake series. It is compulsive, propulsive, character-led historical crime fiction.”

The children’s sector is tipped to see a bumper Christmas; the market is currently up 10% year on year. Foyles, Wordery and Blackwell’s said Animalium (Templar) would be a strong seller, with Fry agreeing with other retailers that it was “too close to call” between that and David Walliams’ Awful Auntie (HarperCollins) for the kids’ vote.

However, Melissa Cox, children’s buyer at Waterstones, has stuck her neck out, claiming “the fastest-selling book of the year, if not the bestselling” would be Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (a.k.a. Zoella, a YouTube sensation who is published by Penguin), considering the “huge volume of publicity” surrounding her.

Steve Potter, commercial manager of Wordery, added: “In all, there seems to be a more diverse and eclectic range of titles this year, and it definitely feels as though there is enough choice for everyone to receive at least one book under the tree.”

Marketing and PR pull a cracker

A mix of traditional media marketing, publicity and social media will be used to promote books this autumn.

Charlotte Bush, Cornerstone’s director of publicity and media relations, said: “For well-known personalities, the PR often takes the lead, but [it] works in tandem with the marketing—one element complements the other and we work closely to ensure a joined-up promotional campaign for the book. The key is in the long tail, which is why we stagger campaigns and schedule key broadcasts into the core Christmas gifting period. It is all about the promotional mix with traditional media, signings and events running alongside online activity.”

Outdoor advertising—including on the London Underground—will be used for Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect (DK) and John Cleese’s So, Anyway . . . (Cornerstone). Cleese will have a December “broadcast blitz”, said Bush, and interviews with the Huffington Post and British Airways High Life to reach “a wide demographic of gifters”.

Hodder & Stoughton is advertising David Nicholls’ Us on EasyJet boarding passes (artwork for the advert is pictured above), and Boris Johnson is doing two events (in London and Oxfordshire) for The Churchill Factor.

A social media push will accompany David Mitchell’s interviews and November nationwide tour for The Bone Clocks (Sceptre).

Michael Joseph’s campaign for Jamie’s Comfort Food includes roadside posters and TV and radio appearances, including ITV1’s “Good Morning Britain” and Chris Evans’ “Breakfast Show” on BBC Radio 2. Lorraine Pascale’s How to be a Better Cook (HarperCollins) will have a national newspaper serialisation.

D C Thomson’s promotion of the Beano Annual 2015 includes a 13-week takeover of St Pancras International station, while Jeff Kinney’s ninth Wimpy Kid book, The Long Haul (Puffin, 5th November), will be advertised on children’s TV, with promotional activity on social media. Penguin is planning TV, radio and magazine interviews, and public signings for Zoella’s Girl Online (published 25th November).

For its five “Frozen” titles, Parragon’s retail promotions include window displays and “three for £10” offers.