| In my last post, I talked about books that were made into movies throughout 2013. I didn't hit all of them, trying instead to focus on the ones that I found intriguing. In this post, I'll talk a little about some movies destined for the big screen in the near future that are already popular books. After the list, I'll include some ideas we've come up with to promote these titles in the library. Coming attractions - Divergent by Veronica Roth: People are saying that this is the next Hunger Games. I don’t know about that, but I can definitely see the similarities in the book synopses and the movie previews. I plan on giving this one a read soon so I can see what all the hype is about. In any case, you've got until March of 2014 to squeeze this one in before the movie comes out.
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner: This movie isn't coming out until September of 2014, so you've got a little time for reading. I'm told the book is quite good, and it's pretty popular. With a major motion picture coming soon, it's only going to become more so. This one also has a bit of the Hunger Games feel to it from what I've heard.
- Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin: Apparently io9 loves this book, and I'm a big fan of io9, so I'll probably be reading it shortly. With the movie coming in February of 2014, there's no time like the present to start building hype.
- The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: There's no definite date set for this movie's release, but it's got some big names attached to it already. Personally, I find Neil Gaiman to be pretty fantastic, and am excited to read this book just as soon as I can get to it. If you haven't guessed by now, I have a whole lot of books on my "to-read" list. Gaiman’s Stardust (both the book and movie) was awesome (if underrated).
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (January 2014): As far as I know, this movie isn't based on a specific Tom Clancy novel, but Jack Ryan is a recurring character in 16 of his books. The first novel (chronologically) is Without Remorse if you'd like somewhere to start before the movie comes out. I've read a few of these books and enjoyed them. Kenneth Branagh is directing the movie, and I'm definitely a fan (mostly for his Shakespeare stuff), so my hopes are high.
- The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney: This novel is known simply as The Spook's Apprentice in the U.K. I haven't gotten around to reading this one yet, but the movie has been pushed back to 2015 (and is now called "Seventh Son") so we have some time. The book has garnered quite the following, and, as for the movie, who doesn't love Jeff Bridges?
Using movie hype to drive interest in the books - Get large movie posters and plaster them all over the place a few weeks before the movie comes out. Somewhere close to each poster, put up a sign that shows off the title in your digital collection. The sign could be as simple as a title details page screenshot or a statement saying "Borrow the eBook or audiobook from our digital collection!" You could also get fancy and generate a QR code with a direct link to the mobile title details page.
- Once you've got posters (or some other signage) up, talk about the books. Make sure people hear that it was a book first. Read the books so you know what you're talking about and spread the word yourself.
- Soon after the movie releases, have some popcorn and hold a book discussion comparing the book to the movie. You can promote the event ahead of time to generate some buzz (and circulation) around the title. The group book discussion will also help generate some word-of-mouth advertising for both the digital content and the library in general.
- Have fun with it! When the next Hobbit movie comes out (for example), have someone dress up as Gandalf to promote the fact that people can download the book for free from their library. You can put out Hobbit-themed food, or hold a trivia contest with a fake golden ring as the prize.
- Play related movies on Library TVs as release day approaches. This isn't always possible, but with a series it can work. You can show either of the Hunger Games movies when the release of Mockingjay draws near, for example. Or build buzz for corresponding books around a TV series like Game of Thrones prior to the next season’s premier.
Need help getting started? We have a few sample “Book to Movie” flyers available for download in the Partner Portal. Quinton Lawman is a Technical Writer on the Knowledge Services team at OverDrive.  |
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