New Window Cling Promotes E-book Sales

Random House has worked with ABA’s IndieBound program to create an “Eat Sleep (e)Read” window cling to promote e-book sales at independent bookstores. The clings, which include the tagline “Support Independents in Your Community” and the IndieBound.org URL, will be distributed to ABA member stores by Random House field reps. The publisher will also be reaching out specifically to stores that have already signed up for ABA IndieCommerce.

BTW asked Ruth Liebmann, Random House’s vice president, director, account marketing, why Random House chose to create a window cling that promotes e-book sales in general, not just Random House titles.

“This is about the booksellers promoting what they do – not any particular title or publishing genre,” said Liebmann. “Random House has a history of creating promotions that don’t focus specifically on ourselves – for example, the original “Independent Bestseller” stickers, back in the late nineties. Early reports do show that a large piece of indie e-book sales are published by Random House, Inc. – so we like to think that when their sales increase, so will ours.”

Then we asked Liebmann for her thoughts on future opportunities for Random House to work with indie bookstores to promote e-book sales.

“We’re in constant discussions with publishers and booksellers about how the independents can grow their online sales, whatever the format,” she said. “Much of the discussion centers around indie favorites – Indiebound Picks and bestsellers. Reps have been gathering great feedback from booksellers on their sales calls – one rep just shared an excellent idea for Random House’s The Tiger’s Wife, and people are already brainstorming around The Night Circus, the much-buzzed-about debut novel by Erin Morgenstern, which Doubleday publishes this September.”

In conclusion, Liebmann told us: “We love the way this looks online, too. Hope it makes its way to some IndieCommerce websites.”

Booksellers with questions about the new “Eat Sleep (e)Read” window cling can e-mail Random House’s Angela Dong.