1. GBOOKS
OTHIC
A
Ltd.
Marketing
Plan

2. Contents
The Company
 Book List
 5 Year Plan
The Book
 The USP
 Book Specification
The Author
 Public Persona
The Market
 Current Trends
 Competitors
Target Market
 Primary
 Secondary
Sales and Distribution
Promotion
 Social Media
 Traditional
 Alternative Strategies
Appendices
 AIS
 Budget
 Press Release
 Timeline
Bibliography

3. The Company
Gothic Books Ltd
Gothic Books Ltd. are a small publishing company, yet are current
market leaders in the Gothic market. We have been running for 5 years
now, with major success in the Gothic book market, as well as branching
into horror and terror fiction also. Our goal is to distribute the works of
new, up-and-coming writers of Gothic fiction, and to increase interest in
this genre. We put a large focus on design in terms of marketing and
want to make sure that our fiction is accessible for everyone.
Book List
Our current book list is comprised of mostly series works, and books of
short stories with one-off works of fiction being our minority. This
extract from our book list includes our all-time bestsellers from the last 5
years.
 Wherefore Art Thou? : A Series by Evan Chambers
 Secrets in the Tapestry : A Book of Short Stories by Zoraya Judd
 Tales from the Coffin : A Book of Short Stories by Zoraya Judd
 Her Death, My Story by Jacqueline Kirsh
 Nightmarish Daydreams : A Series by Jacqueline Kirsh
 Why Me? by Jacqueline Kirsh
 The Blood Club : A Series by Layla Duncan
 The Dark Side by Layla Duncan

4. Our 5 Year Goal
As shown from our bestselling book list, one-off novels are increasing in
popularity. This is due to our more recent releases of series and books of
short stories having nowhere near as much success as the stand alone
novels by Duncan and Kirsh. We have released 9 series this year which
have not made it onto our bestseller list, yet wish to increase our number
of new releases becoming bestsellers from 8 in the last 5 years to 10
bestsellers a year. To do this, our company is implementing new quality
control strategies which aim to make the quality of the physical book
itself, as well as the content fully fitting to the target audience.
We also plan to expand into the horror fiction and fantasy fiction genre
markets, with Gothic elements running through these style of novels.
This will make them more readily marketable, as horror and fantasy are
2 of the 5 book genres which make the most money.1 However, we still
plan to use up-and-coming authors for our publications, as we believe
they hold the most potential.
Our plans for future book releases are as follows:
 24th January 2015 - The Midnight Town by Zoraya Judd
 10th March 2015 - My Living Nightmares by Evan Chambers
 30th April 2015 - The Egg in Your Head by Layla Duncan
 5th June 2015 - What Really Happens in Your Sleep by Jacqueline
Kirsh
Overall, our goal is to increase the quality of our book designs, as well as
the content to make them more marketable to wider audiences. We wish
1
Stewart, T., "Which 5 Book Genres Make the Most Money?" in The Rich List, http://www.therichest.com/rich-
list/which-5-book-genres-make-the-most-money/?view=all

5. to keep up our high market share in the Gothic market, yet expand into
horror and fantasy also.
The Book
The Midnight Town by Zoraya Judd is a
stand-alone Gothic novel. It mixes elements of
horror and science fiction, while holding onto
more realistic threads from psychological
sciences. Set in modern America and
Romantic Germany, the novel will combine
elements of both eras, making use of the
Gothic architecture of both times to make the
connection. Judd aims to excite and thrill
people, while telling stories from Gothic
settings and eras.
Blurb:
'The Midnight Town is a powerfully mysterious novel that will heighten
all of the senses, except one.
When Stephanie attempts to write a new kind of novel; a hard-hitting,
serious Gothic novel, she gets caught in her writing. Lost in a fantasy
world of her own creation, she questions everything she once knew about
the Gothic, and learns that even the walls have secrets. She can only
escape this world by admitting one very difficult fact about herself. Will
she bring herself to admit it, or lose herself forever?'
USP

6. The main USP of The Midnight Town is the scarily realistic situation
Stephanie is faced with, as well as combining horror and fantasy with the
Gothic to create a truly original piece of fiction.
Book Specification
ISBN: XXX-X-XXXXXXX-X-X
Format: 210mm x 148mm
Binding: Paperback Original
Extent: 478pp
Price: £7.99 UK - $12.25 US
Publication: 24 January 2015
Rights: World
Market Restrictions: None
BIC Code: FF
The Author
Zoraya Judd
Canterbury born author, Zoraya Judd came up with the idea for The
Midnight Town based on a psychological short story from Secrets in the
Tapestry, her second published book of short stories. We at Gothic
Books read the short story and allowed her to begin working on the
novel. The publication, however would be dependent on the responses
given to that short story in particular. After gaining rave-reviews from
critics who said that Gothic literature is "a presentation of the
unpresentable", and "a foil to the Romantic novel", we at Gothic Books

7. were excited for the novel to be published.2 Based on her knowledge of
Gothic architecture and history, combined with strong psychological
research, the book stood out to us as a gem in the rubble.
Public Persona
Judd, who is used to making public appearances and attending book
signings will be an integral part of our marketing plan. This is because
her fan base is extremely dedicated, with 4,000 fans showing up to her
book signing of Tales from the Coffin. Many of these fans include
aspiring authors as well, so these events give great networking
opportunities for these kinds of fans, as Judd is always willing to share
her hints and tips to success. She keeps her fans falling at her feet by
being real and down to earth. She never comes across as fake and the
fans respond to her tales of travelling as proof of legitimacy of her
stories.
2
Reidy, N., The Gothic Novel, http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html#crit, date
accessed: 21/12/14

8. The Market
The general market for Gothic fiction is usually dominantly female from
the age of 12+. At this age, girls begin to branch out their range of
reading, and also want to discover more mature themes in their reading.
Because of this, they look to darker genres such as horror and thriller
novels, which fall under the Gothic genre. This market crosses into the
Young Adult market, which is a high-selling, constantly changing area in
publishing. The current leading author in the gothic/horror market is
Stephen King, showing that the target market enjoy continuity and
reliability of their author, as King has been writing consistently well for
over thirty years.
Current Trends
Within the Gothic market, the current trend appears to be marketing
towards young adults, from age 12+. This is again a more predominantly
female market, and so branching into it would be rather easy. It has been
said that "everyone is looking for a YA Gone Girl" which, as long as the
content is not too explicit, yet also appeals to an older audience, The
Midnight Town could be. As well as this, the YA market are looking for
more stand-alone novels as "editors are definitely a bit tired of stories
that come in threes".3 In this sense, Judd's novel would be the perfect
break from trilogies, as well as giving them some darker, yet more
realistic themes than those of dystopian fiction.
Literary agent, Bree Ogden believes that there is a link between
sociological matters in the world and what people wish to read; when
3
Corbett, S., "New Trends in YA: The Agent's Perspective" in Publishers Weekly,
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/59297-new-trends-
in-ya-the-agents-perspective.html, date accessed: 21/12/14

9. things are not going very well, people want to read darker literature.4 In
this sense, if we relate the current sociological state of the world being in
fear of ISIS and the Ebola virus to the literary marketplace, there is a
parallel between people being scared of these changes and wanting to
read about scarier things. This is because they need to know that there is
something darker out there. The need for older, more typically Gothic-
looking novels is shown through the winner of the National Book Critics
Circle Award being On Immunity: An Inoculation, a stereotypically
Gothic-esque novel.
The trend in authors of horror and Gothic fiction is, however that they
are male. It appears that readers trust a male author more willingly to
exploit fear and write a work involving blood and gore than a female.
This will be a challenge for us, as we have to present Judd in such a way
that she comes across as the perfect female to be able to capture
someone's worst fears and exploit them.
Competitors
This is part of Worlds Without End's list of their top publishers for
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
# Publisher Authors Novels
1 Gollancz 212 614
2 Tor 301 1231
3 Ace Books 185 713
4 Bantam Spectra 115 300
5 Orbit 132 545
4
Lawley, B., "Horror Writing, New Trends, and Graphic Narratives with “The Wonder Woman of Horror,”
literary agent Bree Ogden" in Fiction School, Podcast 18 (2014), http://www.fictionschool.com/horror-writing-
new-trends-graphic-narratives-bree-ogden-literary-agent-fs018/, date accessed: 21/12/14

10. While the 5 publishers listed above may be able to spot great literary
works for their specific genres, they are not necessarily the bestselling
publishers in this field.5 The bestselling author in horror and Gothic
fiction is Stephen King, published by Hodder and Stoughton, meaning
that he is currently dominating the market. In this respect, it would be
difficult to try to overshadow King, as he has a firmly established fan-
base and is an epic writer. For this reason, we will not be competing with
King or Hodder and Stoughton, but rather attempting to stand side-by-
side with them. We will be competing more with the likes of the Amazon
bestsellers and the remainder of the Good Reads' list of best horror
authors when you remove King from the list. 6 Future competitors
include authors such as S.J. Watson, author of Before I Go To Sleep,
2009, as while he has been writing in the Gothic/horror/psychological
thriller market for some time now, a movie adaptation of his 2009
bestselling debut was recently released in September 2014, and so his
current popularity is higher than most in this market.
Target Market
Primary Market
The primary target market for The Midnight Town will be both males
and females aged 12 - 25. Here, Gothic Books are attempting to interest a
wider demographic in terms of targeting our book at males. We have
chosen to target both genders in the attempt to widen the range of young
people reading Gothic fiction, as the Gothic specifically links into the
Victorian era, and so teaches the reader a little of the history of the
country in which their book is set.
5
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Publishers in Worlds Without End,
https://www.worldswithoutend.com/publishers.asp, date accessed: 21/12/14
6. "Horror: The 100 Best Books" in GoodReads,
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/19312.Horror_The_100_Best_Books, date accessed: 21/12/14

11. Because of the book being centred around the stories of two characters, a
male and a female, both genders have a protagonist to devote their
admiration towards. Due to the female protagonist being older (27), the
age of the target market immediately rises above the Young Adult market
and into Adult Women, yet the age of the male protagonist (15) suggests
that male readers will be in the Young Adult age demographic. As has
been referenced to in Young Adult novels, for this market, a book is
about "bringing the world to the window", and this is what The Midnight
Town is attempting to do.7 Shown through the foreign settings, yet being
marketed in and around the United Kingdom, the book seeks to open the
readers eyes to new and exciting places, which this target market is
certainly interested in.
Secondary Market
Our secondary target market for this book will be women aged 50+. This
is because women of this age are generally entering retirement and
actually are the largest age demographic who buy books generally. For
this market, the aim will be to advertise the more dramatic elements of
the book, and focus more on the life of the female protagonist rather
than the plot and action within the story. The way in which we aim to get
The Midnight Town seen by older women is to market it in magazines
such as Woman and Home, where it can be advertised as a dramatic
Gothic novel, with emphasis on the history elements within the story
line.
7
Bean, W.T. & Moni, K., "Developing Students' Critical Literacy: Exploring Identify Construction in Young Adult
Fiction" in Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy

12. Sales and Distribution
Sales
Within the first 6 weeks of sales, The Midnight Town will be sold directly
through Waterstones and WH Smiths, each of which will have a different
exclusive cover of the book. The exclusivity of the covers will be in
exchange for table display placement in Waterstones, and a promotional
poster on one of the store's main windows. For the book's primary
release, Zoraya Judd will be in Waterstones Piccadilly from the initial
release at 12 noon on Saturday 24th January 2015 until 5pm signing and
selling the books herself. She will then be travelling up the country
visiting Waterstones for book signings. The book displays in both stores
will be targeted at both the markets. To achieve this, there will be some
character display boards, as well as tickets for our various promotional
events to be handed out.
The electronic format of the book will be available on all electronic
reading device shops, including the Kindle, Kobo and Nook online shops
after the initial 6 week book tour. This is to attract as many readers to
the physical book, of which the retail price will be significantly higher
than the e-book version. We will also be selling the book to all major
libraries and schools at this time, then will use the reputation of the sales
to attract wholesalers such as supermarkets to sell the book also.
Distribution
Our key distributor will be National Book Network, as they are flexible
and reliable. As well as this, they will aid in future distribution networks
around the world, as they are an international distributor alongside
distributing in the United Kingdom. They also offer bespoke services, as

13. well as full package deals to include e-book distribution. They
"understand the growing need to deliver direct to the consumer" which is
exactly what we intend to do. They also obtain the 'Amazon Advantage',
which means that they manage the professional relationship with
Amazon, and the "scheme is a way of enabling title availability and sales
on the Amazon website and ties them into sourcing publishers’ titles
from the designated distributor at the discount preferred by the
publisher as opposed to via domestic and international wholesalers".8 As
the company have many clients, they are not likely to want to have a
massive say in where they distribute to. They appear to be the kinds of
distributors who get the client's job done the way the client wants it, not
the way they want it to be done.
Promotion
Social Media
The aim of our social media promotional campaign is to attract all
readers from age 13 and over, as these are the main users of social media.
To attract the younger males, we will use social media platforms such as
Facebook and Twitter, where we will use basic advertisements, as well as
contacting popular Twitter accounts to advertise it on their public
accounts. Alongside this, we will also contact specific YouTube stars to
give a review of the book on their channel for people to see. For less
literary-related users, a simple shout-out to the book and a link
connecting to the author's personal website will be posted. To target
male readers specifically, we will be using tag lines such as "If you like
Harry Potter, you'll love The Midnight Town!", and for girls we will be
focusing more on some of the romance aspects, as well as the
8
"Services" in NBN International, http://www.nbninternational.com/, date accessed: 22/12/14

14. psychological elements within, making it appeal to students studying
psychology. We will also use online blogging platforms such as
WordPress to have established reviewers and authors write reviews on
the book for us. We will also have an "experience log" of reading the
book, meaning that the writer will document their feelings and
predictions for the book throughout their time reading it.
As well as this, we will be using the social media platform Twitter to
launch a competition to write a character description for Judd to base
her next book around. The winner will receive credit for the character,
including a by-line in the book. The top 10 entries will get a signed copy
of the book, as well as being able to choose which cover to own. This will
give us a good perspective on which cover is the most popular and which
kinds of readers prefer which type of design.
Traditional
To begin, there will be the initial book release which will take place in the
Apex Room at Olympia London. This hall seats up to 300 people with a
banquet capacity of 350, and is often used for product launches. For the
launch, wifi will be enabled at the hall so everybody at the event can
tweet #themidnighttown and related tweets such as #goodbooks and
#topliterature when told to do so. We will make use of external
entertainment sources, including contortionists and aerial performers in
dark costume to relate to the Gothic theme of the book.
To market the book using the traditional outlets, we will of course be
using the aforementioned cover-exclusivity in stores to gain prime space
in-store, such as the middle of the display tables and to be featured
within the windows, making people believe that they have to have this
book. We will also be using the book signings to attract current fans of

15. Judd, yet also book fanatics and others who like to have met the author
they are about to read. This will create a very strong author-reader
relationship which will help with promoting future releases. Alongside
this, to target the older portion of the market, we will be gaining space on
advertisement boards at train stations, as well as on the sides of bus
stops which should be around £300 for 2 weeks.9 An alternative we will
look into is having a promotional code (for 20% off the retail price of the
book) printed on the back of bus tickets like McDonalds do to increase
awareness, and to get people who usually would not buy non-essentials
to buy the book, as it will be cheaper and therefore more easily available.
This is especially effective marketing for the youth market, as they are
the most likely to retain their tickets.10 To make one traditional
marketing method more interesting, we will be using an established
author to make the press release.
Supporting this, there will be 150 books sent out to universities free of
charge for them to promote the book in and around the university using
promotional posters which we will provide. We will also be included in
the "up-and-coming" section of magazines such as Cosmopolitan,
Glamour, Woman and Home, Esquire and GQ. Furthermore, we will
also gain a back cover advert in New Books magazine. This wide range of
magazine promotion will target many different kinds of readers from all
walks of life. The addition of using New Books will also make sure that
our book is not seen as just mass market fiction, yet also delivers a true
hard-hitting piece of literature to book-lovers everywhere.
9
"Outdoor Advertising - Making a Big Impact" in Marketing Donut,
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/advertising/billboards-and-outdoor-
advertising/outdoor-advertising-making-a-big-impact, date accessed: 22/12/14
10
"Bus Ticket Advertising" in Ticket Media, http://www.ticketmedia.com/ticket-types/bus.html, date accessed:
22/12/14

16. Alternative Strategies
As author Stephen Elliott said: "You should market your book with the
same integrity as you put into writing the book. Use things nobody else is
doing. Don’t be boring."11
To encompass this outlook on book marketing, we here at Gothic Books
are determined to subvert traditional marketing methods. This includes
the traditional reading tour which most publishers send their new author
on to gain a fan-base and interest people. Instead of executing this in the
normal way, we will be locating 3 spaces to use for a day, and setting
them up as a physical representation of the setting of the abandoned
house in The Midnight Town. Because at this point in the book, it is still
completely black, we will be making sure this atmosphere is created. It
will be cold and dark, and as they are guided through the house, they will
hear Judd read the creepiest sections of the book. This strategy should
appeal to less literary readers, and we will target it at people who do not
read as frequently to attempt to increase readership.
Word Count: 3,327.
11
Nawotka, E., "Is Traditional Book Marketing Too Boring?" in Publishing Perspectives,
http://publishingperspectives.com/2010/12/is-traditional-book-marketing-too-boring/, date accessed:
22/12/14

17. Appendix A - Advanced Information Sheet
The Midnight Town by Zoraya Judd
'All Stephanie can do is write. She cannot eat, think or
sleep, and when she does, she awakens like a zombie
back to her typewriter to write up her dreams. Little
does she know that her dreams and her novel are slowly
unfolding in real life in a separate realm; the realm of
the dying. When she slips into a coma for no reason
and realises the implications of her narrative, she
begins to uncover dark secrets about her own brain and
those of the real life characters she already knows so
well.'
With themes of terror, traumatic incidents, and fear
running throughout the novel, The Midnight Town will
not cease to amaze readers young and old.
Book Specification
ISBN: XXX-X-XXXXXXX-X-X
Format: 210mm x 148mm
Binding: Paperback Original
Extent: 478pp
Price: £7.99 UK - $12.25 US
Publication: 10 December 2014
Rights: World
Market Restrictions: None
BIC Code: FF
Public Relations Contact
UK: Monica Di Carlo
Email: marketing@psychpublishing.com
Tel: (01509) 456 789
Distribution - Orders
UK: Waterstones
38 Market Pl, Loughborough, LE11 3EB
Email: order@waterstonesltd.com
About the Author
Zoraya Judd is a first time British novelist
who aspires to write more psychological
thriller novels such as this. She was born
in Canterbury, and has always held a
fascination with Gothic architecture. She
has written two books of short stories on
her imaginings of what happened in the
period in which the Gothic buildings were
built.
Readership
 12 - 25 year old males and females
 40+ aged females
 Studies from The Bookseller and
Mintel have shown that:
 65% of readers of Gothic fiction are
female
 30% are over 40 due to them having
more time for reading

18. Appendix B - Budget
£25,000
Marketing/Advertising Cost
Initial book launch
Olympia, London
Launch, wifi, entertainment, banquet.
£5,000
Train/Bus adverts
50 big posters, 50 smaller (by ticket
machines)
£8,500
Bus ticket adverts £500
Press release in The Daily Mail £600
150 books given to universities £750
Magazine inserts £90012
Back cover of New Books
Magazine
£1,900
Facebook ad
2 weeks
£200
Twitter
Promoted tweets and accounts
£20013
Free book competition
10 free signed books
£60
Abandoned house event
3 locations + equipment + staff
£6,000
Review copies
30 copies sent out to newspapers,
magazines and popular online
bloggers/youtube stars.
£300
Total 24,910
12
"Insider Magazine Advertising Rates" in Insider Media, http://www.insidermedia.com/advertising-
sponsorship/data/magazine-advertising-rates, date accessed: 22/12/14
13
"How Much Do Twitter Ads Cost?" in The Conversation Starter,
http://www.pennapowers.com/how-much-do-ads-on-twitter-cost/, date accessed 22/12/14

19. Appendix C - Press Release
A Gothic Books Ltd. Press Release
by
Zoraya Judd
About the book
The Midnight Town is Zoraya Judd's first stand-alone
novel, a follow-up to her 2 books of short stories.
It is a dramatic piece of Gothic fiction with a focus on the
psyche and horrific workings of the mind.
Stephen King named the book "a one of a kind
psychological gothic thriller", with references to the
uniqueness in plot and character throughout.
Prepare to be psychologically tested as you enter The
Midnight Town...
Chosen cover for Waterstones
Paperback RRP £7.99
Blurb
'The Midnight Town is a powerfully mysterious novel that
will heighten all of the senses, except one.
When Stephanie attempts to write a new kind of novel; a
hard-hitting, serious Gothic novel, she gets caught in her
writing. Lost in a fantasy world of her own creation, she
questions everything she once knew about the Gothic, and
learns that even the walls have secrets. She can only
escape this world by admitting one very difficult fact about
herself. Will she bring herself to admit it, or lose herself
forever?'
A Note to the Editors
 The Midnight Town
will be released on 24th
January 2015
 A book signing tour will
commence in the initial
6 weeks following
publication
 The launch will take
place in the Apex Room
in Olympia, London.
Gothic Books contact information:
e-mail: marketing@gbpublishing.com
Telephone: (01509) 456789

20. Appendix D - Timeline
December 1st 2014
Posters and ads for the book are
placed in train stations and on
bus stops for a 6 week period.
December 5th 2014
Press releases are sent to magazines
including, but not limited to Cosmopolitan,
Glamour, Esquire and Woman and Home.
December 10th 2014
The Apex room in Olympia is booked.
Entertainment (contortionists, aerial
performers, hand-balancers) are called to
start choreographing for the event.
December 20th 2014
Advance Information Sheets are
sent out to all retailers with an
attached letter detailing dates and
availability for release.
January 5th 2014
All media press releases are sent
out with an invitation to the
launch event and information on
the book tour and experience day
event.
January 15th 2014
An announcement regarding the launch and
experience day events is made.
The experience day event date is not yet
released.
January 20th 2015
New Books magazine's back cover holds our
advert for The Midnight Town.
This includes release date information and
promotes the hashtag #themidnighttown.
January 24th 2015
The Midnight Town is released
with the book launch in London.
This is followed by a presentation
on the upcoming experience day
events which is broadcast via
YouTube.