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Bestseller Brief Newsletter | 📈 Midnight Black joins NY Times bestseller list

PLUS: Master investment strategies with these essential reads

Author

Nandini Sehgal
March 06, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

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Welcome to Bestseller Brief, your essential newsletter for book, publishing and media professionals.

Retail Rewired 🔥

The Fospha team had an amazing time at eTail West last week, connecting with eCommerce leaders and diving into the biggest challenges and opportunities shaping the industry. Here are the top trends we saw dominating the conversation.

📈 Brands Are Navigating Rising Ad Costs & Complexity

With CPCs on the rise, brands are doubling down on efficiency— looking for opportunities to optimize their marketing mix and making the most owned channels like email, SMS, and loyalty programs.

🤖 AI-Driven Personalization Is Scaling Up

AI is transforming customer interactions in real time. Hanky Panky shared how AI powers their acquisition, site experience, and retention efforts—including automating 50% of customer service interactions to free up human agents for high-value customers.

💡 The Halo Effect Is Real

At Fospha, we're always talking about the impact of TikTok, YouTube, and Meta ads on third-party sales channels like Amazon. At eTail West, Ross Wakeham from TikTok reinforced that this ‘spillover’ effect is a huge measurement opportunity for brands.

If you’re interested in learning more about the halo effect, you can lead our latest research here. 🔗

Attending SXSW?

Sector Spotlight 🎥

MOVIE ADAPTATION BUZZ

Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett star in Colleen Hoover's "Verity" movie adaptation, sparking fan anticipation and debate. Directed by Michael Showalter, the thriller delves into hidden familial secrets with Dakota Johnson as Lowen, the inquisitive writer. Hoover, a TikTok sensation, builds high expectations with this adaptation.

STORYTELLING MASTERY

Common writing mistakes such as excessive exposition, unclear stakes, one-dimensional characters, unnatural dialogue, uneven pacing, and overuse of adverbs can weaken narratives. Fixing these issues involves integrating exposition naturally, building emotional stakes, adding character depth, refining dialogue, balancing pacing, and choosing strong verbs.

INVESTMENT INSIGHTS

In 2025, Business Insider's top investing books offer insights for diverse investment skills and goals. Notables include Julien and Kiersten Saunders's "Cashing Out" on early retirement strategies, and Erin Lowry's "Broke Millennial" for beginners. These selections provide clear, practical guidance, showcasing various approaches to wealth-building and investment.

BOOKSTORE RESURGENCE

Indie bookstores are revitalizing the market by offering unique community connections and expanding consumer engagement. Influenced by pandemic trends and social media's role in book promotion, stores like Schuler and Cellar Bird offer curated selections and literacy events, providing competitive advantages over eCommerce, blending tangible experiences with digital engagement in the books and media landscape.

AUTHOR TALK EVENT

Join a virtual talk with bestselling novelist Jennifer Weiner on March 26, 2025, discussing her new book, "The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits." Weiner's works have captivated audiences with emotional depth, exploring themes like sisterhood and dreams.

THRILLER SUCCESS

Mark Greaney's "Midnight Black," a thrilling espionage novel, has joined the New York Times bestseller list. Set in Eastern Europe, it features Court Gentry's quest to rescue Zoya Zakharova from Russian security forces. Evoking Cold War tensions, the book blends geo-political insights with classic spy novel elements.

Influencer Corner 📣

Barry Hott on LinkedIn: Make beautiful ads! Seriously. If your brand is at significant scale, you should invest in polished, high-production ads!

Yes, I, the "make ugly ads guy" am saying you can go make pretty ads and run them on TV, YouTube, or other placements where consumers want and expect to see that style of content (or where they can't skip it 😅) and it will probably benefit your business significantly...

BUT do not expect them to perform well or be relevant to your audiences on TikTok or IG/FB, especially not as an ad.

Influencer Corner 📣

Jure Knehtl on LinkedIn: Ugly ECOM truth #4 🐺

E-commerce is EASY.

But not for everyone.

It's easy if you are selling products that:
> COGS < 25%
> Scalable selling to new customers with paid ads with a positive contribution margin
> Impulsive buy or shorter time to purchase
> Solves real pain problem to a broad TAM
> Is consumable, has potential subscription
> Great for bundles and potential for follow-up products
> Short lead time
> Social media friendly (Influencers & Creators)
> Low competition + High demand
> Rising trend/growing market
> Inbuild re-occurrence

If NOT, it will be HARD to find success in 2025.

ClickZ.com on LinkedIn:  E-commerce search is evolving—fast.

Shoppers today don’t want to type generic keywords and sift through irrelevant results. They want AI to understand what they mean—instantly.
💡 Imagine telling a retailer:
🗣️ "I need a gift for a six-year-old who loves Legos."
✅ AI gets it. It curates the perfect selection without endless scrolling.

🔊 Listen to George J Kanuck III, CRO of Monetate, as he breaks down to Mairi-Claire Tay how AI-driven search and real-time personalization are transforming online shopping.

Optimization Hub ⚙️

ECOMMERCE STRATEGY

Klaviyo's back-in-stock automation enhances eCommerce by notifying customers of product availability, boosting conversions. It utilizes AI for segmentation, integrates with platforms like Shopify, and emphasizes personalization. Optimizing these flows with urgency, testing, and advanced strategies like cross-selling can recover lost sales and improve inventory management.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING INNOVATION

Google's latest updates for Google Display Ads enhance advertising flexibility and impact by expanding ad inventory across news, sports, and CTV platforms such as TelevisaUnivision and FOX News. Incorporating Google Display inventory into Demand Gen campaigns has shown a 16% conversion uplift, offering increased reach and improved ad placement quality for marketers.

SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING

Employing Search Engine Marketing (SEM) enables rapid visibility and enhanced brand awareness for small businesses. Leveraging platforms like Google Ads ensures precise targeting and immediate results, integrating seamlessly with SEO for optimal performance. The guide emphasizes SEM's potential to transform businesses through targeted advertising and data-driven insights.

Social Media Marketing

📍 Seattle, Washington, USA

ClickZ is a Contentive publication in the DTC eCommerce division