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  • Bestseller Brief Newsletter | On Tyranny Returns to Bestseller Status in 2025

Bestseller Brief Newsletter | On Tyranny Returns to Bestseller Status in 2025

PLUS: Rebecca Yarros’ ‘Fourth Wing’ is getting a TV adaptation—here’s what to expect

Author

Nandini Sehgal
February 27, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

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

Editor’s Pick ✨

@clickz_official

🚀 @Amazon ads: what you’re missing 🛒 For years, Amazon has been a black box - but what if your Meta ads were driving more impact than you ... See more

Nécessaire, like many brands, knew that their DTC ads drive Amazon conversions but simply couldn't measure this relationship. With Amazon representing one-third of US eCommerce sales, this lack of visibility is endemic.

With Halo, Nécessaire were able to see their Unified ROAS, a new metric that measures the combined return on ad spend across DTC and marketplaces like Amazon. They discovered that TikTok's Unified ROAS was twice as high and Meta's ROAS was 87% higher than previously measurable with DTC-only ROAS.

Armed with this knowledge, they adjusted their channel mix and achieved 47% higher Prime Day revenue than industry benchmarks.

Sector Spotlight 🎥

BOOK MARKETING MASTERY

BookTok is reshaping the publishing landscape by merging consumer engagement with innovative marketing strategies. Its unique appeal lies in leveraging visually captivating content and genuine emotional reactions, effectively transforming book promotion and sales. The rapid emergence of viral titles, like "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover, underscores BookTok's capacity to influence market trends and shape genre popularity, with a notable impact on romance and fantasy categories.

In response, publishers are realigning their digital marketing approaches, utilizing the direct engagement opportunities BookTok provides. This platform's strategic potential is embraced by self-published authors who capitalize on its organic reach to boost visibility and sales. The shift towards digital and interactive reading experiences, including the rise of digital book clubs, highlights BookTok's role in driving consumer demand across diverse formats such as audiobooks and eBooks, reflecting broader eCommerce trends in the books and media industry.

PUBLISHING SUCCESS

Brandon Sanderson's career risk with Mistborn exemplifies strategic adaptability in publishing. Initially deemed a failure, a pivotal cover change revitalized sales, proving vital to his ascent. The narrative underscores the importance of presentation and timing, imparting essential marketing insights into consumer behavior and product positioning within the competitive literary landscape.

BOOK TRENDS

Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny" has regained prominence, topping bestseller charts despite initial publication in 2017. The book highlights historical lessons to navigate current political climates, emphasizing vigilance against totalitarian tendencies. Its relevance amid Trump's political resurgence underscores the perpetual need for strategic awareness in understanding democracy's vulnerabilities.

TV ADAPTATION

Rebecca Yarros' "Fourth Wing" is set for a compelling TV adaptation, emphasizing diversity and staying true to its source material. Amazon MGM Studios and Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society helm the series for Prime Video. Although specifics like cast and release date remain unknown, Yarros, involved as an executive producer, stresses the importance of maintaining the diverse integrity of characters, such as Xaden Riorson.

The series' development is strategically promising; hiring Emmy-winning Moira Walley-Beckett as showrunner underscores a commitment to quality. This endeavor ties into Yarros's shift in the Empyrean series narrative. The adaptation not only taps into Yarros's bestselling momentum but also indicates a well-calculated strategy to expand her brand into multimedia, increasing marketing potential.

BOOK LOCATIONS

The article highlights Hudson Valley's vibrant bookstore scene, showcasing various independent sellers offering diverse selections and unique experiences, such as coffee or bar hybrids. These establishments cater to both avid and casual readers, providing opportunities to explore trending titles and participate in community book clubs. Ideal for enriching reading habits strategically.

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.

Attending eTail Palm Springs?

Optimization Hub ⚙️

AD PLATFORM EVOLUTION

Open-source marketing mix modeling (MMM) is gaining traction as a strategic tool, with Google's Meridian leading the shift towards transparent and privacy-compliant solutions. This model uses Bayesian causal inference to enhance budget allocation across digital platforms, attracting support from industry giants and promising more accurate, insightful marketing strategies.

"It’s great to see the shift away from the fundamentally broken model of user-level and cookie-based MTA, which has been eroded by signal loss from privacy changes. Since iOS 14 and ATT, opt-out rates have hit ~75%, leaving major measurement gaps. A machine learning probabilistic approach is the way forward."- Sam Carter, CEO of Fospha

DIGITAL MARKETING PLATFORMS

The article provides a comprehensive overview of key social media platforms, emphasizing their strategic relevance for marketing. Highlighting platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, it underscores their potential for brand growth, audience engagement, and strategic targeting, offering marketers practical insights into effectively utilizing these digital tools.

ADVERTISING INNOVATION

P&G's AI-driven strategy transforms advertising by optimizing ad spend and enhancing communication through rapid ad testing and media automation. Reinventing the agency model, P&G focuses on efficiency, quality, and flexibility, achieving significant cost savings and improving creative outcomes. This strategic innovation offers insightful parallels for enhancing Amazon platform performance and consumer engagement.

Social Media Marketing

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