Federica Brunini's new novel, released last month in Italy, has hit the Italian bestseller list after just a few weeks on sale. About a group of female friends confronting past disappointments during a getaway in the south of France, the book, its publisher said, is appealing to audiences because it's struck a chord with female readers.
Book title: Quattro Tazze di Tempesta (in English: A Tempest in Four Teacups)
First published by: Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore in April
Format: Trade paperback
Author: Brunini is a writer, journalist and photographer who has published two works of nonfiction, and the novel La matematica delle bionde (Giunti, 2013).
Acquiring editor: Ricciarda Barbieri, fiction editor at Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore
How it’s done: After only two weeks on sale, Barbieri said, the book hit the Italian bestseller list (debuting at #19 on the fiction list).
Why they think it’s working: Feltrinelli put promotional muscle behind the book, sending out advanced reading copies with tea bags created by the author. (The tea was a special blend Brunini made.) The e-book was released simultaneously with the novel, as is standard in Italy, but Feltrinelli also released another e-book upon publication. The add-on digital title featured Brunini's recipes for cooking with tea. Aside from the benefits the book reaped from the promotional support, Barbieri feels the novel ultimately won a significant female readership because it “explores femininity at 360 degrees." By this, she means that it deals with such universal themes for women as "female friendship, love, aging and motherhood."
