The second book by Jock Serong, a crime novel called The Rules of Backyard Cricket, has climbed to the top of the bestseller lists in Australia after just over a month on sale. About a star cricket player, the novel was helped along by a hugely successful marketing campaign, according to its editor.
Book title: The Rules of Backyard Cricket
First published: by Text Publishing, September 2016
Format : Trade paperback
Author: Jock Serong lives in Port Fairy in Victoria. He is the editor of Great Ocean Quarterly, and his debut novel, Quota, published in 2014, won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction in 2015.
Acquiring editor: Mandy Brett
How It’s Done: Text said 2,000 copies of the book have sold since its release last month, and the title appeared at #1 on the September 28 bestseller list of the Asutralian chain.
Why You Think It’s Working: The book follows bad-boy cricket player Darren Keefe as he he finds himself in a heap of trouble: shot in the knee and gagged in a car. Brett called the book "one of the fastest moving literary crime titles of the year," adding that a "fantastic campaign" has helped it find readers. Devised by Text's Shalini Kunahlan, the campaign, Brett said, included “full page ads in weekend newspaper supplements, phonebox advertising in capital cities, and a prominent online campaign.” The book has also gained the support of independent booksellers, who have been “passionate” about hand-selling it.
