The current philosophy at Abingdon Press is, “It takes two, baby.”
To promote The Cure for the Chronic Life: Overcoming the Hopelessness That Holds You Back by Deanna Favre and Shane Stanford (Oct.), Abingdon wants Favre and Stanford to appear together, although both well-known authors could cover more media ground apart.
“They have both been through the wringer, and having them appear together lets people know, here are two people who made it through to the other side and can help provide some answers,” says Julie Dowd, marketing manager at Abingdon, the trade publishing arm of the United Methodist Church. “I think when we can get that in the media, that is important.”
Cure is a big book for Abingdon. A give-and-take between Favre, wife of football superstar Brett Favre and a breast cancer survivor, and Stanford, pastor of a Florida megachurch and an HIV-positive hemophiliac, the book offers inspiration for surviving life’s lows. The house has hired an outside firm, McClure Muntsinger Public Relations, to maximize its reach.
“This is a key title for us, probably one of our biggest books of the year, so we have put more money into it,” Dowd says. “We want to go beyond our usual Abingdon/Methodist audience and go into more trade advertising, hitting audiences we don’t normally hit.”
Jana Muntsinger says promotion for the book goes beyond scoring national media appearances; it’s about keeping the focus on the authors--no questions allowed about Brett Favre’s second nonretirement from the National Football League.
“We have been offered some high-profile interviews, but we are not going to talk about sports,” Muntsinger says. “We are looking for interviewers who are willing to talk about Deanna’s and Shane’s [friendship] and struggle and the impact it has had.”
So far, success. The publicity kicks off on October 21 with a joint appearance on Good Morning America, being interviewed by host Robin Roberts, herself a cancer survivor. Segments on ABC Radio’s The Rick and Bubba Show follow. Scheduled Christian television appearances include Life Today with James Robison, The Joni Show, and Celebration. Print, online, and radio ads in Publishers Weekly and MomSense magazine and on ChristianityToday.com, among others, will also increase exposure.
Abingdon has ordered an initial print run of 25,000, another big number for the publisher, which Dowd says reflects strong interest from both general trade and Christian booksellers. The Cure for the Chronic Life is receiving prominent placement in Abingdon’s catalogues and mailings to United Methodist Church congregations and pastors.
But for now, the focus is on reaching a wider audience through mainstream media. The authors met recently in Nashville for media training. “There are so many people who deal with chronic patterns in their everyday lives that I think this is a book that is going to reach beyond people of faith,” Dowd says.
