They say don’t judge a book by its cover. But when I first laid eyes on Crissy Van Meter’s novel Creatures, I was completely entranced with the lush underwater world I saw. And the story inside is just as mesmerizing as the creatures on the outside. We were thrilled to help Algonquin Books reach fiction enthusiasts for Van Meter’s debut!
Creatures is a lyrical masterpiece, traveling from the present to the past to tell the story of Evie and her upbringing on the shore of Winter Island off the coast of Southern California. A Belletrist Book Club Selection and Most-Anticipated Book of January 2020 by Bustle, Van Meter gives us a poetic coming of age tale that makes it hard to believe it’s her first novel. The New York Times Book Review says “Van Meter’s debut is an unwavering triumph . . . A coming-of-age that’s as human as it is wild.”
Our core targeting included fiction enthusiasts and literary fiction readers. On top of this, we layered in traits and behaviors like book club members, NPR listeners, novel readers, online book buyers and bestselling fiction buyers. Comps included similar authors like Delia Owens, Emma Donoghue, Jenny Offill, and Rebecca Makkai, and phrases like new fiction, debut fiction, literary fiction, literary debuts, and New York Times bestselling books. The campaign also included our proximity targeting, reaching literary fiction readers, book club members, and avid readers in Barnes and Noble stores, Amazon Books and Indie bookstores.
The native portion blew it out of the water (pun intended), finishing at a very strong .66% CTR, and running on top sites including Bustle, New Yorker, Jezebel, Flavorwire, Boston Globe, Buzzfeed, AV Club, Washington Post, and more. Top traits included bestselling book buyers (.85% CTR!), fiction readers (.69% CTR), book club members (.64% CTR), and NPR supporters (.63% CTR). The proximity ads also finished strong, at a .40% CTR, and did particularly well with book club members (.36% CTR) and those with a strong interest in literature (.37% CTR). The ads ran on top sites including The Atlantic, NY Times, Goodreads, Booklist Queen, Rolling Stone, and more!
If you’re looking for the next book to really pull you in, you’ll want to get your hands on Creatures. You can pick up your copy here! And if you’re ready to reach book lovers online, you know where to find me — marybeth@adbiblio.com!
