There’s just something about British aristocracy drama that hooks you, and Andrew O’Hagan’s new novel, Caledonian Road, does exactly that. Even Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown and Frost/Nixon, raves about it, calling it “Dickens and Wolfe and Thackeray and Hogarth and Amis.” High praise! We loved helping W.W. Norton connect with literary fiction lovers, British lit fans, and more for O’Hagan’s latest page-turner.
A 2024 Orwell Prize finalist, Caledonian Road dives into British class, politics, and wealth through the lives of five interconnected families. It centers on Campbell Flynn, an art historian whose seemingly perfect life falls apart over a chaotic year in London. He ends up grappling with ambition, scandal, and a surprising relationship with a brilliant working-class student, all leading to a dramatic turn of events. Francesca Peacock from the New York Times Book Review says its “satirical delight in overreaching male folly nods to Martin Amis’s Money and Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities…. [A] rich, moving attempt to listen to the swell of human life.”
The campaign included banner and native ads (created by us!), and focused on reaching fiction readers, literary fiction fans, and bestselling fiction readers and book buyers. Additional traits and behaviors included British literature fans, book club members, literary influencers and followers, people who read book reviews and are interested in literary awards, frequent bookstore shoppers, and more! Comps included similar literary fiction authors like Colm Tóibín, Monica Ali, Ann Patchett, James Joyce, Paul Murray, Sally Rooney, etc., and keywords included terms and phrases like bestselling literary fiction, bestselling novels, most-anticipated fiction, what to read next, British literary fiction, and more!
The ads resonated strongly with our AdBiblio read alike audience (0.43% CTR!), fiction readers interested in literary awards (0.39% CTR), and Book of the Month Club fans who shop for books at Amazon / Target / Barnes & Noble (.30% CTR). The campaign wrapped up at a .22% CTR (click through rate) and a .97% IAR (interaction rate), and ran on top sites including Great British Book Club, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Washington Post, Elite Daily, Slate, The Millions, The Guardian, and more!
If you’re searching for a compelling new read, look no further than Caledonian Road! You can pick up your copy here. And if you’re ready for your next literary fiction campaign, you know where to find me — marybeth@adbiblio.com.
