Book | The Sandstone City
Author | Elaine Canning
Publisher and Release Date | Aderyn Press, November 2022
Project Brief
Elaine Canning’s stunning debut novel, set in Salamanca, Spain and Belfast, Northern Ireland was my first campaign for the south Wales independent publisher, Aderyn Press. We sat down nine months ahead of publication to devise a campaign which would launch Elaine as a writer to watch. We felt with this debut novel which we had huge potential to sell handsomely in multiple markets.
Campaign
The focus with this book was securing speaking appearances in the literary festival circuit as well as healthy print and digital coverage. As the author was born in NI, we were able to maximise Northern Irish media in our outreach plan.
Results
Ahead of publication, we secured a preview of the title in The Bookseller special Working Class edition as well as high-profile endorsements from authors including Namita Gokhale, Prajwal Parajuly and Irenosen Okojie. Just a couple of weeks after publication, The Sandstone City was Number 6 in the Top 10 Fast Movers English Titles for Adults with Books Council of Wales.
Elaine travelled widely to promote her debut, including at the Jaipur Literature Festival with events closer to home in at Griffin Books at Penarth, Swansea Waterstones and at the No Alibis Bookshop in Belfast, while she appeared online with the LoveReading Festival. Print post-publication exposure included features and articles in The Belfast Telegraph, The Big Issue, The Irish Examiner, The Irish News and The Western Mail.
