Saturday, December 18, 2010

Orion makes sure star Coben sparkles

The Bookseller -  17.12.10 - Charlotte Williams

Orion is taking a new look at one of its biggest selling crime authors, Harlan Coben. The Hachette company is rebranding his entire backlist in 2011, with two waves of titles being released over the year.

The refresh will start with the publication of the paperback edition of Caught, on 17th February 2011, with reissues of standalone backlist titles Tell No One, Gone for Good, No Second Chance, The Innocent, The Woods and Hold Tight.
Another set of backlist reissues in the new look will follow the publication of Coben’s latest title, Live Wire, in hardback on 12th May 2011. These will include titles featuring his central character, sports agent sleuth Myron Bolitar, such as Deal Breaker, Drop Shot, Fade Away, Back Spin and One False Move. Miracle Cure, a paperback original, will join the set on 9th June. All of the reissues will be published as £7.99 B-format paperbacks.

Susan Lamb, Orion’s managing director, said: “The covers have got a freshness about them that will make them stand out.” They feature Coben’s name as the main typographical element, in slimmer toned-down bronze or gold lettering. A banner reading “Number One Bestseller” will run across the top of each book, with a cover line of copy running in a large font between author name and the smaller title.

Lamb said following Orion’s acquisition of Coben’s titles from Hodder, it quickly realised his name should be the most prominent feature on any cover, having originally featured the title more boldly. Talking about the impetus behind the new look, Lamb said: “The rebrand of Robert Ludlum has really worked for us; you choose to pick out one element [title, author or tagline].

“Coben is phenomenal in that you can give his books to almost anyone and they will enjoy them...It’s the crime thriller genre; there comes a point where you’ve got to be in the family with the way your covers look but you can’t be identical. You want the converted to like it but also those readers who perhaps think ‘blocky lettering authors aren’t for me’.”

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