The Bookseller.com

13th October 2008

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Amazon highlights rising stars

16.07.08 Graeme Neill

Amazon.co.uk has launched a new promotion for upcoming writers, with the aim of improving community activity on its site. The Rising Stars promotion launched on Wednesday (16th July), with one book per week for the next eight weeks to be promoted on a dedicated Amazon page.

Each of the eight books will also be heavily price-promoted on Amazon.co.uk's books site.
Publishers do not have to pay any additional marketing costs to have their book included in the promotion. Kes Nielsen, head of books at Amazon.co.uk, said the books were submitted by publishers and then selected by seven buyers on the retailer's books team. The titles had to be either a début or second novel.

Nielsen said the promotion was a tweaking of the website's former New and Emerging Authors campaign. "It's about recommending and helping our customers discover new authors," he said, adding that it differed from the old offer through an increased level of merchandising, giving customers access to material such as interviews and videos.

Readers will also be encouraged to review and rate each of the titles, with the best-reviewed title at the end of the eight weeks to be heavily promoted on the site. "The reviews are a pretty compelling measure of quality," Nielsen said. He added that Amazon would be encouraging its "Vine" team of top reader reviewers to get involved with the promotion to further drive
traffic.

AMAZON'S NEW VOICES
City of the Sun by David Levien (Bantam)
The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer (Faber)
The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway (Heinemann)
Gardens of Water by Alan Drew (Bloomsbury)
The Good Plain Cook by Bethan Roberts (Serpent's Tail)
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski (Fourth Estate)
The Eyes of the King by Catherine Banner (Corgi Children's)
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (Canongate)

Authors amazon Graeme Neill