PW Daily looks at nest week’s unusual cross-promotional stunt between Hacette and DC Comics: An excerpt from Meltzer’s new novel will appear in his first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE:
It’s an unusual effort for an unusual author says Warner publisher and v-p Jamie Raab. “It’s an experiment. He’s got a big following from his work on DC’s Identity Crisis series and his prose novels are bestsellers,â? Raab said. âBut his book audience hasn’t read his comics and comics fans haven’t really read his novels.” Raab said Hachette will reciprocate with spots for DC Comics titles in future Meltzer paperbacks.
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A lifelong comics fan, Meltzer calls the excerpt an effort to break down artificial walls between categories and maybe smash a bit of literary snobbery as well. “A reader is a reader,” said Meltzer in an interview from his home in Florida. “If we can bring any new readers over then it’s a plus. A good story is a good story whether it has pictures or not.” Meltzer said he got the idea for the excerpt when he noticed his comic book fans showing up at his prose book signings with copies of Identity Crisis.
in my eyes…this is the ultimate way to bring in new readers. Forget catering comics to an age group or a certain gender…if your best and brightest work in another field/medium? Try the “if you like Brad’s novels, then try….” approach. Sounds good to me.