You think that American publishers are craven? Consider this thriller that recently hit the shelves of the U.K. bookstore chain WHSmith. Despite the prominent use of Dan Brown’s name on the cover, this is not an early copy of the follow-up to The Da Vinci Code. No, it’s a thriller called Deadline by a completely unrelated author named Simon Kernick, but pitched confusingly to readers who “like your thrillers as fast, furious and unputdownable as Dan Brown.” The promotional cover has got a lot of U.K. book-lovers steamed. Caveat lector. It’s worth noting that this edition of Deadline, which was first published last year in paperback, is apparently a free giveaway at WHSmith if you pre-order Brown’s actual new novel, The Lost Symbol, from the store. Savvy marketing or blatant ripoff? You decide.
Jul 24
2009
02:25 PM ET
Looks like Dan Brown's new novel? Well, it's not
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Decision made: Blatant ripoff.
The fact that they mention Dan Brown on the cover isn’t a ripoff. The fact that Dan Brown’s name is larger than the author’s and quite possibly in foil? It’s an attempt to deceive book buyers — one that ironically banks on the idea that they don’t read.
A moment’s pity for poor Simon Kernick, who probably had no input on his book’s cover, had to have been mortified to see that they listed Dan Brown’s name even bigger than his and now will have to deal with the fallout.
This is actually a tie-in version of the book meant to give sold with the new Dan Brown book for a promotion, not the standard cover.