Book Promotion Efforts in Select Nigerian Newspapers

Abstract

This study was guided by the functionalist theory which emphasises that the media help to co-ordinate various parts of the society by gathering and disseminating valuable information. It examined how book publishers used the newspaper medium to promote their books by content analyzing 164 entries on book promotion in three national newspapers for a four-year period between 2010 and 2013. The newspapers are The Guardian, The Punch and The Nation. Observable patterns in the promotional efforts of the publishers indicate a high propensity towards the use of photographs and illustrations with a percentage rate of 37% and 27% respectively. The Nation had a leading position of 45%, while The Guardian and The Punch followed with 33% and 22% respectively. Further findings in the study revealed that product adverts (5%) and corporate adverts (4%) that can position a book and the publishers in the marketplace were the least explored areas. The study therefore, recommends that publishers should see the need to vigorously use the newspaper to embark on both product and corporate adverts. This has the potential of motivating people to buy and read books especially if they are effectively and consistently placed in the newspapers.

Key Words: Book promotion; Book publishing; Product promotion; Returns-on-investment