When the December issues of Self, Glamour and Marie Claire hit newsstands, all three glossies will contain features on environmental activist Laurie David and Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You!
(Fulcrum Publishing, $9.95, 155591621X). Despite some competition among
the magazines, "they're all very supportive of Laurie's initiatives,"
said Fulcrum vice president Mike Dyer. "I think that's a big part of
why they're all running something concurrently."
David's initiatives include the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, which she founded with Senator John McCain and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to raise awareness about global warming. To date, the site has registered more than 500,000 supporters. David is also the producer of Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth (the companion book is No. 8 on the New York Times paperback nonfiction list), as well as the HBO documentary Too Hot Not to Handle.
David's other claim to fame is that she is the wife of comedian Larry David (who wrote the book's introduction and whose character on the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm drives an eco-friendly Toyota Prius). David has achieved credibility in her own right as an environmental activist, but Dyer acknowledges that her celebrity status has aided in heightening awareness for the book. "I think just like with Al Gore, the thing we see with successful books today is that the media, or at least awareness of a person's name, plays a huge role," he said. "While Laurie has a deep Hollywood Rolodex, these people are supporting her because of her commitment to the environment and not just because she's Larry David's wife."
Media attention for David's book, which was published last month and now has 30,000 copies in print, has included author appearances on the Martha Stewart Show, the Al Franken Show and the Fox News channel. In more of a grassroots effort, books were distributed to attendees of the Clinton Global Initiative Conference in New York City in early October, as well as to members of the Natural Resources Defense Council board.
A significant portion of the sales of Stop Global Warming have come from non-bookstore retailers like outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia, which is selling the book in its stores across the country. Several museums hosting exhibits on global warming and climate change have also picked up the book, as have the clothing and house wares chain Anthropologie, New York City's ABC Carpet and Home and the boutique Midnight Farm on Martha's Vineyard. "It's a very eclectic mix of people who are getting on board with this book," Dyer said. "They're really kind of embracing the topic," he added. "They're almost using the book as a positioning tool for their concern about the environment."
Where sales have been lagging, noted Dyer, is at independent bookstores, something he believes can be remedied with a merchandising strategy like that used by Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle, Wash., where Stop Global Warming is displayed near Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. "I think stores would do well to take advantage of the continual media that all three pieces are getting and build a display," said Dyer in reference to the two books and the DVD of An Inconvenient Truth.
Barnes & Noble has opted to promote the book nationally, as has Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music. Indigo has selected Stop Global Warming as one of "Heather's Picks"--books chosen by Indigo CEO Heather Reisman--and will be given merchandising from the second week of November throughout the holiday season.
Another factor Dyer identifies as contributing to the book's momentum is an increased awareness of environmental causes among the general public. "There is certainly a buzz going on now about being green," he said, and there is "some type of upwelling where environmental topics are becoming more prominent."
This is good news for Fulcrum, which was founded 23 years ago as an environmental publisher. The company, which is expanding and recently moved to larger headquarters in Golden, Colo., has since branched out into other areas but has stayed true to its roots. There are some 50 environmental books on its backlist, and this spring it will publish Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm by Willie Nelson. The country crooner's book is part of the Speaker's Corner Series--compact essays on important public policy and social topics--as is David's Stop Global Warming.
David will continue to make appearances until the end of the year, and Fulcrum is planning to launch a second wave of publicity in early 2007. This will include additional tour stops for David and a feature in the April issue Cosmo Girl magazine, which will help achieve David's goal of reaching out to the teen and college markets.
With an increasing social awareness of "being green" and an author with a solid platform (and, yes, celebrity connections), things are heating up for Stop Global Warming.--Shannon McKenna
David's initiatives include the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, which she founded with Senator John McCain and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to raise awareness about global warming. To date, the site has registered more than 500,000 supporters. David is also the producer of Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth (the companion book is No. 8 on the New York Times paperback nonfiction list), as well as the HBO documentary Too Hot Not to Handle.
David's other claim to fame is that she is the wife of comedian Larry David (who wrote the book's introduction and whose character on the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm drives an eco-friendly Toyota Prius). David has achieved credibility in her own right as an environmental activist, but Dyer acknowledges that her celebrity status has aided in heightening awareness for the book. "I think just like with Al Gore, the thing we see with successful books today is that the media, or at least awareness of a person's name, plays a huge role," he said. "While Laurie has a deep Hollywood Rolodex, these people are supporting her because of her commitment to the environment and not just because she's Larry David's wife."
Media attention for David's book, which was published last month and now has 30,000 copies in print, has included author appearances on the Martha Stewart Show, the Al Franken Show and the Fox News channel. In more of a grassroots effort, books were distributed to attendees of the Clinton Global Initiative Conference in New York City in early October, as well as to members of the Natural Resources Defense Council board.
A significant portion of the sales of Stop Global Warming have come from non-bookstore retailers like outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia, which is selling the book in its stores across the country. Several museums hosting exhibits on global warming and climate change have also picked up the book, as have the clothing and house wares chain Anthropologie, New York City's ABC Carpet and Home and the boutique Midnight Farm on Martha's Vineyard. "It's a very eclectic mix of people who are getting on board with this book," Dyer said. "They're really kind of embracing the topic," he added. "They're almost using the book as a positioning tool for their concern about the environment."
Where sales have been lagging, noted Dyer, is at independent bookstores, something he believes can be remedied with a merchandising strategy like that used by Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle, Wash., where Stop Global Warming is displayed near Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. "I think stores would do well to take advantage of the continual media that all three pieces are getting and build a display," said Dyer in reference to the two books and the DVD of An Inconvenient Truth.
Barnes & Noble has opted to promote the book nationally, as has Canadian retailer Indigo Books & Music. Indigo has selected Stop Global Warming as one of "Heather's Picks"--books chosen by Indigo CEO Heather Reisman--and will be given merchandising from the second week of November throughout the holiday season.
Another factor Dyer identifies as contributing to the book's momentum is an increased awareness of environmental causes among the general public. "There is certainly a buzz going on now about being green," he said, and there is "some type of upwelling where environmental topics are becoming more prominent."
This is good news for Fulcrum, which was founded 23 years ago as an environmental publisher. The company, which is expanding and recently moved to larger headquarters in Golden, Colo., has since branched out into other areas but has stayed true to its roots. There are some 50 environmental books on its backlist, and this spring it will publish Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm by Willie Nelson. The country crooner's book is part of the Speaker's Corner Series--compact essays on important public policy and social topics--as is David's Stop Global Warming.
David will continue to make appearances until the end of the year, and Fulcrum is planning to launch a second wave of publicity in early 2007. This will include additional tour stops for David and a feature in the April issue Cosmo Girl magazine, which will help achieve David's goal of reaching out to the teen and college markets.
With an increasing social awareness of "being green" and an author with a solid platform (and, yes, celebrity connections), things are heating up for Stop Global Warming.--Shannon McKenna