Will Christmas come early for the book trade?

As hundreds of titles hit the shops tomorrow, publishers hope for a happy ending to 2011

By Rob Sharp, Arts Correspondent

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Alan Sugar, Steve Coogan, Lee Evans and Jamie Oliver will be among those doing battle from tomorrow, as publishers simultaneously release hundreds of titles in a bid to win a place on customers' Christmas shopping lists.

Dubbed "Super Thursday" by the book trade, this week will see publishers push books by everyone from Robert Harris to fictional teenagers The Inbetweeners using six-figure marketing budgets, newspaper tie-ins and in-store promotions. Over 200 titles will appear in supermarkets, high-street bookshops and online retailers, around three times the number released in an average week.

"I think this year will shape up very well against last year, one of the most high-profile years in recent memory, because there are some very big hitters," said Anna Valentine, editorial director at Harper NonFiction, which will publish Coogan's fictional Alan Partridge autobiography, I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan. "To succeed, the books need to be distinctive and stage a launch which propels them into the bestseller ranks. Many of the titles will have a core readership which will help".

Alan Sugar, Steve Coogan, Lee Evans and Jamie Oliver will be among those doing battle from tomorrow, as publishers simultaneously release hundreds of titles in a bid to win a place on customers' Christmas shopping lists.

Dubbed "Super Thursday" by the book trade, this week will see publishers push books by everyone from Robert Harris to fictional teenagers The Inbetweeners using six-figure marketing budgets, newspaper tie-ins and in-store promotions. Over 200 titles will appear in supermarkets, high-street bookshops and online retailers, around three times the number released in an average week.

"I think this year will shape up very well against last year, one of the most high-profile years in recent memory, because there are some very big hitters," said Anna Valentine, editorial director at Harper NonFiction, which will publish Coogan's fictional Alan Partridge autobiography, I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan. "To succeed, the books need to be distinctive and stage a launch which propels them into the bestseller ranks. Many of the titles will have a core readership which will help".

From, The Independant