"Would you like a book that smells like garlic? Didn't think so. But that didn't stop author Jennifer L Armentrout from using garlic-infused ink to print 1,000 copies of her new novel The Primal of Blood and Bone. Seem strange? Maybe less so if I explain that the book is the latest instalment in a romantasy series that features Vampry (vampires) and Craven (sort of zombie vampires). Even then, this garlic business doesn't quite add up."
"It's only when you open TikTok that the special edition makes sense it's a partnership with the mayonnaise brand Hellmann's. A quick search and my screen is full of excited readers opening coffin-shaped packages that contain the special smelly book and a free bottle of Hellmann's garlic aioli. This is a stunt targeted at the army of romantasy readers on BookTok, the corner of TikTok devoted to books and reading. Like garlic itself, this stunt has left some people queasy."
"On this very website, author David Barnett has denounced the use of gimmicks to sell books, with publishers dedicating huge marketing budgets to authors who are successful and don't need the hype. That may be true in general but I don't think that's what's happening here. The limited edition comes with a bottle of Hellmann's aioli. Photograph: Hand-out/Unilever"
A limited run of 1,000 copies of a romantasy novel was printed using garlic-infused ink and packaged in coffin-shaped boxes with a free bottle of Hellmann's garlic aioli. The series features Vampry and Craven creatures, yet contains no internal lore about garlic as a repellant. The scented edition stems from a marketing partnership intended to spark unboxing content among BookTok romantasy communities. The stunt has attracted criticism as gimmicky and wasteful while others view it as a way to engage fans and amplify word-of-mouth recommendations. The piece includes a personal account of being a romantasy fan.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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