Lack of integrity in so many fields can get one down. Marketing, the ads we see every day, has always been this way, and I hate to see it happening in publishing. Must we be so greedy for money and/or success that there is no place for integrity?
I was thrilled to see you write about this situation so well. It is very unethical of the publisher. Who enjoys being duped? As Maya Angelou says, people will never forget how you made them feel.
Wow, I totally agree. And that is SO close to the line of common law fraud. Suggesting the plausibility of a fact one knows to be untrue in order to obtain a benefit may not get you 100% of the way there, but I’m shocked this got through. Maybe social media doesn’t get reviewed by legal. Publishers are selling a product-our books- and they ought to be convincing people that the books are worth reading.
My husband is a music exec and I asked him how this would play for one of his artists. He said it is not illegal, but it is unethical. Contests always have legal perimeters, but social media...not so much. Legal doesn't have to approve outreach to influencers.
Agreed - I’m an attorney and I never would have advocated for this if I’d reviewed based purely on it being unethical with risk - potentially fraud dependent on specific factors (I’d need all the facts to decipher) but ultimately it was probably a business decision in this instance (and a bad one at that).
I had to google Argylle today after seeing ads for it on YT. And now after stumbling on this post, I am so intrigued/confused. What a world we live in.
Never worry how others view our entertainment. If a show or book makes you happy, enjoy it, that was its purpose. If the masses feel otherwise, well, that’s why they are the masses, not you.
It's really peculiar how in-house publicity so often seems to be flailing and clueless in the modern marketplace. Why resort to gimmickry like this when there are so many easy, genuine ways to find and connect with readers? If you have to trick people into buying your book you probably shouldn't be publishing it. Thanks, as always, for a sobering perspective.
This post is perfect timing for me. I had attended ComicCon in October 2023 and attended the Matthew Vaughn session where he presented some never before seen trailers from the movie and gave out a few copies of the pre-print for the book Argyle. I got one and just finished reading it yesterday. And the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another except for the title and perhaps the basic plot point of the Americans and Russians all racing for the same lost treasure. The author is not a character in the book but she is a major character in the movie. I will say that the protagonist Aubrey Argyle in the book is well described but neither similar to Henry Cavill or Sam Rockwell. Tis a puzzlement.
The descriptions of the book remind me of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine is supposed to review a book about 'Billy Mumphry'... anyone remember that?
'a cockeyed optimist, who got caught up in the dirty game of world diplomacy and international intrigue...'
the whole thing is very postmodern- a publisher using the name of a hyperreal media personality to promote a fake book to advertise a mediocre-sounding movie...
That’s interesting, and I also love hearing about the cruise influencer! In the product area, many states have consumer fraud statutes that are so broad that class actions are filed based on the merest suggestion that something might make you lose weight, make your clothes whiter, or whatever. Most of the time they do not succeed, but they cost the manufacturer a boatload of money to defend. Think of an aggrieved class of Swifties who contend they would not have bought the book but for the suggestion that Taylor wrote it. I think you are right that it would not be a successful lawsuit whether filed by Taylor Swift to defend her right to her identity, or, on the other hand, by purchasers of the book but this would make s great hypothetical in a law school class. Definitely unethical.
Great piece! Had no idea of the Argyle controversy and completely agree--what a terrible idea to piggy-back on Taylor Swift! The publishing house will move on but this will haunt the actual author for the remainder of her or his career.
I've watched all of And Just Like That and even though I don't really care for it, it seems I can't stop watching? The second season is better than the first, at least, and does have some good jokes scattered throughout...
I loved the first episode of the 2nd season when she finally takes her ring off. It's also interesting to see Carrie and Miranda's dynamic change. Miranda was always questioning what Carrie did with Big. Now the tables have turned. I really miss Samantha.
Lack of integrity in so many fields can get one down. Marketing, the ads we see every day, has always been this way, and I hate to see it happening in publishing. Must we be so greedy for money and/or success that there is no place for integrity?
That is my issue with how they went about this. It is not okay to do that.
I was thrilled to see you write about this situation so well. It is very unethical of the publisher. Who enjoys being duped? As Maya Angelou says, people will never forget how you made them feel.
Wow, I totally agree. And that is SO close to the line of common law fraud. Suggesting the plausibility of a fact one knows to be untrue in order to obtain a benefit may not get you 100% of the way there, but I’m shocked this got through. Maybe social media doesn’t get reviewed by legal. Publishers are selling a product-our books- and they ought to be convincing people that the books are worth reading.
My husband is a music exec and I asked him how this would play for one of his artists. He said it is not illegal, but it is unethical. Contests always have legal perimeters, but social media...not so much. Legal doesn't have to approve outreach to influencers.
Agreed - I’m an attorney and I never would have advocated for this if I’d reviewed based purely on it being unethical with risk - potentially fraud dependent on specific factors (I’d need all the facts to decipher) but ultimately it was probably a business decision in this instance (and a bad one at that).
I had to google Argylle today after seeing ads for it on YT. And now after stumbling on this post, I am so intrigued/confused. What a world we live in.
Never worry how others view our entertainment. If a show or book makes you happy, enjoy it, that was its purpose. If the masses feel otherwise, well, that’s why they are the masses, not you.
It's really peculiar how in-house publicity so often seems to be flailing and clueless in the modern marketplace. Why resort to gimmickry like this when there are so many easy, genuine ways to find and connect with readers? If you have to trick people into buying your book you probably shouldn't be publishing it. Thanks, as always, for a sobering perspective.
Unethical. Obviously the legal people did not review. I don’t know any marketing experienced attorney who would let this concept off the page.
This post is perfect timing for me. I had attended ComicCon in October 2023 and attended the Matthew Vaughn session where he presented some never before seen trailers from the movie and gave out a few copies of the pre-print for the book Argyle. I got one and just finished reading it yesterday. And the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another except for the title and perhaps the basic plot point of the Americans and Russians all racing for the same lost treasure. The author is not a character in the book but she is a major character in the movie. I will say that the protagonist Aubrey Argyle in the book is well described but neither similar to Henry Cavill or Sam Rockwell. Tis a puzzlement.
I read some Amazon and Goodreads reviews, and they mentioned the same thing.
The descriptions of the book remind me of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine is supposed to review a book about 'Billy Mumphry'... anyone remember that?
'a cockeyed optimist, who got caught up in the dirty game of world diplomacy and international intrigue...'
the whole thing is very postmodern- a publisher using the name of a hyperreal media personality to promote a fake book to advertise a mediocre-sounding movie...
This is so good
Thank you :)
Excellent piece and 100% agree it’s unethical and may lean towards fraud …
Fabulous reporting and analysis. I agree with you. Unethical.
That’s interesting, and I also love hearing about the cruise influencer! In the product area, many states have consumer fraud statutes that are so broad that class actions are filed based on the merest suggestion that something might make you lose weight, make your clothes whiter, or whatever. Most of the time they do not succeed, but they cost the manufacturer a boatload of money to defend. Think of an aggrieved class of Swifties who contend they would not have bought the book but for the suggestion that Taylor wrote it. I think you are right that it would not be a successful lawsuit whether filed by Taylor Swift to defend her right to her identity, or, on the other hand, by purchasers of the book but this would make s great hypothetical in a law school class. Definitely unethical.
Very true. We studied a lot of "truth in advertising" topics in my MBA program, and this would definitely fall under that category. Very murky.
Great piece! Had no idea of the Argyle controversy and completely agree--what a terrible idea to piggy-back on Taylor Swift! The publishing house will move on but this will haunt the actual author for the remainder of her or his career.
I don't know that it will hurt the actual author unless we find out who it is. I'm impressed no one has figured it out yet.
I've watched all of And Just Like That and even though I don't really care for it, it seems I can't stop watching? The second season is better than the first, at least, and does have some good jokes scattered throughout...
I loved the first episode of the 2nd season when she finally takes her ring off. It's also interesting to see Carrie and Miranda's dynamic change. Miranda was always questioning what Carrie did with Big. Now the tables have turned. I really miss Samantha.
I miss so much about SATC--especially Samantha!
I love her.