Film Stars and Books Fit Like a Glove

Movie tie-in editions have long been a pillar of paperback sales as book adaptations hit the big screen. But for Steve Martin's Shopgirl (releasing October 21), Hyperion is taking the tie-in strategy a giant step further. In addition to publishing a movie edition of the book, Hyperion plans to send Martin, who stars in the film along with Claire Danes (as a Saks Fifth Avenue glove salesperson) and Jason Schwartzman, to bookstores to promote the novel and the Touchstone film.

While the fact that Martin is an author as well as a movie star makes him a natural for bookstores, Hyperion is looking to use the tactic with other, non-writing actors. At a recent Shopgirl screening in New York for booksellers and media, Hyperion president Bob Miller and Walt Disney Studios senior v-p of publicity Dennis Rice spoke repeatedly of creating "new opportunities" for booksellers. Rice showed a trailer for The Greatest Game Ever Played, an adaptation of a Hyperion title by Mark Frost, set for release on September 29, and indicated that some of the film's stars would be available for store appearances.

Hyperion published Shopgirl in 2000; the paperback appeared in 2001. Miller mentioned that the book "sold better than [Martin's] comedy" titles and that Martin was still committed to the book and enthusiastic about visiting bookstores to promote it.