It’s no overstatement to say that Suzanne Collins’s Sunrise on the Reaping, her latest return to the Hunger Games universe, is one of the most highly anticipated children’s book releases this year. Set to release on March 18, the novel takes readers back in time to the 50th annual Hunger Games and into the mind of fan favorite Haymitch Abernathy as he tries to survive his own trials.

The Hunger Games trilogy has become a modern phenomenon of YA literature. The first book, released in 2008, a dystopian tale about Katniss, a young woman whose sacrifice to protect her sister by entering a deadly competition marks the first traces of revolution, has connected with readers since its beginnings almost 20 years ago. Its release was met with acclaim from both the literary community—it was named Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal Best Book of 2008, and a Booklist Editors’ Choice, among many other accolades—and became an instant bestseller. Foreign rights for the Hunger Games books have been sold in 55 languages to date. The books have also become a beloved film series for Lionsgate, collectively grossing more than $3.3 billion worldwide. The most recent film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, an adaptation of the 2020 prequel novel, was released in 2023 and made more than $300 million worldwide. Sunrise on the Reaping also marks the fifth Hunger Games book to hit the big screen; it is already slated for a film adaptation under Lionsgate, scheduled for release in 2026. And Lionsgate announced last month that the Hunger Games stage show is coming to the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre in London on October 20.

As the series launches into a new era, Collins’s publisher Scholastic has plenty of plans to ensure that the rollout satisfies fans. “It truly is a gift to be able to work on a book series that you yourself are just as excited to read as the fans, and that energy comes through in the campaign elements,” Rachel Coun, Scholastic’s VP of global marketing, told PW.

Seizing the Moment

Following the book announcement in June of last year, fans got their first taste of what was to come with the cover reveal on the Today Show in October. Scholastic also distributed bookmarks featuring a teaser quote at major literary events such as New York Comic Con, YALLFest, and at indie bookstores to invite all kinds of readers into the Hunger Games fold.

“The Hunger Games series has a true crossover audience of teen and adult readers around the world,” Coun said. “A priority of the campaign is to excite all those existing Hunger Games book and movie fans, while also bringing in a new audience.”

In this age, social media is crucial to keeping an audience engaged, and Scholastic has its own official Hunger Games social accounts for sharing social content. And to keep engaged with international fans (“The online community worldwide is just infectious!,” Coun said), Scholastic has collaborated with its publishing partners in Scholastic Australia, Canada, and the U.K., as well as with Lionsgate, the movie studio behind the Hunger Games films, for major posts.

For publication day, Collins will mark the occasion by kicking off a global social campaign, featuring the author reading an excerpt from the first chapter of Sunrise on the Reaping on the Hunger Games Books social media channels in partnership with Lionsgate. Social media influencers across the globe, including Elizabeth Sagan from Romania and Rodrigo Paniagua from Spain, will follow up with a reading of the same excerpt in their native languages. Fans can also get an early listen with an exclusive recording from the author that released today.

Release parties have also become a staple for major releases, and for readers in search of one, several will be taking place across the country. Scholastic has made them easy to find with its Hunger Games event tracker, with more than 1,000 events have already registered. Coun is particularly “thrilled” that readers will be able to gather and celebrate this new release, considering that the pandemic kept audiences at home for the previous installment, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Retail partners will be showing their Panem pride, decked out with custom displays and signage window clings, as well as book displays in bookstores across the country. Many events will feature Sunrise on the Reaping photo-op standees for guests, and Scholastic has provided 2,500 event kits which include a poster, an event guide, a trivia booklet with two packs of 25 Sunrise on the Reaping buttons, fan postcards, and more.

The Union Square location of Barnes & Noble in New York City will have a special guest at its midnight release party, David Levithan, Scholastic SVP, publisher and editorial director; Levithan edited Sunrise on the Reaping along with Kate Egan. “Normally, the expectations would make me nervous,” Levithan said of the massive buzz surrounding the book. “But honestly? In terms of this Haymitch story living up to everything else we know about him, I’m not nervous at all.”

Despite her massive success, Collins is notably elusive when it comes to publicity (the author herself is not on social media). While she will not be heading on tour for the book, Coun noted that “the most important marketing element for any campaign is the book itself.”

Though the fanbase is voracious for any new details, Scholastic is keeping everything about the new book under wraps. An ARC of a book with such prominence would have been the ultimate status symbol, but Sunrise on the Reaping is under strict embargo, with the book’s availability starting at midnight East Coast time on March 18 (a boon for West Coast readers).

“Books bring people together,” Coun said of the significant anticipation. “And I cannot wait to hear the reactions from readers around the globe once they read it!”