I came across something very interesting the other day: a collaborative project between Anna Funder and Australian Pearl company Paspaley.
Winner of the Miles Franklin Award in 2012 for All that I Am (my review here), Funder has written a short story entitled Everything Precious, which you receive in seven daily instalments after signing up (it’s free) here. (All they ask for is a name and an email address.)
There is a little ‘book’ trailer on the site, which admittedly is more of an ad for Paspaley, but the interesting thing is that here is an Aussie company paying an Aussie author to write a story for them. I have no idea how much Funder was paid, but kudos to Paspaley.
No doubt there’ll be some product placement, most likely in the final instalment. The question is, will it be a roll-the-eyes moment, or a gee-that’s-sweet moment? Given Funder’s the author, I expect the latter. I’ve received four instalments so far and am enjoying my daily dose.
Could this become a model for other corporations to support Australian writing as part of their marketing? Most of us are used to some product placement in films these days. Perhaps we should expect some more of it in fiction.
UPDATE: I was wrong: there was no product placement. (I knew I should have waited to read it all before I posted! Sigh.) And the story was excellent. I dip my lid to all parties.
Musings of a Literary Dilettante's Blog 
Terrific idea. Let’s hope it takes off!
Agreed!
I don’t know… Advertising in all forms really annoys me, and product placements in books would grate. Call me old-fashioned….
Update: there was no product placement in the story, only a banner ad at the start of each instalment and the usual links at their end. (I should have waited until the end of the story to post about it!)
Hi Susanne, great to hear from you. Yes, movies have proved that product placement is odious if done poorly, and I think we’d all prefer not to have any in books. But in a short story? (Perhaps it would be a non-issue if our authors were better paid.) Funder said she had complete creative freedom with this project, and perhaps I should have waited to see how it plays out before posting, but I wanted people to sign up and get the story and make up their minds. Cheers, John
There’s more of this type of alignment happening than people realise. I’ve recently agreed to something similar with a major resort chain for 2015 and creative control rests with me. I believe that anything that increases the profile of literature in Aust. can only be a good thing.
I agree with that, Nicole. Good Luck with your project! Good to hear.
I also thought this was an interesting development. I should read it before I pass judgement but it seems absolutely fraught with turning your writing into an ad. If she’s got complete creative freedom then it could work. Whatever the case, it’s a pretty interesting new model in an industry that’s in such flux.
Hi, Catherine and welcome. Yes, I’ve got through six instalments and am now both eagerly awaiting and dreading the final one! But, as you say, an interesting model / development. Cheers, John.
Hello, (I’ve arrived here via a comment you’ve recently posted on Whispering Gums)
I followed your link, got choices in order to access the short story and chose the pdf file. It’s now downloaded onto my laptop without any request for my name or address. There are photos punctuating the middle of the story but between pages not mid-text.
Off to read it now!
Fabulous, Carol! And welcome. So glad you stopped by. Let me know what you think of the story when you are done. Cheers. John.
Corporate sponsorship of the arts is great: but it all depends on the terms. If it influences what’s created, that’s (probably) bad, and if it intrudes on audiences, that’s (probably) irritating.
Of course even if it does neither, there has to be some benefit to the sponsor otherwise what is the point? Corporates are rarely altruistic.
Perhaps this company has achieved its aim because some of us reading this had never heard of them before. Or perhaps it’s just a congenial tax deduction for them!
Agreed, Lisa. Fortunately, Funder had complete artistic control and there was no awkward product placement. It will be interesting to see how things develop – I mean, if someone as successful as Richard Flanagan was contemplating getting a job in mining because of a lack of writing income before his Booker triumph, then might we see more of this, or ads in apps written along the lines of Annabel Smith’s The Ark? Time will tell I suppose….
How did I miss this John? I think I was travelling. Anyhow, what an interesting idea and way of sponsoring an author. Did you have to read it at the time or can you start it anytime and they’ll just send the “episodes” out to you? I’m going to have to check it out to see. You have me intrigued.
Hi Sue, I imagine you can sign up anytime. Let me know what you think if you’re successful. John
I’ve downloaded the whole story .. I seemed to only find complete versions now. I hope to read it over the next few days … If I blog it I’ll link to you.
[…] must thank John aka Musings of a Literary Dilettante for introducing me to this intriguing little e-work by Miles Franklin award-winner, Anna Funder. […]
Anna Funder is one of my all time greats – I LOVE this idea and am going to seek out the story now. Really hope other businesses catch on.
Hi John, I’m back again via Janine’s review at The Resident Judge of Port Phillip https://residentjudge.wordpress.com/2015/09/08/the-girl-with-the-dogs-by-anna-funder/ – because I’ve read the Chekhov story from which Funder’s story derives. If you are interested to read the original too, (it’s very short) the link is on Janine’s post. Cheers, Lisa
Thanks Lisa…. will do. John.