But the cable outlets are seeking to define themselves, and they are developing material. Braunstein is developing Rod Smolla's nonfiction Deliberate Intent , A Civil Action -like account coming in July from Crown, at FX, the new Fox cable channel. And QVC is now developing its own book line after seeing the success of book sales through its channel. That Allows for Depth and Brand-Name Leverage Additionally, TV has series and miniseries formats that don't really have a counterpart in film. Good Will Hunting , sparking Fox's interest.
TV also proves particularly fertile for author brand leveraging.
Penguin's reissue of Chaikin's book to tie into Hanks's HBO series did sell some 80,000 copies, for a book that had previously sold only about one-tenth of that a year. But Penguin publicity chief Maureen Donnelly says length of series is key. And while TV audiences can be larger than film's, TV viewers for any particular program are shrinking due to the proliferation of cable channels. Warner publisher Jamie Raab believes it's simply harder for TV publicity to break through the media noise the way major film release hype can. Warner Bros. even did a media tour with Sparks to promote the film.