'Cloud Atlas' trailer makes online book sales skyrocket

July 31, 2012|by Carolyn Kellogg

<p>The Wall Street Journal reports that online sales of David Mitchell's novel "Cloud Atlas" shot up last week after a 5-minute trailer of the film appeared on the Internet. Hovering around the #2,500 mark on Amazon's sales list, the book rocketed to #7 after the movie preview's debut.</p><p>"It isn't unusual for a movie version of a book to spark fresh interest in an old title, of course. What's uncommon in this case was the speed at which a mere trailer of a film had an impact," writes the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444840104577553512716197778.html">Wall Street Journal</a>. The paper also says that publisher Random House has ordered an extra 25,000 copies of the paperback be printed, and that's before a movie tie-in edition comes to shevles in September.</p></div></div><div class="float" style="clear:both;height:1px;line-height:1px;"><img src="/images/pixel.gif" height="1" width="1" alt="" /></div><div id="mod-ctr-lt-in-top" class="mod-latarticlesadcpc mod-adcpc with-fourth-cpc"><script type="text/javascript"> var adSkipCounter = 0; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var loc = window.location.href + ""; var float = ""; google_hints = "online book book sales sales list online sales";google_ad_client="pub-0227802054925200"; google_ad_output="js"; google_ad_channel="5212128158,6138855783,8321278795,8261105409"; google_ad_type="text"; google_image_size="300x250"; google_safe="high"; google_feedback="on"; google_max_num_ads="2"; google_skip="" + adSkipCounter + ""; google_adtest="off"; google_page_url=document.URL; function google_ad_request_done(ads) { if (ads.length == 0) { return; } // If no ads are returned then dont build the ad block if (ads[0].bidtype == "CPC") { adSkipCounter += ads.length; } // Increment ad skip counter when cpc google_ad_request_done_internal(ads, "", "", "true", "medium_rectangle", "", "", "pgtp=article&pi=34&ci=32965607&cat=arts+%26+entertainment&pe_id=32965607&tv=ap-LA12-G02&rna=pub-0227802054925200&rn=g&rnrci=5212128158&rnrcn=CMI-A-002&rncci=6138855783&rnccn=CMI-A-009&rnpci=&rnpcn=&rntci=&rntcn=&rnlci=8261105409&rnlcn=8261105409&rnp=c&rt=cpc&paidClick=1&placement_id=ctr-lt-in-top", "", "", "", "", "", "ap-LA12-G02", "Los Angeles Times Articles"); } //]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/google_ad_request.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></div><div id="mod-a-body-after-first-para" class="mod-latarticlesarticletextwithadcpc mod-latarticlesarticletext mod-articletext"><p>Mitchell's novel was published in 2004 in England, where it was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize. Although "Cloud Atlas" seems nearly unfilmable, the crew assembled to create a movie version seems, by judging by the trailer, to be on the right track.</p><p>Its cast includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent, Ben Whishaw, Bae Doona, David Gyasi, Keith David, James D'Arcy and Susan Sarandon. </p><p>The three-hour film has three directors: Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run") and Andy and Lana Wachowski ("The Matrix series"). The three sat together for an <a href="http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/cloud-atlas-directors-reveal-more-just-back-story-165430475.html">overlapping, joking interview</a> posted yesterday on Yahoo. They talk about what they wanted from the film (just about everything) and what their experience had been with Mitchell.</p><p>"I was extremely nervous to meet David Mitchell after he read the script," Lana says. "But we all took an oath that if he didn't like it," Andy continues, "We would kill the project," Tykwer finishes. "Fortunately, he loved it," says  Lana.</p><p>Before the trailer appeared online, "Cloud Atlas" had 225,000 paperback copies in print in the U.S. Now Mitchell can thank Twyker and the Wachowskis for making that 250,000.</p><p>RELATED:</p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-by-the-time-you-read-this-the-cloud-atlas-trailer-may-be-gone-20120726,0,2161530.story">By the time you read this, the 'Cloud Atlas' trailer may be gone</a></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-see-the-trailer-for-life-of-pi-video-20120725,0,7410663.story">See the trailer for 'Life of Pi' [Video]</a></p><p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/features/books/jacketcopy/la-jc-the-man-booker-prize-announces-its-2012-longlist-20120725,0,691973.story">The Man Booker Prize announces its 2012 longlist</a></p></div><div id="mod-a-body-after-first-para-ad-cpc" class="mod-adcpc"> <script type="text/javascript"> //<![CDATA[ var loc = window.location.href + ""; var float = ""; 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