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Burning Books and how Current Issues Matter

Staying up-to-date with the events that impact your organization can present opportunities that would otherwise be missed. Activists burning books has – unfortunately – been on the rise. Penguin Random House decided to use book burning as an opportunity to promote one of their authors. Margaret Atwood, the Canadian author of A Handmaid’s Tail, was the target of book banning and burning.

The Unburnable Book was created in response to current events. The following public relations stunt was a video of Margaret Atwood herself using a flamethrower on her book, a visual you’ll never forget. Penguin Random House explained the stunt, “[the book] is designed to protect this vital story and stand as a powerful symbol against censorship.” After a period of public display, the book was sold at auction by Sotherby’s, with all proceeds going to PEN America’s work on free expression.

Staying up-to-date on the issues that impact you and your organization is imperative to success. The public relations team behind the Unburnable Book saw the opportunity and linked it to the current event of the day. International media attention was garnered for their client that would have otherwise been unachievable. The opportunities arising from staying in touch with the world around you can be key to unlocking success.

Prepared by the Sovereign North Research Team 

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