The Ending Writes Itself Campaign with HQ Publicity Team – Part 2

In this second part of a special episode, Philippa Hall from Quick Book Reviews interviews Philippa Cotton, PR Director, and Becky Mansell, Senior PR Manager, from HQ Publishing about the groundbreaking publicity campaign for the novel *The Ending Writes Itself* by the author duo Evelyn Clark. The conversation dives into the early involvement of the publicity team—starting months before acquisition—how the book's meta-commentary on the publishing industry inspired a bold, secret campaign centered on concealing the authors' identities. The team reveals how they leveraged the book’s themes of mystery and industry satire to create a viral, multi-layered campaign involving fake news articles, crime festival appearances, a 72-hour proof drop across nine cities, and a dramatic reveal at the Bloody Scotland Crime Festival. Despite technical hiccups like Wi-Fi failure during the live reveal, the team celebrated a successful launch, with plans for a UK tour and continued media engagement. The episode also touches on the personal stories behind the campaign, including a humorous publishing horror story and outrageous author requests, ending on a lighthearted note with a discussion of biscuit preferences—custard creams, chocolate digestives, and shortbread—without dunking.