By Leah Murphy, Emily Lavin, Chante-Marie Dante, Georgia Rees and Annamária Rátki
From exposing taboos around gender roles in her breakout novel, Boy Parts, to deconstructing the true crime genre in Penance, it is fair to say that Eliza Clark has cemented herself as one of the most exciting voices in fiction of recent years. In 2023, she was named one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young British Novelists’ and her debut has even been adapted into a stage production, with Aimée Kelly taking on the role of its deeply complex protagonist, Irina Sturges. In this issue, we dive into the Faber & Faber marketing campaign for Clark’s new book, She’s Always Hungry.
Released on 7 November, Clark’s first short story collection spans body horror, speculative fiction and fantasy. Alongside her signature pitch-dark humour, Clark’s stories focus on food, parasites, the human body and climate change, all to explore the question: can these characters be sated? Between a stunning limited edition cover and She’s Always Hungry bowls, we’ll analyse the well-rounded, exciting campaign that the Faber & Faber team have created for Clark’s latest work.
Social Media
She’s Always Hungry has had a relatively shorter social media campaign than many releases, perhaps due to coming so soon after Clark’s Penance was released in paperback. Clark first posted about her upcoming short story collection on 10 July, just four months before publication on 7 November. Of course, having such a passionate audience meant that She’s Always Hungry was immediately eagerly anticipated, with Clark highlighting some of her favourite comments in a reel jumping on the “brat summer” trend, perhaps hinting at what kind of vibe we could expect from the collection. Clark has been marketing this release as something for the “unhinged woman”, posting an “everything I eat in a day as a professional writer” reel featuring oddities such as a banana with the skin on and a line of chia seeds.
Clark has also used her social media to promote her upcoming events and book tour, featuring various bookshops and an event with Comma Press alongside the authors of Feast While You Can. Clark’s publisher, Faber, has also got behind the campaign, creating an exclusive She’s Always Hungry bowl for Faber Members who attended the Faber Members Christmas Market on 3rd December.
Events
Eliza Clark has been very active in engaging with her audience across different locations. For example, on 6 November, she held an event in Merseyside, where an interactive Q&A and book signing took place for fans to enjoy themselves. She has also held another in her native Newcastle. She is clearly passionate about talking to her fanbase, allowing them the opportunity to engage with her directly.
Clark also held an in-person and live-streamed event at the Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh on 27 November, with a discussion about the book’s themes with journalist Anahit Behrooz. Who knows where her growing success could take her next?
Other Marketing Strategies
She’s Always Hungry’s iconic pink cover was unmissable in bookshops recently. Foyles had a floor-to-ceiling poster of the cover, with a prime table packed high with copies of the book. Another bookshop that paid homage to the book was Waterstones Deansgate, which had a dedicated Instagram post about the new release, with a collection of clever and hilarious memes about the reading experience of She’s Always Hungry.
Special Edition - Source: Faber
Faber also came prepared with some treats for their readers, starting with a special edition. The indie and website exclusive version has the same pink base as the regular edition but is decorated with metallic vines and the iconic Faber font and sprayed edges. Lucky readers who attended the launch party also got temporary tattoos of the book. Clark also made sure fans had a memorable evening and decorated each of her autographs with little drawings.
She’s Always Hungry has received glowing reviews, with the Guardian calling it a “dark delight”. Writers such as Nicola Dinan have endorsed the book, with Dinan claiming that “[n]o one is writing like Eliza Clark.” Readers seem to agree with critiques, with the book having an average of nearly four stars on Goodreads. Many reviewers praise the book for the authentic voice and the iconic quirkiness of Clark coming through in the short stories.