Nobel Prizewinner Orham Pamuk opened a museum in 2009 called Museum of Innocence, filled with objects owned by the characters from his 2008 novel of the same name. In doing so, he raised the bar in how authors can create real-world tie-ins to their works. Mere limited editions just don't cut it anymore.
Crime author Lawrence Block's new book Hit Me, published on February 12th, for example has made 500 copies of the book available in a special Phliatelic edition. This is because the main character of the series, Keller, is a huge stamp collector - and so according to the eBay listing, you can own some of the fictional antihero's own stamps: "every purchaser of the HIT ME Philatelic Edition also receives two copies (one mint, one custom-canceled) of the FREE illustrated souvenir sheet, signed by Lawrence Block and showing stamps from the Keller Collection—including the Poor Man's Jenny." Click this link and scroll down the page to learn more about the stories behind each stamp.
However, author of The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger's next book Raven Girl tops that.
According to Publishers Weekly, the book will be accompanied by a new ballet based on the story, created by London's Royal Ballet company. Your move, Orham.
What do you think? What's the best book launch tie-in you've seen? Let us know in the comments!