Romancing a Deadly Disease
Written by Jan Jaben-Eilon Thursday, August 18 2011
If women are the target audience, what better way to reach them than through romance novels? That’s what Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, decided when it hatched the idea to promote awareness of ovarian cancer through its book list for September, which is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
“This started as a germ of an idea nearly two years ago,” says Pamela Jaffee, senior director of publicity at Avon Books. “Kerry Feron, vice president and editorial director for the imprint, looked at me and said so much is done for breast cancer awareness and not enough for ovarian cancer awareness.” Feron’s family had been touched by ovarian cancer as had many of Avon’s authors. “At first we didn’t see the connection with romance novels, but we realized we can connect with one million women in one month.”
The unique promotion started with an initial donation from Avon Books of $25,000 to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. Avon Books has also committed to donating 25 cents from the sale of each book and e-book bearing the “K.I.S.S. and Teal” logo, sold between Aug. 30, 2011, and Feb. 28, 2012 – up to an additional $25,000 – toward programs that support ovarian cancer patients and their families.
K.I.S.S. stands for Know the Important Signs and Symptoms, and Avon’s campaign involves much more than money. Three pages in the back of each of seven books chosen for this campaign will list the symptoms of ovarian cancer and explain the K.I.S.S. and Teal campaign. The seven books are:
“In the 40 years since the War of Cancer began, mortality rates have barely budged,” says Kaplan. “The overall five-year survival rate for all women with ovarian cancer is only 46 percent, compared to 73 percent for cervical cancer and 89 percent for breast cancer. Funding for ovarian cancer research lags significantly behind most other cancers from a survival perspective, even though it is the deadliest gynecological cancer. Advances for ovarian cancer will occur only if we mobilize a powerful national movement to demand change, beginning with vastly increased attention to research,” Kaplan says. “Partnering with Avon Books to launch the K.I.S.S. and Teal campaign allows us to reach out to the millions of women who read romance and to ask them to help spread our message of awareness.” Romance novels have a core readership of 29 million, and women ages 31 to 49 make up 90 to 95 percent of that readership, Jaffee says. Further, according to market research from the Romance Writers of America:
One of the author’s whose book will bear the K.I.S.S. and Teal logo, Cathy Maxwell, says she lost a good friend to ovarian cancer about a year ago. “She was diagnosed and died in a matter of months.” Maxwell explains that her friend was diagnosed in late stage ovarian cancer, which is typical since awareness of the symptoms is not widely known and because they are not always clear signs. “We are busy with our lives. We may feel some discomforts but it isn’t enough to take us to the doctor,” she laments. She calls the Avon Books campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms, “social responsible marketing,” and notes, “that’s what women want.” Maxwell, a New York Times best-selling author who has written more than two dozen books, isn’t the only author whose book is part of the campaign who has been impacted by ovarian cancer. Australian author Stephanie Laurence was a biochemist involved with research of ovarian cancer for nearly a decade before she became a writer. “While often research labs are distant from the disease they work on, the institute in which I headed a laboratory was a part of a major cancer research hospital; we were in daily contact with patients, and our research meant that although we knew patients only by codes, we knew their age, status, prognosis, treatment regimens, and outcomes, and we could and did follow these over the years,” Laurence says. “Because of what came across the lab benches, we knew when ‘our patients’ were doing well, and we knew when they weren’t. We knew when they were in their last stages, and we knew when they died. Despite not having any personal connection, no one could fail to be affected by such human tragedies.” Now working on her 47th historical romance, Laurence says she was “thrilled when I learned that Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue was to be included in the K.I.S.S. and Teal campaign. Given my decade-long, hands-on involvement with research into this disease, I was very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute again through my subsequent career as an author to the battle to improve ovarian cancer outcomes. “Ovarian cancer can be treated much more effectively if caught in the early stages, which is why it’s so vital to get the K.I.S.S. message out there. Fostering greater awareness of the indicative symptoms will improve earlier detection, and ultimately will save lives,” she says. “That’s why the K.I.S.S. and Teal campaign is so important. We might not be talking about an absolute cure, but we are talking about improved survival with better quality of life.” Avon Books is “getting amazing buy-in from our accounts and grocery stores,” Jaffee says. Word of the campaign is going out through online ads, ads in book-related magazines, and publicity on bookstore shelves. “Everyone is so excited about this project.” |
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Know the
Important
Signs and
Symptoms
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer and a leading cause of cancer deaths for women. There is no early detection test, but women with the disease have the following symptoms:
- Bloating
- Pelvic and abdominal pain
- Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
- Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Log on to Avon’s website for a downloadable teal ribbon – teal is the color for ovarian cancer awareness. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is the foremost advocate for women with ovarian cancer in the United States.
Jan Jaben-Eilon was a founding staff writer of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Since then, she has been the international editor of Advertising Age magazine and has written for such publications as The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Washington Journalism Review, and Consumer Reports. She is the author of soon-to-be-published (There is) Life After Cancer. Jan and her husband have homes in Atlanta and Jerusalem.
