What do the authors and publishers do in order to get a book on the shelf and have millions of copies sold in a short amount of time? What specific roles do they play in grabbing the attention of potential buyers of the book?

Peritext, as mentioned by Whitlock is the outer layer/cover of a book. It has three main functions, which are to protect, to decorate, and to promote. However, the third component of the peritext has the most attention and focused. According to Genette, this aspect has “brand positioning” in marketing the books.

Continuing with the thought-provoking discussion we had in class, the role of peritext in What is the What by Dave Eggers has little emphasis in Valentino Achack Deng, the storyteller of his autobiography, rather there is a heavier emphasis on the author’s name, Dave Eggers. Even though there is a huge portrait of Valentino, one of the Lost Sudanese Boys in the front cover, the audiences are not clear who that person is due to the vagueness and anonymity of the image. As for me, when I first saw the book by its cover, I had no idea that this story was about the Sudanese Lost Boys until I read the introduction.

Therefore, the third aspect of the peritext, “to promote” can be clearly seen in What is the What. The western publishing house thought rather than having the name of the Lost Sudanese Boy bolded on the front cover, bolding the western author’s name on the novel’s front cover would create a better brand-promoting factor, for potential readers to purchase the book.

In contrast, I am also going to look at Malala Yousafzai’s I am Malala: The Girl who stood up for education and what shot by the Taliban. Interestingly, the peritext in Malala’s book contains different features than that of What is the What. There is a clear photography portrait of Malala looking straight into the eyes of the readers. The veil creates an exotic image and the Western audiences are expecting stories beneath her veil. The font size of her name is larger, clear and visibly labeled as the author of her autobiographical book. Unlike the peritext technique used in What is the What, much focus on the Western author’s name, in I am Malala, there is less emphasis of the name of the western co-author, Christina Lamb.

Both are autobiographic novels, but one storyteller is has less status in the front cover and the other a larger emphasis. Now, you may think Malala Yousafazai has done something extraordinary that no ordinary fifteen-year-old can do. But, what about Valentino Achack Deng, one of the Lost Boys, he also has done something exceptional of sharing his traumatic past to the public.

The western publishing culture has used techniques that would best sell in the bookstore, using marketing strategies to “promote” and create “brand-imaging” for consumers to buy books to make novels successful.