Stephen King makes for a thrilling Cell

It’s a natural tie-in for Stephen King’s latest book. Titled Cell, the Scribner published novel will be marketed via your cell phone, taking advantage of the possibility for the thriller-writer himself to interact with his audience. Before the book even hits shelves on January 24, look for Flytxt—a mobile marketing provider that teamed up with Scribner—to develop exclusive tie-in mobile content.

Designed to take Cell beyond the printed page, mobile phone users will be notified via text message to join the Stephen King VIP Club on January 18. A series of content rich emails will be sent out via Yahoo!, pointing users toward cellthebook.com, again urging users to join the Club. Boring? Maybe, but just wait until pub day.

Starting January 24, VIP Club members will receive a voice message from Stephen King himself, as well as weekly messages advertising trivia, sweepstakes, polls, and other Cell-related content. There’ll also be some premium content, like wallpapers and Stephen King talk-tones, available for sale through cellthebook.com. The writer will also host a podcast wherein he reads a monologue.

“Our cellthebook.com campaign is a natural marriage of content and marketing that highlights an author already well-known for pushing the envelope,” said Scribner Executive VP Susan Moldow, “allowing us to communicate with readers in a way that is fun and technologically appropriate for the subject.”