Penguin & Ann Summers book launch: Bared to You by Sylvia Day

A hotel lounge was packed by women, mainly professionals, to welcome the launch of Sylvia Day’s latest book, Bared to You on Wednesday Night. 

The book is published in the UK with an unusual partnership between Penguin and Ann Summers and will be available to buy in the lingerie stores as well. 

Eva, a young professional female, just out from University, finds work in NY and had just moved from San Diego. She falls for Gideon, a devastatingly handsome, slightly older and extremely rich, powerful male. The connection for the two, besides sex, is they’ve both been abused and find love through mutual shedding of emotional baggage. 

The beautiful and stylish interiors of Haymarket Hotel, Mayfair was perfect for such a book launch which celebrated a growing interest for erotica novels written for women by women, after E.L James’s romantic-BDSM Fifty Shades saga sold more than 31 million copies. Dark walls, huge mirrors and lamps in the shape of upside down bunches of flowers were copying some of the sophisticated atmospheres mentioned by the book. 

A nice and not too revealing cover with a stiletto on the front hides a well written and sexually charged romance with characters that have real depth.

This growing success for the so-called “clit-lit” is due as much in the marketing and packaging as whether it is an interesting and well-written read. This partnership with Ann Summers is not casual and the cover speaks for itself. Ripped male torsos are out, while matt monochrome covers with perhaps a male accessory like cufflinks are in. Sylvia confirmed in a quick interview that nowadays she doesn’t have a typical reader anymore, her readers are from all walks of life and the book marketing reflects that. They produced books that you can put in your trolley at the supermarket and read on the Tube. 

Ms Day is a former Russian linguist for the US Army Military Intelligence turned novel writer, who had already had a huge success with this title in the US, reported as Bestseller by both the New York Times and USA Today. 

Sylvia is a witty, chatty and a really down to earth woman, who looks like one of your nicest neighbour’s. She told me of her constant disappointment when asked (by male interviewers) whether the protagonist of Bared to You could be considered feminist, quoting her “only because she is an independent career-minded woman???” .

The launch of the book was a sure success for three reasons: the book itself, the amount of champagne offered, and last but not least the goodie bags where Ann Summers played a key role. 

Annalisa Ratti