'How Westminster Works...and Why It Doesn't' by Ian Dunt

What we did

Our aim was to make How Westminster Works…and Why it Doesn’t a national talking point and a Sunday Times bestseller, putting events at the heart of the campaign and maximising Ian’s communication skills. We wanted to prove that politics can be easily digested with the right narrator, while busting any notion that politics is primarily a ‘male’ issue.

Despite the obvious link between the book’s themes and the collective national frustration with government, we knew print coverage would need to be select, as Ian Dunt is a columnist for The i. With this in mind, we focused on early outreach to podcasts, radio and TV, widening the net and garnering advance support and online buzz from existing fans and the general public.

First serial was sold in advance of publication, the content carefully selected given the rapidly-evolving headlines. We secured high-profile print review and feature coverage from The Times Diary to New Statesman and The Big Issue, in addition to 10+ key broadcast interviews including BBC Radio 4’s The Media Show and BBC’s Question Time. Ian did 16 events nationwide including Cheltenham Festival with Alastair Campbell, the Primadonna Festival and bookshops across the UK and Scotland, speaking to audiences of up to 300 people at a time.

How Westminster Works…and Why It Doesn’t was an instant bestseller reaching #2 in the Sunday Times Bestseller chart and has reprinted multiple times.