Two years before its publication, news of the bidding war and subsequent $2 million dollar advance earned by City on Fire had the book world abuzz.  Set in the late 1970s, the novel glorifies a New York of grit and grime.

“It was before New York became this bright shiny Bloombergian object on a hill,” said Paul Bogaards, executive vice president of publicity at Knopf Doubleday, the book's publisher.

Buoyed by an appearance on the cover of the New York Times Book Review and a heavy-hitting publicity campaign, Garth Risk Hallberg's debut novel quickly landed on The New York Times bestseller list after its release. It has also landed on several "Best of 2015" lists including those of the Wall Street Journal, NPR and the Atlantic.

Reviews, however, have been mixed.  While The New York Times' Michiko Kakutani raved about Hallberg's "boundless and unflagging talents," others were more restrained.  Frank Rich, also writing in the Times, was coy, saying, "The question of whether City on Fire is good does not lend itself to a glib answer."

How does a publishing house put a price tag on a book's worth? And once it’s invested big in a book, how does a publisher ensure that the book succeeds?

Bogaard says that from his perspective, the book felt and looked successful even before its publication. Industry watchers like Publishers Weekly reviews director Louisa Ermelino say that’s part of a careful strategy of deliberately building excitement around a big release.