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| Hearsay: |
An author writes on the post-coital whorehouse shame, and advantages, of promoting yourself through the author video. Start your own video today. Pimps and escorts not included. ‘Nuff said.
Once upon a time, an author published a book and left the selling to the experts in the marketing department. This was the case as recently as last week. But that quaint notion has suddenly gone the way of Duran Duran. Now, because of recent developments in the world of publishing, writer and merchant are fusing into one. Willy Loman and Arthur Miller have commingled. Call it — forgive me — Birth of a Salesman.
Publishers still occasionally provide promotional support for an author to whom they have paid a whopping advance. Other authors, however, the ones without giant deals, are placed on an ice floe and set adrift. Yes, you say. Of course. ‘Twas ever so. But if once comfort might have been derived from such platitudes, this was before the Internet and the anticipated Death of Print.
And yet, the ironic thing about the Death of Print is that no one seems to have told the publishing industry. Even as review column inches shrink and fewer writers appear on radio and television, books continue to tumble out like bunnies during birthing season.
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June 16th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Most can agree that there are writers of faddish groaners in one
corner, and those of serious literature in the other (with more than
a little crossover in some cases). But I don’t accept the pretentious
presumption that to call attention to one’s efforts, often in outlandish
ways, means the author so doing belongs to the first set.
If a book has merit, I’d PREFER it if the author/agent/publisher flailed
about wildly in the marketplace in order to get my attention. With so
many published books, so few readers, and so little time, many worthy
efforts are sadly neglected, cruelly, without justice.
I’m more than likely to be wasting my time in further investigation, and
too much foam without the beer means a few general readers will shy away
from the bar altogether, but as long as the extravagant “hook” is used
only as an “in” to talk about the book’s supposed qualities in greater, more
measured, detail, I support a video production-promo of the author dressing
in pantaloons while reading from a rubber pulpit with burlesque twins in
the background.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:30 am
But surely there must be some middle ground between sober dignity and faking a seizure in the aisle. How come when a writer needs to attract attention to a book, he is expected to act like Billy Mays pitching the bedazzler at a crowd of Oprahites at the Pittsburgh Homeshow.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Does this actually work anyway? Does anybody know?
June 17th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
No, it doesn’t work. It’s just busywork, as Brian says, flailing about. Noone really has any idea how to sell a book.
But really, we’re talking about some pretty simple video. I made one myself, it’s up on my fancy new webpage Michel made for me. it was really just busywork, just me trying to look busy while waiting for the book to come out.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
The LAT piece was decent, but I wanted to see the damn video!