Even
if you are not deeply religious, you no doubt have heard of various
prophets. Most major religions have
them, and almost all of the religions have not recognized any modern-day
prophets. This raises many questions,
which relate to publishing. Writers are
the closest thing to prophets… they declare ways we could or should live but
don’t necessarily say their writings are God-delivered or even God-inspired.
So,
which prophets should we listen to – and for how long? Are certain prophets relevant for an era and
then new ones come to reinterpret the world and advise accordingly?
In
the days of religion going back centuries and thousands of years, competing
prophets spoke out. How did we know who
spoke for God and who for themselves?
Who was to say who was right and who was wrong? Why did history record the words of some
prophets, but not all of them? Are the
recordings accurate and complete? Have
they been translated and then redefined over the years in a proper manner? Did some recordings of prophets disappear?
What
about prophets who came before we could record and preserve their words? Perhaps prophets’ words are only meant to be
heard for a certain people and time and not forever.
How
do we know if someone proclaiming to be a prophet today is genuine and not
merely crazy, self-serving, or a liar? Are today’s prophets those who influence us –
politicians, pro athletes, CEOs, celebrities, and newsmakers? Are they our authors, who seek to use words
to sway your views and actions, or to at least get us to question things and
spur a dialogue of change?
Why
do we listen to the so-called experts?
Who is really qualified to be an expert?
What is the shelf-life of an expert?
If
I was to see a doctor, I’d want someone in the sweet spot ages of 45-50 or
so. Such a person is presumably young
enough to be open to learning new things and is old enough to take a seasoned
and mature approach to my care. Someone
right out of med school is too green, too techy. Someone older has skipped over the tech
revolution and likely is jaded by having “seen it all.” Now, I could be totally wrong on how I filter
for a doctor. Age isn’t everything. Their experience, credentials, success rate,
knowledge, availability, bedside manner, and acceptance of my insurance also
weigh on my decision to use him or her.
Book
publishing has many false prophets. So
many experts out there, as well as people in important positions of power and
influence, are not true prophets because:
·
They
are not really qualified to speak about something
·
They
speak with a bias of reward (they only promote what betters them)
·
They
communicate with a bias of perspective (they only know so much and not
everything)
·
They
speak with ulterior motives, some of which may directly conflict with your
needs
·
They
may identify a problem or issue but
really don’t offer a solution or their solution is not viable or is worse
than the problem they seek to fix
·
They
are ego-driven and not speaking from a pure heart
A
lot of advice that is shared in the book industry is by people who suffer from
many or all of the above. Most
industries are the same in that regard.
There are different situations, people, or times – there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to book publishing.
There are many ways to write, edit, promote, market, publish, sell, and
design a book. Run from the prophet who
says they know all and know better. Run from the one who says a problem can be resolved in
four easy steps.
Maybe
I am a false prophet when it comes to book publicity. I only know what I know, from school,
seminars, listening to others, reading books, experimenting with clients, and
the principles of communication and human nature. I may know more than many,
but not more than all – and no one knows anything near everything. I, too, have a bias; I work in the PR
industry. When will I tell you to not
hire a book publicist? Although I give
advice to you to promote yourself, I’d be out of business if I didn’t have
authors hiring me, right?
I
try to give honest, comprehensive, correct, and relevant advice, strategy, and
resources to help all who are on the writing and book publicity journey. I know a number of people, for any number of
reasons, will hire a book publicist and specifically hire my firm, so I don’t
have to say anything that sounds like an infomercial. My hope is you value this blog and see it
represents smart thinking and personable insights. In my case, merely attempting to be a prophet
will be beneficial to you and me.
But,
have your eyes wide open – and your wallet shut – when listening to our
publishing prophets, know-it-all gurus, get-rich-quick schemes, and
self-anointed experts. They only know of
profits – and not prophecy.
DID YOU MISS THESE GEMS?
18 Questions You Need To Ask To
Make Your Book A Success
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#online?
Are authors sexy enough to sell
books?
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Will Your Book Be Relevant – Or
Read – In 2114?
Interview With Leading Book
Marketer Brian Feinblum
What An Author Is Worth
65 Websites For Writers &
Publishers
Mass Communications Disconnect
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and
ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media
Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This
is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014.
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