How Do Authors Get Attention?

 

“Go screw yourself, you lyin’ piece of dog shit!”

Could that be the opening line of a good novel?

It works for this blog post. I have your attention. 

Full disclosure, I had a strong alternate: 

“At the very moment he plunged into her perfect body— a product of youth, daily workouts, and a natural beauty —he became fully aware that he had crossed into another dimension, a place where he would experience unfamiliar erotic pleasure beyond his fantasies, and as a direct result, a house emptied of his wife, three kids, two dogs, half his net worth, and all of his dignity.”

In today’s fast-paced, split-attention, no- patience world, great writing has to grab readers in or they just wander over to the next shiny toy. Don’t just say something; make a statement. Be descriptive. Make the reader instantly care or wonder what the hell is going on.

The same is true with your book marketing communications.

Look at some of the statements you are likely to make and think about how a powerful opening could serve you well in each of these areas:

* web site content
* press release
* blog post
* e-mail customer solicitation
* book jacket copy
* Amazon page description
* social media post
* media pitch by e-mail
* book awards application
* book review submission
* postcard copy
* a flier
* advertisement

Aside from your opening lines, you have headlines or subject lines to draw people in. You could have the power of a strong visual, too. The overall layout, font, colors, and typeface will also turn people on — or away. You don’t get a second chance to make a strong first impression, so make the most of your opportunities.

What gets people’s attention?

Challenging one’s values: Are you doing enough to help the poor? 

News: Award-winning book announces 10-point plan to end world hunger by 2041.

Secrets revealed: A man confesses to sleeping with his son’s wife for money.

Facts uncovered: New evidence reveals Nixon had an affair

Emotional rollercoaster: First she hated him; then she feared him. How they became lovers.

A belief that no one dares say: Are transgender people simply mentally ill?

Language: curses, neologisms, slang, foreign words 

Challenge our assumptions: Is the net benefit of exercise overstated, given the time, cost, and number of injuries? 

Bold prediction: Biden could run in 2028 — and win.

Challenging the status quo: Do we really need so many layers of government — town, county, state, and federal?

Breaking grammar rules for effect: 

Sarcasm or a joke: Great weather for a picnic (when it is raining).

Strong political, sexual, or religious statement: Are you a bad Christian if you don’t forgive your mother’s killer?

Controversial ideas: It is time to jail the homeless! 

Provocative questions: Should we abolish all laws regarding the mandatory wearing of clothing in public?

Outrageous statements: Veterinarians should be allowed to treat people in a medical worker shortage or crisis

Information that people need: Here is what you need to know to get a tax refund

Contrarian statements: You can lose weight and still have six beers a night.

Ridicule of a known entity or individual: Kim Kardashian has the authenticity of a Barbie Doll. 

Promises of success, wealth, or health: How to make money with the right side hustle.

Fantasies: Can you live your dreams?

Nostalgia: Why these 6 songs from the 80’s are still amazing.

Deadlines: Here are 5 strategies for last-minute tax filers tomorrow.

Lure of exclusivity: Learn what pleases your spouse from a former escort.

Crazy talk: The aliens are here and not what you think they would be like. 

Start working on your powerful opening line. One good sentence can sell a book!

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 9,500,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

 

 

 

Do Authors Just Need A Different Perspective?

 

 

Though the Freedom Tower opened over 11 years ago, it wasn’t until recently that I visited the tallest building in North America, going to the observation deck on the 101st floor. It has changed my perspective of the city.

The building, measuring 1776 feet tall, stands near where the Twin Towers had watched over the city until 9/11. It is hard to believe we are approaching 25 years since the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor took place. Nearly 3,000 died when terrorists crashed airliners into the buildings.

Being able to see the city from so high was amazing. I have been to the Empire State Building and I once did a helicopter ride over the city, but both had become faint memories. This viewing gave me a fresh perspective on not just Manhattan, but of all the surrounding geography, including four other boroughs, New Jersey, Ellis Island, Liberty Island, etc. It was like looking at a doll house or one of those Lego miniature city renditions, only this was live and real.

The city is cavernous, littered with so many skyscrapers that increasingly dwarf one’s surroundings. It is hard to see too much of the landscape from the ground, but being so high up gives you a comprehensive viewing perch.

You can feel like a bird in the sky when you look down 1000 feet from your vantage point. Everything seems small and proportionately insignificant. You can’t hear the traffic, see the homeless, or smell weed in the streets. No, this is a sanitized view of the biggest city in America, but it is also a wide lens view. It is overwhelming to be able to see a huge chunk of Manhattan from just a single spot.

The city is roughly 18 square miles and packed in any given day with 20 million people, daily commuters, and tourists. But when you are looking from so high up you feel like you are alone, so removed from the lives of others. The city can at times feel overcrowded and claustrophobic, but when you literally distance yourself from the streets you feel god-like and above the fray.

Authors need to get a fresh perspective on things in order to write and market effectively. Writers fall into routines, habits, and rhythms. Sometimes that reliable consistency comforts them and serves them well, but eventually it grows tiresome. Writers need infusions of new input, of fresh perspectives to fuel their splashes of creativity across a blank canvas.

Whereas people may appreciate the view from the sky of the city, writers desperately need a viewing point that extracts them from their heads. They live in dreams, visions of ideal worlds, and in reflections of an unrepeatable past.

The act of writing is a lonely art, one filed with emotions, needs, and desires. How does a writer detach from themselves to see life from another perspective?

Some take to drugs and alcohol. Others get lost in risky or dangerous behaviors. But most authors cannot escape themselves, certainly not their pasts, thoughts, or fears.

Can they just take an elevator to the clouds and look out to see the world differently — or will their baggage weigh them down and only permit them to see through a distorted prism? One may be a thousand feet above the streets, but for some their soul remains in the gutter, chained to viewing the world the same no matter what they see or do.

How can writers gain a new perspective? They must do new things, do familiar things differently, and do anything with in-the-moment intentionality. They need surprises and shocks. They need to be challenged and thrust into new circumstances. They need to get out of their head.

Usually this only happens when writers are thrust into unhealthy situations of excess. Black -out alcoholics and those who violated their marriages have made for some of the greatest writers. It seems only the reckless, abusive, self-hurting, or victimized have the insights and capacities to pen great stories.

But for the rest of us who don’t bang someone else’s wife, who choose not to get high on drugs, and who do not feel haunted by their childhood, how are we, as writers, to get a new perspective?

Maybe we need to simply do the opposite of our norm. If we usually go to bed at 10, stretch it to 2 am tonight. Force yourself to get up early to see the sun rise. Foster a dog. Watch a movie out of your usual genre circle. Eat something you have never had. Visit a house of worship different from yours, if you even have one. Say yes when instincts say no. Take on that which you fear.

Gain a new perspective — on life and on your book marketing.

 

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 8,200,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

 

 

 

Does Your Book Marketing Fall Victim To Patterns?

We all tend to fall into patterns of behavior that either help or hurt us.

This plays out when you look at your approach to book marketing.

Sometimes we don’t even realize what has become a habit or why we do what we do, but these patterns can become self-limiting. If you do A, you in essence, reject option B, or at the very least, you are denying yourself a chance to follow other paths.

There are patterns developed based on past choices and results. They come from patterns of our emotions, thinking, physicality, and how people treat us. Think about it. If you think a certain way, you will act accordingly. Afraid of something? You avoid it and limit your choices. If others treat us negatively based on our actions, we feel pressured to not repeat that path. Conversely, where we experience success, we will repeat everything that resembles that until it proves not to work, thus, creating a new pattern of avoidance.

What patterns of behavior do you exhibit when it comes to book marketing?

Do you tend to do nothing at all? Do you prefer to outsource all of your marketing? Do you do a few things, maybe some of them not very well, and then eventually give up? You may be the victim of your own pattern of attitudes, emotions, experience, and physicality.

Human nature can be highly complex but it is often simple and animalistic. You see an attractive person and you want to have sex with them. You see something valuable and you desire it. You feel good after drinking, eating, or smoking something, and so you want more of it.  And if something proves to be hard, involves risk, or could leave you in pain or a state of loss if you fail, you likely avoid it.

Ok, so you don’t need an armchair sociologist or an amateur psychologist to tell you these things. An honest assessment of your life either validates what I am saying or it doesn’t. There are exceptions to these rules, and it is in those moments of contrarian rebellion that we may see our biggest successes and experience ecstasy.

Writers almost always tell me that they:

* Would rather write than market
* Have little time or money to promote
* Are uncomfortable in talking about themselves
* Feel the odds are stacked against them
* See books of lower quality get lots of sales
* Believe their book is either great, important, entertaining, or inspiring but that no one knows it exists
* Are little aware of what specifically needs to be done to market successfully
* Are lacking skill and/or knowledge of how to execute the steps of a marketing campaign

So what do these writers do about their concerns?

Too many are paralyzed. Their pattern of behavior is to ignore and avoid what needs to be done because the thought of just getting started overwhelms them. They wish for sales, hope for discovery, and pray for success — but they take zero affirmative actions and do not take ownership of their book marketing.

Some will outsource their marketing, able and willing to pay for some of what needs to be done, but by not personally doing anything, they won’t learn how to market and will remain dependent on others for the next book and the next one. The truth is, authors can’t afford to just pay others to do everything — it is too cost-prohibitive — and some things are best done by the author.

Plenty will try to do some marketing, but they will start late, end too soon, and only give it a half-assed effort. They may ignore too many of the things that would actually benefit them. The results will reflect this.

These patterns repeat themselves daily. So, what is the answer?

* Be aware that patterns rule you.
* Identify which ones hold you hostage.
* Make changes and start new patterns.
* Give enough effort, time, and resources to nurture the development of these new patterns.
* Assess and review your results periodically, and where needed, make adjustments or wholesale changes

So, don’t get me wrong. It is not like everything that you think, say, or do is wrong or stuck in a harmful pattern, but recognize that not everything that you do or how you do it is actually helpful to you.

Diagnosing where you fall short, discerning how to change, and committing to doing what feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable is your challenge here.  But you have no choice. To continue as is will yield nothing new or better. Experiment and confront your patterns. That will already position you to see new results, likely for the better.

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 9,200,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

 

 

 

Why Do Authors Choose Optimism Or Pessimism?

  

It would be foolish to live life always being optimistic without making an effort to take ownership of one’s reality. Otherwise, all that you have is wishful thinking, but no muscle behind it. You are just hoping to buck the odds, praying for luck to come your way. You are at the mercy of the world.

It would be equally detrimental to live a life filled with pessimism, where you assume the negative and see everything as a cause for impending failure and doom. Why try, you ask yourself, if you feel doomed before undertaking a challenge. That is a poor attitude that only buys you the misery you are opening yourself to.

In either case, you may not have assessed reality and your prospects properly, nor would you do anything to seize the moment to make something favorable happen. You rendered yourself a hopeless victim, as if you had no say or active role in your life’s journey. You do not have to remain a standby passenger or a voyeur watching your life get defined by others.

I believe in having enough optimism to ignite you to act in an empowering and assertive way. Initiate, not just react. Do, instead of complain. Move in any direction over inertia. Position yourself for success and create your own opportunities. Change your circumstances. No sitting on the sidelines, counting up the excuses as to why you have failed or will fail.

I can’t tell you where my views come from, but I suspect a few factors have played a role in my thinking:

Childhood — I would combat my dad’s pessimism and unfounded fears with optimism and hope, but always tempered by taking action steps to avert doom and to pursue success.

Sports — When I was competing in sports or games, I am reminded there is luck involved but it is one’s skills and motivation that drive the outcomes.

Books — Reading many self-help and inspirational books make it clear that some blend of attitude and action lead to one’s victories or losses.

Results — Once you experience firsthand a favorable result from optimism-fueled action, you can’t but help believe more in your abilities to think, will, and act your way to greater heights.

I know I can’t will you to neither be overly optimistic or pessimistic. You are who you are, and perhaps the older you get, the more entrenched you have become in who you are. But I also know that deep down, something that I say resonates within you, that some part of you yearns for change or better results. You just need encouragement, direction, and perhaps for one thing to change for the better, to act as proof that you can do better, achieve more, and enjoy life. Embrace optimism blended with strategic action. You need both to balance your ability to act and your mindset to be open to opportunity.

Now look at how you view your book marketing. Are you a pessimist or an optimist? What changes can you make in your attitude and actions? 

The answer can be the difference between your book’s success and failure.

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 8,200,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum