14 Lessons Learned After 5,700 Blog Posts

 

When I launched www.BookMarketingBuzzBlog.blogspot.com a little over 15 years ago, I did not necessarily think it would still be going today. I certainly could not have imagined it would receive recognition by FeedSpot and BookBaby as one of the best book marketing blogs, nor did I imagine it would generate over 10.6 million pageviews.  

I had set out to use the blog as a branding tool for my work as a book marketer and publicist, much like how I encourage authors to write a blog to help them sell their books. Well, I have learned many lessons on my blogging journey, one that has hit a milestone of 5,700 blog posts and millions of words, and I would like to share them with you.  

I knew back when I launched the blog that I had things to say, ideas to share, and experiences to convey, but I did not know how in love I would fall with the instant gratification of publishing my words and immediately measuring readership levels. Not only does the blog succeed as a means of promoting me as a thought leader, it has come to help so many readers. It just goes to show you that you never know where things will lead, but the first step is to try.    

Embrace these lessons and successfully blog your way to book sales:  

1. Take action.  Though I had thought about writing a blog for a while, and I had recognized both a desire to write and a career need for it, I did not take action immediately. I see the same holds true for writers today. They have a passion to write and are filled with ideas, but inertia creeps in when it comes time to take action, especially when it involves marketing their books. A blog may seem like an obligation for authors. They want to just write books, not blog posts. They will fret: “What will I write about? How often should I post? Will anyone see my posts?”  

2. I would encourage writers to think about what their brand is, what type of books they plan to write, and to identify what kind of topics or themes their blog could cover. Determine what type of things you will write about and stick to those areas, otherwise your blog will be all over the place, targeted to no one.   

3. Authors can write about the art of writing, editing, researching, the creative process, and publishing. They can talk about the themes and values expressed in their books.  They can tie their content to an honorary day, anniversary, holiday, or trend. They can comment on the news, polls, and events. They can tell stories, share advice, or publish poems, essays, jokes, cartoons, and short stories as blog posts.  

4. Next, establish a voice or persona to write in. You want your DNA or thumbprints to be all over each blog post, meaning a reader should start to recognize your writing style and hopefully appreciate it. Your writing should be authentic and reflect your experiences, knowledge, personality, and views. Do not resort to AI to lazily produce the same soulless stuff others could churn out. Set a higher standard for yourself.  

5. Once you know what you will write about and how you want to present your writings, establish some guidelines on blog length. There is no official standard as to how long a blog post should be, though 400-600 words seems to be a sweet spot – not too long to be a burden to you or your reader, not too short so as to lack substance. You can vary your post length from time to time. Go longer than 1,000 words on rare occasions, but do so if the topic is important and you feel the piece is strong throughout. Don’t dip below 400 words, if possible. Otherwise, it lacks depth.  

6. You can market yourself with a blog. Each post can be shared on social media. Your writings can rest on your site, and serve as an audition or showcase for your writing skills. Each blog post gives you a viral chance of discoverability.   

7. It is important to blog consistently (on a regular schedule) and frequently (often enough to stay relevant). If you find yourself short on time to write or struggling to generate good ideas, allow others to guest-post on your blog. I often interview authors for my blog, which allows me a day off from writing blog posts and provides me with someone who will share the interview post with their connections and network, increasing the blog’s readership.  

In fact, since you got this far in my article, I am happy to offer an interview opportunity to you. Just email me at brianfeinblum@gmail.com and I will send you the interview questions.  

8. Every blog post needs an inviting headline. I find asking a question in the headline works well. You can also make prophetic statements, declare something, cite a shocking statistic, make a bold prediction, or say something contrarian. You need to draw readers in. They could just stop after reading the headline.   

9. No matter how interesting your blog post might be or how inviting your headline is, you need to always have a strong image at the top of your post. There are zillions of free ones available online. Studies show that a visual attached to words will get more readers than a post without one. 

10. I tend to write blog posts in clusters, when opportunity and the right mood hit simultaneously. I build up a blog bank and loosely work around an editorial calendar that I set up for myself.  Many of us will go many weeks without writing a blog post — we may feel tired, get sick, not feel inspired or creative, are too distracted by personal matters, too busy at work or writing a book, etc. Whatever the reason or excuse, build a reserve of evergreen posts so that you can publish them when your gas tank is empty.  

11. When writing a blog, where possible, include lists, bullet points or numbered text. It just makes your content look less clunky, more skimmable, and easy to digest. 

12. When publishing a blog, please make sure to conclude each post with a standard tagline, such as: “Jane Doe is the author of award-winning historical fiction. More can be learned about Jane and her newest book, Abe Lincoln’s Secret Mistress, at www.janedoeauthor.com.” This way, when your blog post gets circulated online, readers will know who you are and where to find you. 

13. If you don’t blog, would you have a newsletter, a substack, a podcast, or a youtube channel? Perhaps, though one would say you can do many of these things, as they are not mutually exclusive. In fact, you can repurpose blog content for a newsletter or use it as a basis for a podcast episode. Even if you don’t want yo commit to writing a blog, at least craft some articles for your web site.   

14. Not every post that you produce will be brilliant nor will it necessarily get a lot of clicks. In fact, I am always surprised to see what I thought was a great post get little traffic and what I thought was just an okay post get tremendous click-throughs. Just keep posting and vary your content to see what generates more interest.  

In my first post, on May 13, 2011, I wrote about Donald Trump, then a billionaire real estate developer who was well known for his exploits on television’s The Apprentice.  I wrote about how I disliked him and thought him to be a buffoon but also to say I admired his publicity antics and his ability to amass free publicity.  Even now, in his second term as president, though I disagree with his bullying and extremist policies, I am completely smitten with his uncanny skill to pump his message out there.    

That post launched many thousands more. You can get started today on your blog. Who knows where it will lead, but embrace the number one step in book marketing: Take Action!  

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 10,600, 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

 

 

 

When Best-Selling Authors Remain Unknown: Colleen Who-ver?

 

After seeing a really delicious movie this opening weekend, Verity, I conveyed to my wife how much I enjoyed the thriller. I told her it was based on a novel by Colleen Hoover.   

She said: “Who?” 

And that is the state of books summed up.  

Hoover, as you may — or may not know — has released 27 novels that have sold 35 million copies worldwide. At one point, she had six books on the New York Times bestseller list at the same time.  

Now, as wildly successful as that sounds, it also makes sense that most people, like my wife, who used to work in the book publishing industry marketing audiobooks, are not familiar with her. In a world of eight billion, 35 million copies is nothing. Even if all the books sold were in America (they were not), and there were no duplicate readers (but there are many), 9 in 10 will still not have read any of her books.  

I am always curious as to why so few books get read by at least a million people, even with tremendous marketing campaigns, great reviews, and strong word-of-mouth. I am even more curious as to why books that cross such a threshold don’t obliterate it.   

I mean, if you are good enough and famous enough to sell a million copies, why not five, 10 or 20 million sales?   

In many cases, writers develop loyal fans who will buy more than one copy of a book, perhaps to give as gifts. They will also buy other titles written by that author. So, 35 million copies over 23 books may mean she has up to a million loyal readers who buy everything Hoover puts out. But is that the case?  

It Ends With Us, also turned into a movie, has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. That means the other 26 books sold 25 million copies, or about a million per book. What happened to the other nine million who read It Ends With Us? They have not bought her other books at anywhere near that rate.  

Judging from Hoover’s record, she retains some type of readership from one book to another but it also appears that she rotates readers — losing some from the prior book while luring new ones in for the newest one. 

I have never read a Hoover book but the movie, Verity, was very entertaining. Am I curious enough to start reading her books? Not yet, but I will watch another movie based on her books. 

 

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 10, 300,000 page views. With over 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

 

 

Interview With Business Leadership Author Michael Rabinowitz

 

  

"The business advice and self-help genres are filled with similar titles, but few offer advice that's as concise and thoughtful as Rabinowitz does in this work." — Kirkus Reviews

"Timely, exceptional, deftly crafted, and of enormous value… unreservedly recommended." — Midwest Book Review

 

1. What inspired you to write the book? In consulting with CEOs on internal organizational challenges, dealmaking, and communications, I kept finding that the root issue we were solving was trust. I had seen the same thing years earlier: whether leading billion-dollar product launches, turning around struggling businesses, or building programs that transformed industry practice, trust was the currency that mattered most. That insight felt too important to share one client at a time, so I wrote a book that summarizes the lessons and practical advice for leveraging this critical leadership skill.  

2. What is the book about and who for? Win Via Trust takes a straightforward, effective approach that makes trust a learnable skill that drives results, not simply a soft virtue. I comprehensively cover the key aspects of trust that an organizational leader needs to know by first introducing the concept in a personal story from my more than 30 years of experience in Fortune 100 companies, startups, and nonprofits to make the issue relatable. I then review the existing evidence as found in studies, surveys, and industry best practices to provide an up-to-date picture of what we know and don’t. I summarize these insights and best practices in two paragraphs in a section titled “The Bottom Line.”  In the next section called “So What,” I move from the science to what it means for how today’s leader acts. Each chapter concludes with “Winning Moves,” practical and actionable next steps a leader should take to leverage trust to improve their performance and their organization’s results. The book is for leaders who are open to improvement, wherever they are in their leadership journey, regardless of whether they work in marketing, sales, finance, technology, operations, or fundraising functions.  

3. What do I hope readers get out of the book? My goal is for leaders to recognize the importance of trust and subsequently elevate their performance by applying practical approaches to lead with trust. By adjusting how they think about and apply trust, they should quickly see stronger short-term results such as faster decisions, closed deals, and engaged teams, along with more sustainable long-term impact.  

4. How did I decide on the book’s title and cover? I wanted the title to set the tone for the book by being clear and concise. So, I quickly concluded that three words were enough: Win Via Trust. Similarly, I wanted a visual that communicated that we were not inventing something new, just unlocking a skill that everyone can further develop. My creative partner, Marko Markovic, developed the lock imagery, which we wanted to stand out against a strong navy background. Hopefully, readers will likewise stand out after unlocking the power of trust.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? I am too early in my book journey to offer much advice, let alone wisdom. If this proves to be analogous to other major efforts I have undertaken, I simply suggest that the author ensure that they are writing about something that they are passionate about, be humble enough to learn and grow during the process, and trust themselves to make the choices that will allow their book to be authentic and a contribution beyond what is already available.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  There are several book trends that reflect broader trends across all industries. Digital saturation is driving a significant segment of consumers to seek non-digital sanctuaries, helping bookstores grow again. Influencers are entering publishing as ‘authorpreneurs,’ using their existing networks to efficiently scale a message and create consumer demand. Additionally, AI is both enabling and challenging what it means to publish original content. I believe that the publishing industry can thrive through all this change if it maintains an unrelenting focus on serving the needs of the reader, as it has done through every technological and societal advance since the printing press.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? That is an easy question since I used my life experiences to introduce trust concepts at the beginning of every chapter.  Whether making high-stakes deals, leading a pharma company’s investor communications through a crisis, turning around a struggling business, coaching teenagers on a playoff basketball run, or leading a high adventure scouting trip in the Adirondacks, my experiences have reinforced that trust is essential to accomplish anything of substance. Trust is the engine that makes collaboration possible, and these experiences offer examples that bring the theory to the real world.  

8.   How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I highly value the time readers spend with me and ruthlessly strive to be concise and practical. My recommendations are based on my experience and corroborated with real-world evidence, which I cite so that researchers receive full credit and readers can follow up on the primary sources if they wish.  Readers who enjoyed Stephen M.R. Covey’s The Speed of Trust will find familiar territory, but my focus is on practical application, with evidence-based “Winning Moves” in every chapter that leaders can act on immediately.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? As a first-time author, every step in the process brought significant learning and growth. I wrote much of the book while traveling on planes to business meetings, and as other travelers will tell you, not every flight provided a comfortable environment to write. I also took a few months off when my father passed away, may his memory be for a blessing. When finalizing the book, I wrestled with whether to wait for newer study results or the impact of the next round of AI innovation on leadership. Ultimately, I decided the insights and practical approaches were evergreen and did not need to wait.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? If you’re looking to improve individual or organizational success, Win Via Trust crystallizes what you need to know as a leader and provides practical advice that you can apply immediately. One framework that you will not find anywhere else is the Trustworthy Decision Matrix, a simple yet powerful 2×2 decision tool built on two questions: does this person or company have a track record of meeting expectations, and how difficult or risky is the task at hand? Utilizing this matrix delivers a clear, evidence-based assessment on whether to move forward and what level of support is needed to succeed. For leaders of organizations large or small, for-profit or nonprofit, this practical architecture for decision-making elevates trust as a corporate value and a competitive advantage. As Kirkus Reviews stated: “The business advice and self-help genres are filled with similar titles, but few offer advice that’s as concise and thoughtful as Rabinowitz does in this work.” You can learn more about my book and listen to my Win Via Trust leadership podcast at winviatrust.com.

 

About The Author: Michael Rabinowitz brings more than thirty years of real-world leadership experience to every engagement. As a C-suite executive, entrepreneur, and advisor to organizations across the full spectrum of business, Michael has lived the challenges his audiences face every day. His presentations are grounded in decades of research and real-world application, rich with practical frameworks, and delivered with the authority of someone who has actually done the work. Audiences consistently leave with actionable insights they can implement. Please see www.winviatrust.com.

 

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 10, 000,000 page views. With over 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

 

 

Interview With Author Julie Ann Sipos

 

1.      What inspired you to write this book?

With corporate fatigue at an all-time high, we've been given ample leeway to poke fun at people and personalities behind the machine, but we rarely dare expose the conduct of women in the workplace when we think men aren't looking. I call this syndrome "Mean Girls" for grown-ups, and some of us don't outgrow it when we put on a pair of pantyhose and a power suit.

 

2.      What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?

Exiled from #MeToo Hollywood, Jaycee Grayson seeks unlikely refuge inside a beloved Midwest doll empire, where the empress has no clothes (and may never have existed at all). She has to decide whether to expose a billion-dollar secret and ruin her shot at a second chance or suck it up and play along—which has never been her strong suit. It's for anyone who's ever had a job, worked among lots of women, reported to one who isn't well-liked, or pondered the difference between "leaning in," lying down, and blowing the whistle on a sister. 

 

3.      What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

Women will feel seen, exonerated, and maybe a little embarrassed. Men will feel stunned and terrified. We will all have a good laugh at ourselves throughout and wonder when the next installment is coming. (The answer is soon!) Visit the website, JayceeGraysNovels.com, for character-curated content, female empowerment merch, and inside dish. You can also hear me talk about all this on YouTube (Julie and Lisa at Dartmouth Park), along with many other ideas on books and stories I share with my screenwriting students in the Department of Cinema & Television Arts at California State University, Northridge.

 

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

When I pitched the idea to my former agent over lunch, she said something like, "I love the idea of your writing about all these horrible women." I had already decided on Wonderful Girls as the name of the doll company. Horrible Women, Wonderful Girls worked on pretty much every level. Damon Freeman of Damonza in New Zealand designs thousands of covers (including bestsellers like Dean Koontz) and picked mine among his top 10 last year. It's a critical relationship when branding a series centered around a heroine on the rocky road to reinvention. She has to be both recognizable and not through each standalone adventure. And it's especially challenging with a broad category like darkly comic literary suspense thriller. It has to pop and blend everywhere and nowhere at all. I think they've nailed it with the first two.

 

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

Watch the sticker shock. Self-publishing isn't free, unless you are only publishing for yourself and a few close friends. If you want to be a professional about it, expect to make an investment and be realistic about returns on that investment in the immediate. That said, I don't think the challenges are all that different than they are for traditionally published mid-list authors, who are expected to bring their own audience, generate publicity, and fork over most of the profits. That makes no sense whatever to my personality type. If you're into risk-taking, reward-reaping feels like a fair trade-off. Just know how you define both.

 

6.      What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?

I think consumers are both wearier and warier of machine consumption than ever, and we're definitely onto the "fauxgorithm." While self-publishing may not have been possible without technology, authors are extremely annoyed with the AI police, and there's a new premium on proof of life in the town square. Book fairs, crafts fairs, bar nights, public and little free libraries. It's both newfangled and old-fashioned at the same time. Social media, meanwhile, has turned away from real-life friends who want to show you their sandwich and more targeted to interesting pages and book clubs.  I also think themed author collabs are really exciting for readers because it's a way to bypass the highly suspect bestseller machine and rely on someone you already like and follow to find something likely to land.

 

7.      How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

Kirkus Reviews called my writing style "punchy." Reviewing my second book, set in the dangerous world of Midwest artisanal meat sticks, and I quote, "the author stuffs each sentence like a sausage, serving bite after bite of clever quips and saucy scrutiny." I think there's a certain Seussian quality to it that may be challenging for some readers. But this is by design; the novels are voiced by Jaycee Grayson, an ousted children's entertainment executive who's fled the coast to duck for cover inside equally broken Middle American systems. We're sorting through all this while living inside her head.

 

8.      What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

It's dedicated to my sister Mary Beth, who did not live to see it published. Jaycee's sister, Meredith, is the heart of the story, and the reason it's more than a snarky satire about standing up to workplace bullying and corporate greed no matter the personal cost. Resurrecting my sister is never easy, but people who knew us in life tell me that reading the novels feels like being with us again on the page.

 

9.      If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

You can get it for $5.99 on Amazon. Writer's Digest Magazine gave me ten thousand dollars for it. I also got an awesome roll of gold stickers.

 

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 10, 000,000 page views. With over 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