Interview With Award-Winning & Best-Selling Author Ben Gonshor

 

  

1. What inspired you to write this book? I had been wanting to find a way to pay tribute to my grandparents' generation, Holocaust survivors, who as they grew older were preparing to leave us and this world. A discovered a window into how to tell the story through my lifelong involvement with an amateur Yiddish theatre company and specifically its two productions of the greatest play in the Yiddish theatre canon, They Dybbuk, in which I took part. It's dramatic, mystical themes also allowed me to explore an aspect of my life that I wanted to deal with, which is the mental health piece that the protagonist struggles with and I hope that I was able to combine these elements successfully.  

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? Izzy’s a writer at wit’s end in life, with love and on the verge of a complete breakdown with his career in wedding planning. Following an encounter with a mysterious bird seemingly visible only to him, he soon finds himself agreeing to take on the leading role in an amateur production of the greatest play in all of the Yiddish theatre: The Dybbuk, a gothic tale of destiny, possession and the triumph of love over all.

But when the play’s director dies suddenly and the theatre is threatened with immediate closure, Izzy is thrust into a much greater role, one he’ll soon learn he was predestined to play. In the process, he embarks on a fanciful, romantic voyage that will not only force him to come to terms with his Jewish identity, but to also confront the mysterious bird that holds the key to preserving the past and ensuring the survival of his heritage.   

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I would hope that readers would develop an interest in Yiddish language and culture so as to want to explore it more, including the play, the Dybbuk as well as opening a wider lense into the epidemic that is mental health and how it affects all aspects of our society.   

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title was developed personally and the design was developed by the publisher.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? Stick to it. A friend once said that writing is about mood management and I believe that is a very apt description of the challenges in the writing process and that you have to push through no matter what to get to the end.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I couldn't speak to that as I don't work in the field. I write as a passion regardless of what signals the book world might be sending out. I believe that a book well written will find an audience no matter what.   

7. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? I don't know that I have a style per se. The most important influence on the style of the book would be the Canadian writer\novelist Mordecai Richler who was a giant in the second half of the twentieth century in Canadian literary circles.   

8. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? It's funny, it's heartbreaking, it's dramatic and informative, all in one little package.  

About the Author: Ben Gonshor is a best-selling writer, award-winning playwright, actor, musician and entrepreneur. His debut novel, The Book of Izzy, was the #1 Hot New Release for comedy and top-ten bestseller across categories on Amazon in Canada. It won the NYC Big Book Award and was chosen as a Distinguished Favorite by the Independent Press Awards and named a finalist for comedy by the National Indie Excellence Awards as well as for hum-our and allegorical fiction by the Chanticleer International Book Awards. His play, When Blood Ran Red, which tells of a true-life, dramatic moment in the life of the great American actor\singer\activist, Paul Robeson, won the David and Clare Rosen Memorial International Play Contest at the National Yiddish Theatre in New York. He is the writer\producer of the documentary film Mending The Torn Curtain which tells the story of the creation of the landmark First International Yiddish Theatre Festival. Ben also conceived and produced the world premiere Yiddish language video of The Triangle Fire/Bread and Roses. He holds an M.F.A. in Motion Picture Producing from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California and in his spare time he owns and operates FLUIDS iQ, Canada’s Wellness Laboratory. For more information, please see: bengonshor.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 7,900,000 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

 

 

 

Would Authors Kill For A Best-Seller?

Writers are driven, even feeling compelled, to try to write something so powerful and prophetic.  All of the time.

Every sentence constructed, and each word selected, could or should make a statement, one that clearly shows the writer knows something and is insightfully sharing it with us.

This could come from the writer’s ego, wanting for praise about how he or she brilliantly crafted a book, but more likely it originates within the writer because there is a truth that is discovered and shared, and the writer desires being the messenger or conduit by which this idea, feeling, fact, dream, or whatever is conveyed.

The writer acts almost selflessly, purely seeking to impact and influence how one sees and lives life, looking to shape how we should view and experience how we contribute to our life and the lives of others.

Sometimes the writer acts as a scientist, seeking to find a cure for cancer or to discover the existence of other maladies that until now have gone undetected. Yes, again, it could be coming from a desire to be seen as a hero and savior. It could be done because the scientist seeks fortune from his work. Or it could be done purely as a servant to humanity, to help others.

Does one’s motive matter, as long as they are driven to succeed in a way that will benefit others?

Should it matter that a writer, purely due to jealousy, anger, fear, greed, or some other emotion, vice, or ulterior motive wants to write a great book that helps readers live better moments, if not lives?

What if somehow, with the writing of a book, someone is hurt, maybe even killed, as some kind of direct or indirect result? Is that a price we are prepared to pay for having a great book?

Case in point: An author, in order to write as he does, needs to be reckless in his personal life. He drinks, does drugs, and has sex with married women. As a result, perhaps the author overdoses or one of the husbands kills a cheating wife. Was the book worth the reckless behavior that caused the ensuing acts of grave consequences?

Another point: What if a writer knows that with the publication of a book, people could be snatched up by a corrupt government or come under the threat of known violent individuals? Is it still worth it?

I don’t believe authors make such calculations about their writings, but I do know many writers would sacrifice a lot to write a book that gets critical acclaim, wins awards, hits the best-seller list, or makes a difference in a life. 

What are you willing to do? 

 

What Do We Experience Together?

Spain recently won the World Cup and an estimated 1.5 billion worldwide and 63 million Americans tuned into the final game of the international soccer competition. Though those are big numbers in an era where viewing audiences are diverse, scattered, and their viewing choices are ever-expanding, it also shows how challenging it is to have unifying or common-experience moments. For all those who watched the soccer match, over 80% of the globe and 85% of America tuned it out.

This pattern holds true with most best-selling books. A book can hit the New York Times bestselling list and in the course of the year sell two million copies. This book, wildly successful by all accounts, still failed to be purchased by some 345 million other Americans. Fewer than one percent of our nation’s population will have bought that book that saw two million sales this past year.

 

Do You Need 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 7,800,000 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

 

 

 

Marketing Your Book? Try Yoga!

 

I took a yoga class the other day.

For millions of people, such a statement is made without fanfare. It is no big deal. It is like saying you had pizza for lunch. Nothing special.

But for people like me, it is a rare sentence to come out of one’s mouth. Even rarer, here is a sentence that follows it: “I liked it and would try it again.”

I think I have done yoga a few other times in my life, and each time the experience was a bust. I could not keep up with the instructor, confused my breath-ins with my breath-outs, or felt uncomfortable in the positions I had to assume. But something was different about this time.

I was on vacation in Cape Cod and the hotel offered a beach-set yoga class. My wife said she was going to do it and I thought I would try it. It was fantastic. All of a sudden I felt like a yoga person and started to wonder why I had always given up on it.

My point in sharing this is if someone like me can change his stripes and try — and succeed at — something he previously dismissed or failed at, you can too.

Think about this with your book marketing.

Maybe you need to give it another shot.
To try to be open to it.
To figure out how to be better at it.
To transform your whole approach to it.

I hope to try yoga again without waiting another decade. You should take another look at your book marketing before moving on. There are rewards awaiting those who have persistence, perseverance, and an open mind.

Now, go to the downward dog position and ….

Do You Need 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 7,500,000 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

 

 

 

Are Books Unaffordable Due To US Post Office?

 

Postage stamps just got hiked another five percent. The price of stamps has doubled in 19 years, from 41 cents to 82 cents. At first glance, you may say that this is too much, too fast, but everything else seems to have skyrocketed since then as well, from food costs and cars, to housing and entertainment events. I am not writing here about inflation, but about how postal rates impact the book business. And they are doing just that.

A generation ago the use of direct mail was under threat by the early years of email and the expanding digital economy, but it still existed. Postcards, fliers, catalogs, and other mailers were used by publishers, bookstores, and authors to drum up interest in books for sale. But with the Internet’s growth, and the advent of smart phones and social media, the postal service no longer offers cost-effective ways to market books.

And now the final useful thing that the post office offers — the shipping of books — is questionable. Fed Ex is crazy expensive and UPS is no bargain. But the post office’s rates had been competitive — and now they are going up again.

Unless consumers are willing to pay more for shipping — or publishers/authors are willing to cut profits by absorbing some of these increased costs — we will see a decrease or a slowdown in book sales by mail. Will more consumers migrate to e-books and audiobooks, reducing purchase costs and eliminating shipping entirely? Will more readers go to bookstores to buy their books and not buy online or have to deal with shipping? Perhaps.

Small presses, used bookstores, and indie authors are endangered by increased shipping costs. Same with foreign publishers and printers who ship in bulk to America.

The trend is and will always be that shipping costs increase over time. By how much and how quickly will determine the fate of books.

“Franklin's experience is typical. Wherever history finds a simplified speller, the story follows a similar arc. It begins with a burst of enthusiasm. The reformer, believing they've discovered the cure for English's centuries-long woes, announces their plan to simplify conventional spelling. The design is comprehensive—here they've removed the silent I in friend, there they've turned chaos into kaos. But as they present their ideas to the unsuspecting public, they find that change, especially in language, faces stiff resistance from a society rooted in tradition. In the best case, the world will respond to their proposal with a collective shrug of indifference. In the worst case, it'll unleash upon the reformer a sustained barrage of mockery and scorn that forever will tarnish their name and reduce their legacy to a punch line.”  --Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts To Make English Easier To Spell by Gabe Henry

Do You Need 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 7,400,000 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