Humans are very finicky. Especially New Yorkers. We only seem happy for about 10 days out of
the year. The winters seem long, summer
so short. Too cold, too rainy, too
windy, too hot. Rarely do we acknowledge
a perfect day – and we can be very demanding in defining such perfection.
It seems the minute we went from the
50’s of early Spring to the low 80’s in June, people quickly lamented it’s too
hot or humid. I want to smack these people. After a winter that never seemed to end, I
will not complain it’s too hot – even if it is.
I’ll take sunny and hot over cloudy, grey skies, or cold and windy day. If it means I sweat just standing
on a street corner waiting for a light to change, so be it.
People complain about everything – all
the time. I think we just don’t know how
to acknowledge or embrace the ordinary.
Not every movie will win an Oscar, not every meal is gourmet, not every
sporting event defines a career or season.
And not every day is 78 degrees and sunny. Most things don’t suck nor are they
amazing. The vast majority of days,
people, things, events – and books – are on a spectrum of mediocrity and
ordinary. We search, too often, for
Goldilocks, for our food day to not be too cold or too hot, but just
right. It rarely is.
Books are the same way. They can’t all be great and few are. They don’t all stink either. Some do.
But your book marketing can exceed the value of your book. You can promote in a way that helps your book
overachieve. Go for lofty goals and
heights – but be content if you produce mediocrity. It can be worse, and for many, it will be.
How do you achieve Goldilocks Marketing?
1.
Deny
yourself the truth your book is ordinary or at best pretty good. Market it as if it’s a great,
Pulitzer-worthy, next-big-thing book.
2.
Be
bigger than you are. Ever notice short
people have the biggest mouths? Napoleon Complex perhaps? Well, embrace that
within you – act, talk, think bigger than you really are.
3.
Don’t
fear the bear. Goldilocks broke in to a
house of bears. Be daring and enter into
territory you thought was beyond your means.
Finally, believe in fairy tales, because
the dream to excel as an author is what you’ll need to turn a fantasy into a reality. And if you fall short, don’t complain. Keep trying, even if the day is hot and
humid.
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, 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 © 2013
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