I
lean heavily towards the view that no publicity is bad publicity. And I accept it both ways: To have zero
publicity can be like having bad publicity when you are trying to break through
and be heard. It’s worth risking the
negative to get the word out. Further,
when you get “bad” publicity such as a critical review, it’s not the end of the
world. When you build name recognition
from something bad, it can still yield positive results.
Just
look at New York City politics, for example.
Christine
Quinn, the powerful head of City Council in New York City, had been the
front-runner in the mayor’s race until recently. She has an interesting story to tell as one
of the nation’s most powerful lesbians, but when her William Morrow memoir, With Patience and Fortitude, debuted a
month ago, it flopped. It ranked 406,000 on Amazon a few weeks after its
release.
By
contrast, Protecting Capitalism, Cases by
Case¸ a book due out shortly by disgraced ex-N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer,
will likely soar on the sales charts.
Why? Because his fall from grace as the top Wall Street cop to a lying,
cheating patron of illegal prostitutes gets attention.
Even
though the disgraced politician left office some four or five years ago, he’s
back, running for City Comptroller. If
he gets into office, as well as Anthony (the penis-tweeting) Weiner as mayor,
New York Vice Squad will be very busy.
Spitzer
suddenly threw his hat into the political race this past week. The shocking news is generating a lot of
headlines in New York. Such PR is sure
to give a boost to his book, even though the book reveals nothing about his
transgressions.
Why
does our world operate this way?
Is
it a testament to society’s good side that it likes to read about people and
things it can never experience, such as murder, sex scandals, and political
corruption? Or is it a sign of moral
decay, that we’d rather buy books by or about criminals and
ethically-challenged individuals than to support positive stories about people
of good character?
There
should be a study done about this. Of,
say, the year’s top-selling 100 or 500 books, how many would be considered
books about a positive event, person, thing or place vs. a look at
society’s debasing moments and scoundrels?
Perhaps we can’t even label a book as one or the other. Many books of confession and redemption can
be seen as positive and uplifting. Or,
they can be viewed as tell-all-tomes on the tawdry side of life, appealing to
the voyeurs of all things lustful, criminal, and morally objectionable.
Will
the public’s appetite ever be fully satiated?
Is it running out of things to shock it?
The bar is being raised (or lowered, in some ways) by the disgraced
leaders, fallen celebrities, criminal athletes, and sleazebags out there. It’ll take something big to get our
attention.
Could
we see these stories next?
-
Politician
kills to cover up wife’s lesbian affair with a nun.
-
Cloned
dog is implanted with micro robotics and is trained to assassinate the
president.
-
Terrorist
attack fells Empire State Building in bid to cover up evidence linking a
celebrity’s role in aiding Iran.
- A billionaire
finances the poisoning of his political enemies – then kills his wife to make
it seem like he’s a victim too.
Or
will the usual stories do, ones about escorts and affairs, embezzlement,
athletes on steroids, newscasters smacking their spouses, a serial murderer, a
gun-filled mass murder… and a disgraced politician making a comeback?
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
Don’t Miss These Recent
Posts
Winning The Battle Over Internet Book
Piracy
26 Ways To Save
Barnes & Noble
12 Hot Topics For Authors, Bloggers, Journalists
Writers Deserve A Trophy
The Bestseller That Never Was
When Do Writers Get Their Graduation?
Do You Market Your Books Doggy Style?
Does
Your Book Blog Do These 16 Things?
Why
Bestseller Cap Doesn’t Deter Authors http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/bestseller-cap-doesnt-stop-authors.html
Will
Social Media Save Your Book? http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-big-is-your-social-media-following.html
Writers
Read This: You Are Marketers
Why
Authors – and Publicists & Publishers Need A Therapist
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
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.