Marketing Books Puts Me At A Crossroad Of The Mind's Journey

One of the things I love about working in the industry where ideas are exchanged and words mean something is that I am exposed to so many concepts, experiences, theories, beliefs, and perceptions. It feels like I’m at a clearing house for the human mind.

Being presented with so many voices and diverse offerings of viewpoints, insights, and facts makes me feel like I’m learning and growing on a daily basis. Some books repeat what others say. Some conflict with each other. But most offer something unique and special on the ever-expanding spectrum of possible approaches to life.

Books allow me to live thousands of lives I could never get to live, due to time, science, circumstances, fears, needs, money, and other factors. But with each book, I am exposed to fresh ideas and unique perspectives. You realize just how big the world of possibility is, and how small the universe of probability is.

As a marketer and a publicist, one is not required to like the books he or she promotes. Nor does one have to agree with an author's conclusion. Sometimes it’s best not to give too much thought to any of that; otherwise you will wrestle with your soul over truth and values. But it’s hard to insulate yourself against the ideas shared by so many authors. Each book becomes a puzzle piece, challenging you to see if or how it fits into your equation of how you perceive the world to be. And when something shakes up that formula, even by the slightest factor, you can feel your equilibrium displaced. Suddenly, you vibrate to a different wave.

All of these books, good, bad, or otherwise take me somewhere, with a few staying with me forever. I love books, in part, because they represent the sum of one’s life experiences, or their insights and perspectives, or their ideas – leaving out all of the stuff that is of no consequence, but that seems to make up the majority of our lives (sleep, waiting in line, doing chores, going to school, going to work, commuting, etc.). Books are the edited highlight reels of our lives. They represent our best ideas, our deepest thoughts, our sense of truth and justice, our passions, and our most significant experiences. It’s like having a DVR of one’s life – skip the commercials and get right to the heart of things.

I’d love to be someone else for a day and to be many someone elses for many days. But short of that, I love reading the thoughts of others and for varying moments, feeling like I’m in their world – without the risks and consequences (and sadly, the rewards).

Many of my day’s activities and routines are virtually unchanged from prior ones, but what differs greatly is the book that I read and delve into. One day, it’s a personal finance book, another day it’s a military photography book, then a self-help book, and then a humor book. It never gets boring.

But it’s clear there’s one drawback to being a reader and an information consumer. It deprives me of being a liver, a doer, an action-taker. I sit safely on the sidelines of life, letting my mind masturbate in the dreams, lives, thoughts, feelings, and ideas of others. I’m a voyeur, an observer, a mere fan. One day, I want to be on the big field, playing the big game.

Truth is if I wanted it any other way, I’d do something about it. So far, for whatever reason, I’ve calculated that life is best experienced from my current vantage point. But I know that I will take to the stage at some point, with a book of my own, one that I hope will change the world – or at least inspire and impact someone the way I’ve been touched all of these years by the millions of words of so many others. 


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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, 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 © 2014.