When A Book Marketer Confesses His Sins

As a Reform Jew in America, 2018, I still honor the Jewish Holidays, namely the current 10-day period that begins with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and ends with Yom Kippur (a day of atonement).  Not only do people usually see family, reflect on their lives, and ask for forgiveness during this time, participants feel a sense of renewal and commitment to the values of their heritage.  It also has proven to be a time for me to put my career under a microscope.  I would like, with your permission, to make a public amends to any wrongs I may have caused as a marketer and promoter.

For the sin of promoting bad books, I do apologize.

For the sin of not returning a call or responding to an email in a timely manner, I do apologize.

For the sin of making promises that I could not keep, I do apologize.

For the sin of encouraging the media to give coverage to inferior books, I do apologize.

For the sin of playing to another’s ego and giving them an unjustified view of themselves, I do apologize.

For the sin of promoting authors who were not nice people.  I do apologize.

For the sin of glossing over my mistakes, I do apologize.

For the sin of missing deadlines, I do apologize.

For the sin of manipulating our language to soften negativity and hype positivity in a disproportionate manner, I do apologize.

For the sin of agreeing to represent someone with character flaws or disingenuous values, I do apologize.

For the sin of letting money cloud my judgment of whom to promote, I do apologize.

For the sin of building up a media placement that really is not as big as it sounds, I do apologize.

  

For the sin of giving someone false hope, I do apologize.

For the sin of withholding criticism or information when one asks for candor, I do apologize.

For the sin of not helping a worthy author pro bono, I do apologize.

I believe throughout the year – and my career.  I’ve done a better, more honest and productive job than most of my contemporaries.  But I also know that on occasion, I fell short, that I was less than the ideal of what one should expect from another.

I will keep learning and changing and seek to improve.  I will also, in seeking to grow, forgive others who fall short or intentionally wrong me.  I will shower others with the compassion I hope they do unto me.

I also realize you don’t need to be Jewish – or have a new year to take stock of yourself, make amends, and move forward.  The book industry and public relations industry are both filled with humans who practice an art but who can also do it better and in a manner that honors good values and helps others.

Amen.

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America and participated in a PR panel at the Sarah Lawrence College Writers Institute Conference.