Do Authors Need To Be Slapped?

People pay me for advice, resources, and guidance. They want to succeed at marketing their books. But sometimes, what they really need — and appreciate — is when I turn into a book publicity dominatrix. Let’s face it, some writers deserve to be thrown a good smack.

Ok, this need not manifest itself into a physical form, but some writers at least need a verbal tongue-lashing on occasion. They want to be told the ugly truth or at least need to properly get taken to task, and scolded for their crippling inertia, stupid choices, poor efforts, lazy ways, and failed ideas. They need to stop being weak.

I often feel like a therapist to my clients. The book genres may vary from one person to another, and the author names change, but all authors have confronted one or more of the same problems, and have likely reacted to them in the same failed way.

They need to be verbally spanked. I say this out of love.

I just want to beat the stupid out of them. They have one challenge: to overcome themselves. That is it. Get the hell out of your way!

Blame no one, ask nobody for permission to succeed, and stop making lame excuses, dumb choices, and half-assed steps.

I am tired of seeing too many talented writers with good books just utterly fail at marketing their books. It is nothing personal, and I can see why this happens, but I would love to just smack them across the face. The sting of my hand hitting their faces would serve as a reminder to them of what not to do; and for me, it would be cathartic.

Hmmm, do I have anger issues? Nah, I am a gentle guy. I know there is no reason to glorify violence. Other steps need to occur, so that writers can get out of their malaise and assert themselves to take ownership of their writing career.

First, I would try to encourage them. Give them hope. Inspire and motivate them to try — and try again.

Second, I would implore them to seek help — from a coach or even a psychotherapist.

Third, I would strategically show them what to do, how to do it efficiently, and give them resources to achieve.

Fourth, I would try to rationalize with them. Give them support, and encouragement. Provide the facts of their shortfalls with strategies to overcome challenges.

But, when all of that leads to failure, without them even making an attempt to help themselves, I give them what they really need: tough love.

We all need a moment of reckoning, to sober up about where we are at, how we got there, and to identify what needs to be done to right this ship.

Some authors absolutely need a wake-up call, to know they have hit rock bottom and fell off the wagon.

You can’t be gentle, polite, or insincere about it. Go hard at them. They must acknowledge they are not where they need, want, or deserve to be, that they are underachieving, that they must atone for themselves.

Authors need some tough love. Maybe even a wake-up smack upside the head.

 

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their 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

Brian Feinblum should be followed on LinkedIn. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. 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. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.4 million pageviews. With 4,600+ posts over the past dozen 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 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs 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. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. 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. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.