If authors needed to be reminded that how you sell your book is more important than how good the book may be, they need not look beyond the tale of Mango’s Tropical Cafe in South Beach, Florida.
While on a little winter’s reprieve trip with my wife — escaping the grey,
chilled sky of New York — we took in an interesting, if not unusual, show along
the famous beach strip, Ocean Drive.
A two-floor restaurant and bar housed a small stage in the middle of its
spacious club, allowing for a non-stop procession of acts that gave off a vibe
that was a cross between Brazilian carnival and a Las Vegas revue. It was
teetering on campy and cheesy, and yet it was a wonderful human circus of
dancing and singing.
The main attraction or theme on display was having sexy Latin American-imported butts shaking
and gyrating to a beat while adorning beautiful, colorful costumes. After three
hours of seeing some of the firmest bodies perform in a way that seemed so
natural and flowing, my wife and I discussed what we had just witnessed.
We agreed there was a subservience or submissiveness to the way they danced,
accepting of the fact that they knew that people were here to see a spectacle.
The cascade of lovely ladies displaying their wares showed how beautiful the
human form, when young and in shape, can be. They were mesmerizing, like pieces
of moving art, so sensual and sexual.
Were they the best dancers or singers? Not by any means, but they had energy
and verve. They seemed authentic.
Authors should take note:
* Packaging and presentation can trump ability.
* Be ready to bare yourself in a way that
exposes you to criticism and review.
* Something good can still stand out even amidst a sea of competition.
* You simply need to look the part in order to
go out there and seek your treasures.
* Just assert yourself with a look of
confidence, regardless of how you feel or what you are thinking.
The other lesson here was that every author can choose their boundaries or self-limitations. Though these women were willing to be seen and paraded around, but they did not go topless or nude, nor did they have any physical contact with customers. They broke past their comfort levels but did not subject themselves to anything they could not handle.
Find whatever it is that you can offer in style, attitude, or energy in order
to get one’s attention for your book.
If that doesn’t work, just shake that ass!
Do You Need Book Marketing
& PR Help?
Brian
Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page
views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors like
you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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
This
award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ 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.” Copyright
2025.
For
the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He
formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the
head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the
director of publicity 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.
His
writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s
The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).
He
hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and
has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah
Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association,
Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and
Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the
2024 IBPA Book Awards.
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. His first published book was The
Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook. It
was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.
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.
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