Could You Be The Mayor Of Your Book Marketing?

 

Every town has two mayors. Across the United States there are some 20,000 towns, cities, and villages with an elected mayor. But many of these municipalities have unofficial mayors.

They are not necessarily active in politics or even civic-minded. No, these are the people who seem to know everyone and everything that is going on. They are not elected nor appointed. They self-declare by way of their actions, constantly chatting up anyone on the street and coming off as self-important.

My town next door actually has two such guys. Between them, they must know half the population in small-town Larchmont, New York. They each work the same block or are across the street from one another. They look to be retired, given they never seem to be anywhere else but holding court outside a coffee shop, though one of them had told me he has a business.

One of the guys tends to spin stories that his disciples eagerly lap up, telling one bullshit tale after another from a stoop, clutching a coffee cup for hours in one hand, a cigarette in the other. The slumber of the sleepy town is broken by the laughter coming from that mayor and his minions. As if he needed a reason to stick out more, he has on his trademark accessories — sunglasses and an old-fashioned hat men last wore in the 1950s and ‘60s.

He gives off a Bronx vibe, a bit of a territorial guy who has a clear sense of where his street begins and ends. And within these imaginary boundaries he will latch onto anyone who will listen to stories that no one can verify and likely are mere shells of what really took place, if they even did. For a guy who does nothing all day, he sure seems to make you feel he has been involved in everything.

Their styles are different but the results are the same. They manage to connect with everyone in their orbit, whether it is people walking by unsuspectingly, or those sitting in proximity to them, looking to just sip coffee from Sunshine Coffee Roasters.

They both have dog props to break the ice and disarm people, inviting strangers into their clutches. One has a topless vintage car full of dogs that behave remarkably well while on display. The other has a tag-along standing by with a dog who gets rotated through the day with another guy and his dog.

Each one acts as if he is a late-night talk show host, ready to interview the next person to step onto their stage. Instead of hearing about a celebrity’s newest movie or show, we learn about each of the people living in this town that’s just a 35-minute train ride from the city.

Okay, so my point in telling you all of this is that you, too, can be a mayor of your town, talking people up about your book, building a network of connections that could extend into the hundreds or thousands. Why not?

These guys do nothing but talk, ask questions, tell stories, and show an interest in others. They consistently show up. That is it. You do not need any qualifications, special trainings, or official degrees. They are volunteer mayors and they are great at their jobs.

One thing is clear. You can’t sell books being shy. You need to engage others and initiate contact. Discoverability rarely happens accidentally or randomly. You create the opportunities that lead to being discovered.

If you need to see how one becomes mayor, just take the Metro North Railroad to Larchmont and walk two blocks to Palmer Avenue. You won’t have trouble picking these two out of a crowd because the crowds form around them.

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum 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 8,200,000 page views. With nearly 5,700+ posts over the past 15 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 2026, 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

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) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, 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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum