Naming Your Book Is More Important Than Naming Your First Born

I adopted both of my dogs and I didn’t feel right about renaming them, so I fondly call Buzz and Daisy by the names they were given. But when it comes to naming your book, you need to make sure you do so strategically.

One of my clients asked me for guidance the other day about naming his upcoming book.  I began to think about how other writers and editors struggle to get the right title down. So what should go into a great book title?  Follow these steps and you’ll likely come up with something pretty good:

1.       Make sure another book doesn’t share the same title. Google your proposed title and it on Amazon for potential duplication.

2.       See what other titles are being used for books in your genre. You may get ideas from the competition.

3.       Keep it short; the sub-title can be longer.

4.       The title can be something catchy -- maybe just one word or a question or a play on a saying.  But if the title doesn’t fully explain what the book is (and that’s okay), the sub-title absolutely needs to spell it out.

5.       Design the cover image once you have a title and sub-title in mind; don’t look for an image and then build a title in mind; don’t look for an image and then build a title around it.

6.       The title needs to resonate with consumers – one they can easily remember, spell or say, and one that speaks to them.   It can’t be a name or phrase that holds significance to the author but does little for others.

7.       Does the title state a benefit, indicating why you should want to buy the book?  Does it make a prediction or issue a warning?  Does it provoke a debate?

8.       Consider having a number or a year attached to it, such as:  The 2042 Drought:  What To Do When Clean Drinking Water Dries Up.  It gives people a sense of impending danger and a deadline.

9.       Have your title suggest a solution, such as:  Divorce No More:  How To Marry The One Who Will Stick Around.

10.   Consider using humor if it seems appropriate.

11.   Consider off-color language if you think you can get away with it.

12.   Think about the targeted demographic for your book –what words, terms or reference points would mean something to that type of person?

13.   Challenge assumptions, conventional wisdom or current news events, such as:  how to Live Well on More Debt, or Gas Guzzlers Can Fight Global Warming, or Skip College and Earn More Money.

14.   Have your title read more like a headline – it should say something that makes people curious.

15.   Often a book’s Web site corresponds to a book’s title, each influencing the other.  Take that into consideration too.

16.   Link yourself to some bigger name or bigger issue. For instance, if it’s a book about personal finance, maybe try this:  How to Invest Like Warren Buffett, Live Like Hugh Hefner, or maybe:  Diet Secrets Angelina Jolie Would Want to Know.

17.   Touch upon people’s emotions:  love, hate, fear, lust, greed, jealousy or their needs or their desires.  It all comes down to family, money, sex, fun, death and maybe a few other push-button areas.

18.   If the title seems too familiar, don’t use it.  You want something fresh and new, not something that connotes more of the same.

19.   Take a cue from porn.  They change one word of a more famous title and give it a whole new meaning.  Don’t make your book title sound x-rated necessarily, but try playing with the words of a well-known movie or book title and see if one fits for you.

20.   Be aware if words have more than one meaning or association.  You may think people see your title and think it means one thing when you really meant another.  Sometimes people play with such ambiguity to their advantage as well.

21.   Be careful not to get caught up using industry jargon, SAT words, or Ebonics in your title (unless it is relevant).  If people stumble over a word or have to first think about a title’s meaning you have lost them.

22.   Test-drive title ideas.  Go to a book store and survey the workers to see what they think of your potential title.  Ask friends and family as well.

23.   Take into consideration for your title the fact that you plan on writing more books, especially in the same genre, or are planning a series.  If that’s the case, think of a title that can be reused, like Chicken Soup for the Soul…for the Teenager, Pet Lover, Retired, etc.

24.   Some books might resort to another language for a title or the use of symbols.  In rare instances these might work but I’d sooner stick to words and the English language.  Maybe one day we’ll see a book title that just says “Buy Me.”

25.   Sometimes just be straightforward and say what it is:  Get Rich Fast, Risk-Free, or Lose Weight Now.  The drawback is these titles are too generic and yet they really summarize what the book’s about.

No doubt about it, a book title is important for sales and publicity.  It gives people an image of the book, a feel for what you want others to be drawn to.  Just as we may form impressions of a company or a person based on a name, so it goes for books.

A book title is your calling card.  A great title invites conversation; a poor one brings puzzled looks.  I remember the research my wife and I conducted to name our first-born and later our second child.  We looked through several baby name books, some containing tens of thousands of names.  We used a number of filters – can’t be a name that’s hard to pronounce or can be misspelled; can’t be something that can be shortened to something we wouldn’t like; can’t be one that doesn’t clearly identify gender; mustn’t be one that rhymes with a word people can ridicule…and on and on this went. We concluded no name is perfect or foolproof, but we did use a process and we did feel good about our choices (Benjamin and Olivia). 

So it’s the same with a book title – use the steps above to filter out what you’re looking for in a name.

***Brian Feinblum can be reach at brianfeinblum@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @theprexpert.

Can Authors Save the World?

I’ve met more than a fair share of authors who tell me they want to sell books to make money, be famous, and to help promote their career/business.  But many also tell me they want to help people with the information or message in their book.  Others say they’ll donate a portion of the profits to charity.  So how would that work. How can an author truly make a difference?  Here are a few ways:

1.       If you’re going to support a charity, think about the cause you want to serve and locate a charity that does great work and is efficient with how they spend the money they raise.  Consult www.charitynavigator.org and www.bbb.org/us/charity to determine a charity that fits the qualifications you’ve decided upon.

2.       Decide if you’ll support a local or national charity – or both.  You may also be able to donate books to the charity, so they can give to members or sell to raise funds for the services or products they truly need.

3.       Promote the charity on your website and list it at the back of your book, on the final page, so you can encourage your readers to donate time, money, or resources as well.

4.       See if the charity has multiple offices or locations where you can come as a guest speaker and be allowed to sell books, with a portion of the proceeds going to them.

5.       Ask the charity’s board members or community affairs director if they can help you meet other people or organizations that would be willing to host a speaking engagement.  Network through the charity – it’ll help them and you.

6.       In a novel, consider incorporating into the story plot line some mention of the charity or have a character deal with an issue that your favorite charity addresses.

7.       When promoting your book or seeking testimonials, tell people your book is being used to support a charity.

8.       Encourage fellow authors to support your charity or a charity of their preference.

9.       If the charity has a newsletter or Web site, ask them to post something about you and the book.

10.   Note your charity link when you’re communicating via social media – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, etc. and on your Web site.

But don’t expect your relationship with a charity will automatically catapult your book. Give to a charity or support a cause first and foremost because you believe in it and want to make a difference. Good things happen when you do good deeds, so use your authority as an author to save the world, one book at a time.

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com and he can be followed on Twitter @theprexpert.

Book Marketing Opportunity Rises From The Ashes Of Borders Closings

Prized treasures are being looted. Change is in the air. A new order is coming. What was will be no longer. Egypt? Libya? Certainly there is a life and death sea of change going on in the Middle East, but there is another kind of revolution sweeping across the land. The survival of the book and how it will be found and experienced has taken a new, significant turn with the recent closing of hundreds of Borders bookstore outlets. It may be up to the marketers and publicists to save the book world.

When Amazon started selling books online we knew that one day the physical bookstore would come under assault. The process has now been accelerated. Books are not being printed in the quantities they used to be.  A bigger percentage of all book sales—whether it’s an ebook or paper book –is drifting away from physical stores. 

Borders ran itself into the ground with one failed move after another. Further, other factors conspired against them. Blame it on the recession, technology, or the inevitable cycles of change, but whatever is driving this, it’s not like Borders goes under and someone else opens a bookstore. That won’t happen. Barnes and Noble already said they would likely open stores in no more than 10% of the Borders graveyards. Maybe a few independent stores will sprout up or at least the existing ones can buy themselves a little more life. Certainly the non-traditional stores – Target, Costco, K-mart – will bump sales up a little and certainly some would-be book sales will go to amazon and ebook vendors. but some sales will be lost.  Others took a loss when Borders collapsed – landlords on rent, government in taxes, store workers in jobs, printers, shipping companies…etc. But the biggest loser is the neighborhood.

On President’s Day I wandered into my local Borders outlet, as I have done for so many years. The store was located in a wealthy, educated neighborhood that should be able to support it – Scarsdale, New York. There are many book buyers in the area. I came from 10 minutes away, as I live in New Rochelle. Surprisingly, this is one of the several hundred stores that were closing as a result of a bankruptcy filing. I am guessing the real estate is more valuable to the creditors. There isn’t another chain bookstore for miles.

I was dismayed to see signs greeting me everywhere I looked, each screaming of a liquidation discount.  I paused and did a 360 and tried to drink up the moment. I realized I was witnessing a pivotal time in our society’s history – the end of an era.

There have been all kinds of signs this day would come. The ipad’s successful launch last year was significant. So was Kindle’s a few years prior to that.  Like the movie, Terminator, judgment day was coming but I always thought it could be averted. In the film, the battle between technology and humankind was predicted to be won by the machines.  I can see why. The bookstore is being folded up into an electronic tablet that can be taken anywhere.

At the same time Borders crumbled and filed for bankruptcy, Jeopardy was crowning a computer as its champ.  Technology, though it can enhance our lives greatly and provide many benefits, is also contributing to massive changes in book publishing that are impacting so many areas: how books are created, sold, and read. It is also impacting real estate, jobs, and what I think is the biggest issue of all: community. As the mighty bookstore disappears, with it vanishes one of our great modern-day cultural centers. I don’t believe we can replace this with a smart phone.

As I walk down the aisles of the store, it looks picked over the way stores look during the height of Christmas season. The lines to purchase discounted items were long. You wonder why they are going under if they are so busy, but this was an aberration. If they were profitable we wouldn’t be discussing this. Books were on the floor and out of place. Each book came to symbolize a brick that no longer holds the building together. Each book was like a junk bond making up the debt load that was crushing the chain. And each book symbolized a mind and a soul that will soon not be connected to the books we need to grow our lives. 

The superstore bookstore has become a fixture in neighborhoods across the country over the past several decades. It is the epicenter, bringing people of all ages and walks of life together. The stores provide a safe haven for the curious, the seeking, the thinking. Beyond bookstores and Starbucks, our gathering place is increasingly moving to the online world

I lament the loss we are now experiencing and will continue to experience. Just being around the books and magazines in a store make you feel you could see the world, for at your finger tips are books covering every topic imaginable or novels that could create whole new worlds. They collectively provided a physical feeling, giving a home to facts, figures, ideas, questions, fantasies, and experiences. If each book spoke, you would hear a crowd roar more deafening than at a concert.

Stores take a highly individual experience – reading – and turn it into a group-supported activity. There is no place I feel safer in and more welcomed in than a bookstore. It is my home, my place to spend hours in. It provides a comfortable, inspiring environment in which I learn and write. Perhaps I am being overdramatic here. After all, books will still exist and people will still read, but I can’t help but feel that something big is being lost here. It’s not just something is different; something is less than before.

The bookstore is a sanctuary, even more so than a library. Libraries are stodgy and old and small. They look like nursing homes for books. Never try to hold a conversation in a library and don’t expect to buy coffee there. In a bookstore,  I can digest the nutrients of life with so many new books and magazines and scores of people seeking out knowledge.

Several decades ago many people lamented that superstore chains were dominating the book market and that mom and pop stores would be destroyed. Readers, as a result would suffer high prices and the corporatization of books. I thought, at the time, that this was a natural evolution or progression taking place, and that we should go with it rather than fight it. We had no choice, as consumers, anyway.  If an independent was to survive then the principles of capitalism would need to rule – the little stores would need to do things faster, cheaper, better, more innovatively.  Otherwise they would perish and it was meant to be that way. Superstores offer distinct advantages – places to congregate, greater title selection, more copies of each title, and a café. They offer big discounts, many author  presentations, and helpful staff to recommend books.  What was bad about any of that?

With every Kindle or Nook sale the process to close stores is accelerated. I can understand the ebook appeal:  The e-device weighs less than a bunch of books; you can alter the font size to match your eyesight, you save trees, and e-books cost less. You have a virtual, mobile library in your hands, 24/7. But I also favor the physical book. You can touch it. Its colorful, textured cover and book jacket copy are a part of the reading experience. People can see what I am reading. The words have weight to them.  I can flip through a book to find information. I can see my progress with a bookmark. I can share it with someone else and not worry it will disappear from a screen.

I welcome a dual world, where the physical book and bookstore remain with us, while at the same time the convenient option to download books is available too. The physical-only world is gone, but let’s not swing all the way to a digital-only book world.

Bookstores are the people’s campuses. They bring us together in a unique, self-selecting way. Borders may be coming down, but let’s not tear apart the community with it. Long live the bookstore and the physical book…this should be our battle cry.

The world is shrinking physically, expanding digitally. The chains nearly killed the independents. Amazon is killing the bookstore...and e-books could kill traditional, big-house publishers. There is no lack of information out there...but we lack showcases (storefronts) and trained professionals to recommend books. The world will become a little less literate while it ends up reading more.

So, aside from the cultural and economic devastation bookstore closings leave us with, they leave today’s author to act as marketer, publicist, and advertiser. Even before the fall of the bookstore, self-published authors knew the secret: they have to be marketers to survive. And now all authors, whether published by a major New York house or published by Author Solutions as a print on demand book, must rely on beyond-the-store marketing.

And that is what this new blog will address: How to level the playing field and seek out opportunities to establish yourself in a marketplace that has ballooned with competition. As someone who has been promoting and marketing books for over 20 years, I will bring what I hope you find to be an authoritative but personable voice. I seek a new community, a place perhaps that exists mainly in my mind, but also one that exists in the way we connect with each other. As the bookstores shutter and shackle themselves, may this blog open a door to the digital dimension that I both am coming to love and loath. Together, we can shape our new society, a post-bookstore one.

What does this all mean for book marketing? It means book marketers are invaluable. More than ever, if a book is to sell and authors are to grow their writing careers and seek to convert book fame into other riches or consulting jobs, authors will need to hire a marketing pro to get the word out there. And this is where I come in and why this blog is being born.  I have seen many changes in the publishing industry but regardless of any change, it’s been a constant that one must seize hold of their book and take responsibility for its survival. You can’t depend on a bookstore to sell your book or a publisher to market it or any one thing to generate a ton of sales. You will need to do a number of things and get help in the process. 

As the book landscape continues to mature, you should alter your approach to marketing and promoting books beyond bookstores.  For now, a moment of silence for the expanding book cemetery, formerly known as Borders.

*** Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @theprexpert.

Are There Too Many Books?

Let me preface this blog entry by saying I’m a huge supporter of freedom of speech, literacy, knowledge sharing, and books and libraries.  I would find it unconscionable to ever suggest we need to limit the number of books published or to have some kind of censor decide what gets published, but it has occurred to me that a flooded marketplace doesn’t  necessarily serve society well.

Take a look at the numbers.  When I entered the publishing industry exactly two decades ago there were some 45,000 new books published that year.  However with the explosion of technology and cheaper printing methods, that number grew to over 412,000 according to Books In Print, in 2008, and one million in 2010.

On the one hand, the consumer/scholar is offered more choices, more voices, and more writers to select from.  But did the quality of the book get lost in the process?  How well written, researched and edited are these books?  What do these books cover that other books do not?  Instead of getting 300 diet books do we now have a better chance of finding a diet that works?  My concern is that the proliferation of titles has yielded repetition of the same books that were already out there, often watered-down versions of what exists.

Like all freedoms or rights, there is an obligation and responsibility that goes with them.  Just because you can write and publish a book doesn’t mean that you should.  Of course the marketplace decides on the viability of a book but by flooding the market with so much mediocrity, reproductions, and uninteresting texts, are we endangering the books that are worthy of a readership?

Even if we wanted to control the number of books being published, which we couldn’t, what I would encourage is that we inject some standards and self-control in the publishing process.  In order for some books to survive and actually do what they are supposed to do – inform, enlighten, inspire or entertain the masses – some books should never see the ink of a printing press. Or the digital glow of an ebook.

Look at other areas of our world where the quality of something endangers the quality and survivability of it.  Start with people.  Without some kind of population control we’ll grow beyond the planet’s means to sustain itself.  Half the world already lives in poverty.  Do we want to encourage the Octomoms of the publishing world to reproduce useless books?

To encourage a healthier book world, here’s what’s needed:

1. An author should give an honest assessment as to why he or she believes his book should be published.  Is it really filling a need out there, or do you just see it as a lottery ticket to get rich?  Do you believe your book is interesting and useful on the merits of the writing, or are you just driven by an insatiable ego that misguides you?

2. Have people read your book before it’s published.  See if others think it’s a good idea and well done.  Their feedback can at least shape and improve your book - or save you the effort of pursuing publication.

3. Walk into a bookstore and compare what else is out there and measure why you believe yours is better than those competing titles.  The question surely will be asked by consumers and the media, so confront it now.  If you think, at best, your book is just as good – but not better- that may not be enough of a reason to go forward.  Make it better, different, unique, special, or don’t do it.

4. Get an editor.  Too many books are poorly researched or filled with factual errors, misspellings, and poor grammar.  They could be made shorter, more interesting, and just plain better.

5. Even though I just said a flooded marketplace may kill the better books, I also think books need access to readers in order for their fate to be determined. Just as Amazon sells every book, out there, so should bookstores.  Barnes and Noble Borders superstores should sell at least one copy of every title.  How else can we compare books unless we see what’s out there?  Why should a store’s book buyer decide for a consumer what he or she should read?

6. We need more book review sources.  Every book should be reviewed.  Amazon lists book summaries supplied by the author/publisher and post consumer reviews but we need a clearing house that tells us what every book is about and have a rating system in place so people can have something to base their book-reading decisions on.  Book review space in Publishers Weekly, New York Times or even at online sites thus far has not been able to do this.  What company can hire enough reviewers to write about the nearly 3,000 books published daily, assuming copies of each book could be obtained?  Probably no one, but maybe a financial model, supplied by all publishers and authors can create this.  If every publisher or author paid $50 or so to get a review, understanding it could be negative, we can have the vast majority of books reviewed.

7. Books that are commercial or sell well are fine and good but what about books of a true literary quality – short stories, poetry, historical books and those that have real intellectual appeal?  We need more of those and fewer books telling us how to make more money by following the same six steps that 90% of the country has proven it can’t actually follow.  Do we need a subsidy program from the government?  Do we need publishers to commit to taking 5% of their profits and funneling it into books that give value to society, even if they’re not big sellers?

8. Test-drive your book idea with your blog. See what kind of following you build up or feedback that is generated to your writing style and ideas presented.  If people don’t like the blog, will they spend money on your book?

9. Do a gut-check on your qualifications. Are you the best person to write the book that you wrote? Do you have the experience, the credentials, or the education to support your book? This doesn’t mean you need a Ph.D to write a book or even be in a specific profession to write about issues confronting it, but certainly, you have to take a look at your background and really draw a connection to what you write about. Otherwise, we have more unqualified people giving guidance, advice or information that may very well be incomplete, misunderstood, or misrepresented by the author. Just as when you’re sick you visit a doctor, when you read about other matters, wouldn’t you want that author to be the perceived expert? If you conclude there is a disconnect between who you are and what you write about, rethink the book or start interviewing those in the know so your book has some credibility.

Not to sound like a split personality on this – but I am conflicted on the matter – I conclude that every book that’s published deserves consideration and to find its readers. It needs access to the market but if each author and publisher can find a way to restrain from publishing more of the same titles or poorly put together books, the publishing industry and society would greatly benefit.

We always hear too much of a good thing is not a good thing.  I love books and know that if they are to survive we need reform in all directions to improve things.  Slowing down the pace of new book releases, provided we’re removing the books that fall short of their competitors, is not a bad thing at all.  And maybe it’ll open the door for books that should be published to see the light of day. 

It’s up to the writer and the reader to determine the next step. Start with yourself.

***Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @theprexpert.

Blog Editorial & Ethics Policy: Mine & Yours

The editorial policy of my blog is simple: I will write about what not only interests me but that which I believe will interest you. My blog’s subject matter is the book publishing industry and the specialized areas of marketing and public relations. I will also write about the news media, advertising, and digital communication. My readers may not agree with me all the time and I welcome feedback, constructive criticism, challenges, new theories, good resource-sharing, and anything they believe will further enhance the blog community I have created.

I will never plagiarize, knowingly break the law, or pass on opinion as fact in this blog. I might share fantasies, expose hypocrisy, or take on common wisdom, but I won’t purposely use the blog as a platform to just air petty grievances or grind an axe against an individual or entity without a basis for doing so.

Something worth noting is the idea of avoiding a conflict of interest. I don’t think it is possible to do this, for authors, all the time. Interests conflict all the time. If I write about a current or former client I will label them as such, even if they didn’t pay me to write about them. That’s the least one should do but what about when someone is not a client and I write negatively about them? Is there a conflict there as well? Perhaps I was motivated to write about them because they are my competitor or they compete with my client? You, as the reader, may have trouble understanding or knowing the motivations of a blogger and of where they are coming from. Just how much can or should be disclosed?

Regardless, some things should be made clear:

• I can’t write negatively about those who pay me—a client, my employer, or an advertiser (if I have them one day). You should know that the absence of criticism against those who fund me is the norm for almost any blogger.

• I won’t write demeaning things against family, friends, co-workers, and those in my inner circle. Again, what blogger does, unless they really don’t care about their relationships with those closest to them? It wouldn’t be fair to violate their sense of privacy either. Why should me dad or neighbor think that what he does or says will be fodder for my blog today?

• You also won’t likely see me single out someone in the publishing industry—not a single literary agent, editor, publisher, consultant, or even a competitor in the public relations field or marketing industry. They’d have to do something truly horrible for me to spotlight them in an ugly way.

• I am not a journalist—I’m a blogger. I am an online yenta. But I won’t gossip or purposely sensationalize. I also won’t violate someone’s trust. My blog is here to inform, entertain, enlighten, and inspire. I have a voice worth sharing on the things I know best and that mean the most to me. And hopefully to you.

I can’t help but think I’ve missed something. Chances are I left something out, but the beauty of an editorial policy is it can be revised. It should evolve, over time, based on changes in blogging, in society, the publishing industry and in the fields of public relations and marketing. One can’t foresee deep into the future but one can anticipate how human nature will act under certain circumstances. In the end, I aim to do the right thing but I’m human. I’ll make mistakes, miscalculations, misinterpretations, and misjudgments. I’ll be in a rush and screw up. Or I’ll want to throw around some moral authority and start preaching about something. Or I will perhaps on occasion, get to play the hero. I will use my pen—or blog—to hopefully achieve something good, something of lasting value.

I know one thing: You will decide the fate of this blog.  Your feedback, your desire to share my blog with others, and your continued support will dictate if my blog has lasting power.

Today I blog, therefore I exist. Tomorrow is yet to come. I am sure to follow my own rules and I expect to break some, knowingly or accidentally. Perhaps that should be my true editorial motto: “I’ll try, but I might step out of line.”  We will experiment and see what happens.

Blogs should be experimental. They should be unique. We don’t need more of the same—we want new view points, fresh ideas, new discoveries, and a better way to see things. That doesn’t mean one should be provocative for the sake of titillation or to get attention. Nor does it mean one should be contrarian just to play devil’s advocate.

But for a blog to thrive, it must tap into the essence of its subject matter. If an author wastes the opportunity to give its readers useful information or thought-provoking insight, then he or she is just taking up space. The blog becomes less than worthless, as a result, and gets ignored and dismissed.

Bloggers are unlikely to be critical of their advertisers and may even give preferential editorial coverage/protection to an advertiser. Other media do this, whether they admit to it or not. None of us are truly independent as bloggers, free of any ties to society that could clash with what we write about and how we write about it.

On the issue of blogs revealing truly valuable information, most bloggers don’t have anything so valuable to offer and if they did, they would choose not to reveal it for free. Why would a blogger give away trade secrets unless he or she found a way to capitalize on it? So, don’t expect me or any blogger to give away what they get paid to do for a living. That doesn’t mean you won’t learn things here or find what I say interesting, but let’s be real: no one is giving away volumes of rich strategies, ideas, resources or information in a blog if they are lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs, etc. Book publishing is no different.

Please also note that at times you will hear straight-from-the-heart feelings, truth challenged, truth revealed, sarcasm, and maybe some cursing. But you will not hear words that hurt, words of racism, sexism, homophobia, or other isms. Not everything has to be PC, but I have little tolerance for ignorance, bigotry, or prejudice.

Every blog should have a clearly stated editorial policy. A mission statement is welcome too. Throw in a statement of ethical standards as well. Readers should know who the blogger is and what parameters or limits – if any – have been clearly defined. The reader is also responsible for reading in-between the lines and being aware of how the world works. For instance, don’t assume anything about anyone, but do know that many bloggers lie, or distort, ignore, cover-up, overstate or understate the truth. They may have a number of conflicts handicapping them, including certain limitations as to what they can say or do, due to financial, legal, religious, political or personal reasons. Further, most bloggers are not schooled in journalism, ethics or the law. They also may lack professional credentials, first-hand knowledge or relevant experiences as to what they write about.

I take my role seriously. I have a responsibility as a blogger to use my ability as a writer to make it worth your time to read my entries. I want them to make an impact. That’s my litmus test before I decide whether to post something. I must ask myself if I wrote about something worthwhile, and  in a way that is interesting, if not useful, to the reader.

Time will tell if my blog finds its readership and grows. I promise to deliver a quantity of quality content no matter how successful the blog becomes. I believe in promoting and marketing the written (typed, too) word and will begin by creating strong blog entries. In the end, you, the reader, will decide the blog’s fate.

And don’t forget to share this with a friend – many of them!

*** To contact Brian Feinblum just email brianfeinblum@gmail.com andfollow him on Twitter @theprexpert.

Lady Gaga Book Marketing Tips

I am always amazed but never surprised at how far people or companies will go to sell themselves. Case in point: Lady Gaga

She is said to have over 10 million followers on Twitter and 35 million Facebook fans.  Her record label is advertising her like crazy.  She is on a media tour and a concert tour.  HBO played her concert over and over.  Amazon ran a 99-cent special on her new album, Born This Way, incurring a multi-million-dollar loss in hopes of gaining market share and free publicity. Lady Gaga it seems, is everywhere.

Then she shows up on a subway car and I had to ask:  Why?

Why would she need to pay for what she seems to get for free?  The subway car is cool looking, but unnecessary.  Or so I thought.

It obviously made an impression on me and I’m writing about her because of it, so her marketing effort has legs.  The subway car is a one-stop shuttle that runs between Grand Central Station and Times Square.  It sticks out because other subway cars don’t get decorated the way that lines’ cars do.  Inside and out, the train was covered in stunning images and visuals – posters, a video screen, and photos revealing the young talent who is just as good a marketer as she is a performer.

The best music marketer of the past 25 years is probably Madonna. She launched one controversial video and song after another in the 80’s and 90’s. The press would buzz over her and you had controversy.  She pushed buttons and dared people to think a little differently.  Her music was pretty good too.

So what lessons can we draw for the book marketing world?  The money is way different.  Musicians can go on tour, sell memorabilia, and build up huge, rabid fan bases.  They make millions – sometimes over a hundred million in one year.  Most writers make peanuts by comparison.

Maybe authors need to be more like musicians. They should go on tour, like a comedian, and charge big admission fees for a presentation.  They should develop an author persona, as Lady Gaga has, and sell memorabilia.  Or copy professional sports and come out with your own set of trading cards!

Ok, so most people won’t buy a poster of the guy in a suit and tie next to the cover of his personal finance book, but it is time authors market themselves differently.  Maybe one problem is authors aren’t seen as the focus but rather the content is– the information or story plot is what is promoted.  But in music, the music is secondary.  The personality or the look of the musical artist is what’s sold to the public.

Another setback for authors is too many are older or out of shape or not attractive.  Most successful musicians would not survive if their look didn’t appeal to young people.  Does this mean a hot 24-year-old writer should have racy shots in a thong splashed across her Web site?  Should the author of a book on relationships make videos showing sexual positions with her boyfriend?  Some authors may try to cash in on their looks or youth or energy, but by far, most authors could never market themselves like musicians.

But Lady Gaga has taught us one lesson or maybe several:  You can never promote enough; sell your image over content; look provocative; copy Madonna live on stage; and be where people don’t expect to see you.

Perhaps, as her album title suggests, she is “Born This Way.”  Few get to be where she’s been and yet, it seems she was a nobody from nowhere.  I like her music but I am a fan of hers rooting for her, because as a marketer, I appreciate how she can saturate the marketplace and cash-in.

Maybe I’ll see her advertise on a pizza pie next or across someone’s bare chest or on school buildings.  I’m sure her marketing team is exploring offers as you read this.

On the other hand, maybe Lady Gaga is not a great marketing role model.  The media reported on May 31 that her 2009 Monster Ball Tour, which grossed $125 million, left her $3, million in the hole.  Maybe it was just Hollywood-like creative accounting but somehow she lost money on a 200-show tour to promote an album with five No. 1 songs.  Apparently she spends a lot on set-design and elaborate wardrobes, but still, come on!

So, authors, start marketing like a rock star.  You might just sell a few books! But you may likely go broke trying.

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @theprexpert.

Book Marketing Ideas From Boston

While on a trip to Boston this past Memorial Day Weekend I did a few fun touristy things though I’ve probably been to the city a dozen or more times.  A few marketing ideas come to mind as a result.

First, on a 90-minute Boston Harbor cruise, the tour guide revealed interesting factoids about the city that gave birth to the American Revolution (Tea Party).  You’d think they would run out of things to say about an old historical city, but the tour guide managed to share some facts that most people outside of Boston probably don’t know.  For one, the city’s skyline of 2011 apparently was created in the 1960s.  All but one tall building was built in the last 50 years.  The guide mentioned how Paul Revere really didn’t yell “the British are coming” but rather it was the “Redcoats are coming!” because at the time, everyone was seen as British. The tour guide spoke of the surrounding islands and how two of them got pushed together as a result of a hurricane. Pretty cool stuff.

The lesson there is that even an old city like Boston can keep reinventing itself to stay relevant. So you too, as an author, can keep making the marketing of your book fresh. Come up with little known facts, tell a story about them, and make people think about things they’ve taken for granted or accepted as truth.

I also took a tour of Fenway Park, the oldest ballpark in baseball.  Home of the Boston Red Sox, the cozy, odd-shaped field was built in 1912.  As a Mets fan it was nice to see the place where the Mets played on the road to a 1986 championship. As a baseball fan, it was cool to learn history about the game I never knew and to go on the field and walk on the outfield warning track by the Green Monster. I also got to sit in the press box, where journalists and reporters watch and report on every game.

The marketing lesson here is how the teams makes money even when there’s no game.  They sold tickets to this tour that’s given every hour. Hundreds of people take the tour at one time – probably over 1500-2000 on a full day. The tour drops you right into the gift shop to buy memorabilia.  Don’t forget to buy your $35 souvenir photo package of the experience.  It’s amazing. There’s no end to what they can charge for. If they said for 20 bucks we can run the bases I’d probably have done it.  If they offered me  the chance to stand at home plate while a pitcher warms up, I would have pulled out the credit card. If they would have a former player sign autographs for a fee, I would have done that. And I’m not even a Red Sox fan. And I’m not alone. Corporations know this and they exploit our loyalty.

Maybe authors should give tours and charge for it.  No matter what you write on, you can probably make a 45-minute event based on it.  Historical fiction can retrace scenes from the book on the streets of the city it takes place in.  Business books, health books, and books on other subjects can tour the places or things mentioned in the book.

If that doesn’t work, you can do what one jogger recently did. In a 48-hour period, he ran over 250 miles, to set a record.  What he should have done was use the run to promote a book. I guess he may get a book deal from this.   He could have had a sponsor and cashed in on the marathon effort. It’s funny, when people do quirky things we both admire them and also question their sanity. But when one finds a way to cash in on the quirkiness we get a little jealous, wondering why we didn’t think of it first.

Should you create a tour?  Should you attempt to run forever or set a record?

Book marketing today will take more than a bookstore signing and a media appearance to get sales going. Think about the odd, the strange, the rare, the visually stunning, the colorful, and all the ways you can market yourself.  Pick one idea and invest in it.  You have nothing to lose.  Those who want to have breakthrough books don’t think about losses, embarrassment or rejection.  They think: How can I be that guy who jogs for attention?

If all else fails, do what I once did as a teen-ager.  It was in the mid 1980’s.  The Mets had a promotional day called Banner Day.  It was the one time in the season where fans can go on the field. Thousands of people would march with decorative banners, posters and costumes in between a double-header. I went with two friends (in my high school days). We didn’t plan in advance.  On the subway ride to Shea Stadium we ripped two brown paper bags apart and took a marker and wrote: “We just want to be on the field.”  Not only did this pathetic “sign” get us entry to the field but it caught the attention of Mets TV announcer Tim McCarver, who laughed as he read our sign over the air and the cameras zeroed in on us.

It didn’t take much effort or expense to get a few memorable seconds on television.  Sometimes you don’t need the big idea or a giant budget.  Just be funny, timely, and honest.

And if all else fails, get a sidekick. Bring your pet with you somewhere and maybe do a dramatic reading of your book while your cute dog sleeps by your feet.  If animals aren’t your style, use cute kids as props. If you don’t have access to either, maybe combine elements you normally don’t see together, such as a bicycle with a missing wheel, a canoe on land, and a couch – all together on your front lawn. It gets your attention, right?

You can have a giant something next to you – a 10-foot tall photograph, or a man on stilts, or a blow-up doll that’s nine-feet tall.  People are drawn to oversized things.

Gimmicky?  Perhaps. Does it get attention, sell books, and draw media coverage?  Absolutely.

Go book a trip to Boston and you may get a few good marketing ideas.

*** To reach Brian Feinblum, contact brianfeinblum@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @theprexpert.