Yeah. People still expect you to do it effortlessly. A man I know asked why I market my own books. I told him all authors have to market their own books. He said I must not be with a real publisher. But most people still think bestsellers just magically happen and authors are sitting on the left bank drinking absinthe and thinking about their next novel while it magically flies off the shelf. And everyone nods like yeah its an Indie world now but the powers that be are still shocked when authors market their own work. They are still stupefied to find writers acting like salesmen.
Because people want to believe that literary prowess is enough. They want to believe that cream rises to the top and that a good book will carry the day. It just aint true. Good books get buried all the time. Good books die a thousand deaths and no one even hears them. Do we really believe a good book can make enough noise on its own against the titanic forces of mass culture. The internet?
But this belief persists. I run across it all the time. A lot of people just cant believe an author has to get down in the trenches and they are shocked when they realize there are no publicists and handlers and all those people that used to do all the work for authors. Well they are long gone and authors have to do it all.
Even when I was with Bantam I had to do it all. Even more. What is amazing is that the people still just don't get it. They just see the bestseller.
Part II
Guerrilla marketing on the boards.
Because people want to believe that literary prowess is enough. They want to believe that cream rises to the top and that a good book will carry the day. It just aint true. Good books get buried all the time. Good books die a thousand deaths and no one even hears them. Do we really believe a good book can make enough noise on its own against the titanic forces of mass culture. The internet?
But this belief persists. I run across it all the time. A lot of people just cant believe an author has to get down in the trenches and they are shocked when they realize there are no publicists and handlers and all those people that used to do all the work for authors. Well they are long gone and authors have to do it all.
Even when I was with Bantam I had to do it all. Even more. What is amazing is that the people still just don't get it. They just see the bestseller.
Part II
Guerrilla marketing on the boards.
