Behind the Scenes
A Few Thoughts on Promotion
A few weeks ago Justin Taylor’s book, Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever, was threatening the NY Times bestseller list. It was, like, #1000 in sales at Amazon. My first thought was, HYPE. I thought, “Nah, it can’t be all that good, it’s just a book, who cares, he’s not my friend, I’ll buy it but whatever, HYPE.” I’d seen an ad for it on the back of Book Forum. HYPE.
BUT DAMN. Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever is a beautiful book, one of the most affective for me since I read The Sorrows of Young Werther 10 years ago. I don’t know why my reading of Justin’s book keeps bringing me back to Goethe, or that book in particular, but I suspect it has something to do with the exactitude of Justin’s character writing. He has a great ability to recognize and highlight the multidimensionality of his heroes, with their problems and qualities and pains. There is a thing, a depth, going on in great art. Justin captures this depth in a way that is lacking in many of the books I read (or try to read), indie or otherwise.
The stories have inspired in me many grand and minute thoughts about life — his life, his characters’ lives, and far more importantly: my own life. What it hasn’t done is made me wonder, “What is he trying to do here with this story.” Sometimes I can tell a book is doing something important and I try to figure out what it is. With Everything I can tell some greatness is happening and I don’t need to figure it out. Not because I know already, but because I don’t wonder about it. Save that for the critics, I’m into enjoyment, which Justin doles out generously.
Also, I am impressed that Justin managed so much whoa without turning to the meta game, which is where my real affinities lie. He doesn’t baffle the reader with good tricks. He just writes stories well. (In this regard, I’m a little confused about the comparison to Donald Barthelme.)
But I’m only about halfway through the stories. Even so, I wanted to say this: whatever the hype tells you or however it makes you feel: Justin’s book is great.
That’s not the point of the post, though. I’m just using it as introductory material. The point of the post is: promotion is hard. It’s really hard and the rest of this overlong post doesn’t get to the complexity of that thesis.
There was a great story in Ninth Letter, in the current issue. I believe it’s by Cathy Day. I believe it’s called “Your Book.” Someone in the comments can confirm this. I’m at work and my copy is at home, and also Ninth Letter’s website is pretty bad (but that’s okay because their journal is pretty much a paper Internet). Anyway, the story is about how a book becomes commercially successful. It tracks the life of a book, kinda. The story talks about the “5 Pops.” I had never heard of this, but it totally makes sense. Basically it is a theory that people buy something after they see it five times. Like first you see a poster for a book then you see it on Goodreads then you see your friend reading it then you hear about it on NPR then you see a mention of it on Facebook. Then, boom, payday.
Okay, it’s not hard to post stuff on Facebook and Twitter, but it’s hard to do it in a balanced way, so as not to “overexpose” yourself, so as not to make people hate your assface.
Here’s how to do promotion: email people individually and say, “Hey bro, my book just came out. I dig your blog and was wondering if I could get on it somehow, like you could review the book or maybe interview me or I could write a guest post.” I do this, I suppose.
There’s this total jagoff part in The Brandon Book Crisis where Shane Jones emails Brandon to say congratulations on getting his book published—that’s all he’s doing in the message, just congrats and I’m looking forward to reading it—then Brandon and Tao talk shit about Shane, saying that the whole point of his email was to promote Light Boxes, and they conclude that being ‘real’ will pay off better. I think, maybe, those guys are such promotional machines that they see every interaction as a promo opportunity, and they assume everyone else does too. How ‘real’ is that! (Note that I think Brandon, Tao and Shane are all good guys and they all tell good jokes.)
Becoming cynical, losing the ability to connect to people as people — becoming a promotional machine — is a possible danger. You don’t want promotion to overwhelm the quality of the work, unless, like Tao Warhol, in a lot of ways, promotion is the art. On the other hand, a much more present danger is not promoting enough.
Last night my band, Sweatpants, played a show. I thought someone in the audience called out, “Awesome Machine,” as if it was a song we could play. I was wrong, but we played it anyway – it’s just goes Dave and Jamie play while I try to breakdance. It’s a pretty good song. But the point of this paragraph is to tell you that AWESOME MACHINE is an awesome pair of words, and I own them now. It’s the name of my new press. I was talking to Maggie and she said, “Say it early and often.” I wish I came up with “early and often.” The gist of “early and often” is talk constantly about what you’re doing. Draw your logo on every cocktail napkin everywhere. Don’t get all hand-wringy about it. Do it till it sticks and if it doesn’t stick, try something else.
Awesome Machine Awesome Machine Awesome Machine.
What are other promotional techniques? Contests, postcards and buttons, ad trading, blogging, being ‘real’, doing interviews, print ads, writing bad stories and publishing them all willy nilly. I don’t know.
The thing is that I really believe you should know about WORDS by Andy Devine, or whatever other thing I’m going to work my ass off telling you about. I am not just advertising to you so that I will get rich or famous, but because you are my target audience (you with ears to hear, eyes to see), and since I like WORDS so much, I think you will too. Maybe you don’t have to buy it, but it would be great for you to just know about it. I think the information provided in a promotional way will improve the quality of your life.
I have to make a book for my MFA thesis. It’s kind of funny, because with Publishing Genius I have made about 10 books, and hot damn I just had a book released by a pretty estimable press which has also put out material by the likes of Garrett Caples, Carol Mirakove, M. Magnus, Rod Smith – you know, people who have been at it for a while. So since my real book just came out I was worried about what I would do for this fake, self-published book. I came up with the name for the press though. It’s AWESOME MACHINE. Having done that, I am much more excited about my new book. It’s called Say Poem.
The MFA program I’m in is pretty cool though. It has a strong orientation toward self-publishing, in other words, go there and pay to learn to do it yourself. But here’s the thing they don’t teach there: creating a book is just one step in the publishing process. In fact, it’s the easiest step.
Here are things that are more difficult and less fun than producing the book: developing an administrative platform, tracking sales and potential sales, maintaining a ledger so payments can be made to authors, balancing that ledger with payments from bookstores and distributors, staying on top of distribution, and of course, the most important of all: promotion.
Promotion: because more people than your friends and family will buy your book.
That last sentence is true. No problem. People will buy anything, c’mon, geez, the world is America. But they have to know about it. They have to see it five times. So while I’m not entirely comfortable with book giveaways and praying to Gawker and buying 1/4” ads in the New Yorker, and while I’m afraid that these things will consume me as I try to get others to consume my work, I’ll probably do it all anyway. I believe in what I’m doing.
Tags: awesome machine, Justin Taylor, promotion
You are right, it was called Your Book. And it was great! I thought at first no, this story will be the type to make my throat feel a little tight and then I’ll want to drink water and it will taste thin and nasty, but no, it was good. The layout and colors and all were also appropriate.
I’d suggest the meat-packy story as well. Am intrigued by the Monster Island piece but haven’t got far into it.
You are right, it was called Your Book. And it was great! I thought at first no, this story will be the type to make my throat feel a little tight and then I’ll want to drink water and it will taste thin and nasty, but no, it was good. The layout and colors and all were also appropriate.
I’d suggest the meat-packy story as well. Am intrigued by the Monster Island piece but haven’t got far into it.
good post. this is something i think many of us are not very good at. or, at least, by ‘many of us’ i mean myself.
enjoying your ‘real’ book, by the way.
this comment is self-promotional.
good post. this is something i think many of us are not very good at. or, at least, by ‘many of us’ i mean myself.
enjoying your ‘real’ book, by the way.
this comment is self-promotional.
Great post Adam!
Great post Adam!
kinda gay post.
kinda gay post.
Good job working Tao Lin into this post.
This is a big question. I am actually more for the “be a decent human being” approach to having any book out. Like it’s not even promotion. Just happens you have a book out and I know you from now/years back/whenever and you have always seemed legit to me (or your writing–which I prob read online, since I read a ton online now) and why not review your book?
I get really annoyed over the “join this group named after my novel” approach.
I actually like the, “I just mailed you a book for free” approach. I get a low of these in the mail, free books. You know what? I read a lot of them. If they catch my attention, I’ll blog it or review it for all the sites I review for or whatever.
I have more thoughts but it is Friday and I’m about to drink.
Good job working Tao Lin into this post.
This is a big question. I am actually more for the “be a decent human being” approach to having any book out. Like it’s not even promotion. Just happens you have a book out and I know you from now/years back/whenever and you have always seemed legit to me (or your writing–which I prob read online, since I read a ton online now) and why not review your book?
I get really annoyed over the “join this group named after my novel” approach.
I actually like the, “I just mailed you a book for free” approach. I get a low of these in the mail, free books. You know what? I read a lot of them. If they catch my attention, I’ll blog it or review it for all the sites I review for or whatever.
I have more thoughts but it is Friday and I’m about to drink.
a low?
I meant a lot of these.
a low?
I meant a lot of these.
Thanks for posting this, Adam. It’s so funny cause I’m kind of in the thick of this myself. We’re putting out a new issue and I’m thinking of ways to promote it that will make people want to buy it and make me not look like a total self-promotional asshole in the process. You’re right, it’s the most difficult and most important part.
These past few weeks I’ve been thinking that the trade-off is this: look like a goon = sell books, don’t look like a goon = don’t sell books. I know it’s a little childish to be worried but what others think, but I pour so much of myself into this mag that the thought of someone looking at it and saying “ugh, not that guy again,” makes me cringe. But I like your attitude about it. If you believe in what you’re doing you should promote the shit out of it while wearing a hat that says “Fuck All Y’all”.
Oh, and don’t forget to pre-order you copy of Issue Six!
http://annalemma.net/print/issues/annalemma-issue-six-sacrifice-pre-sale
Thanks for posting this, Adam. It’s so funny cause I’m kind of in the thick of this myself. We’re putting out a new issue and I’m thinking of ways to promote it that will make people want to buy it and make me not look like a total self-promotional asshole in the process. You’re right, it’s the most difficult and most important part.
These past few weeks I’ve been thinking that the trade-off is this: look like a goon = sell books, don’t look like a goon = don’t sell books. I know it’s a little childish to be worried but what others think, but I pour so much of myself into this mag that the thought of someone looking at it and saying “ugh, not that guy again,” makes me cringe. But I like your attitude about it. If you believe in what you’re doing you should promote the shit out of it while wearing a hat that says “Fuck All Y’all”.
Oh, and don’t forget to pre-order you copy of Issue Six!
http://annalemma.net/print/issues/annalemma-issue-six-sacrifice-pre-sale
“eat a dick fagtron”
“eat a dick fagtron”
I probably agree with everything you wrote in your post, Adam, but I was too dizzy and giddy to actually read it because my copy of this arrived today.
I probably agree with everything you wrote in your post, Adam, but I was too dizzy and giddy to actually read it because my copy of this arrived today.
Adam,
Hate to sing with a choir, but thanks for posting this. There’s a certain posturing of cynicism and hipster negativity in the indie press scene. “I do this but who gives a shit,” that kind of thing. Thanks for coming out and saying that, at the end of the day, publishing is a terrible experience you only put yourself through because you believe in it. Our next book has been a total clusterfuck, so it’s nice to be reminded why we do this.
Cook
Adam,
Hate to sing with a choir, but thanks for posting this. There’s a certain posturing of cynicism and hipster negativity in the indie press scene. “I do this but who gives a shit,” that kind of thing. Thanks for coming out and saying that, at the end of the day, publishing is a terrible experience you only put yourself through because you believe in it. Our next book has been a total clusterfuck, so it’s nice to be reminded why we do this.
Cook
ATTENTION: WE HAVE WHITE BLOOD CELLS NOW
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
BUT INTERESTING TO WATCH, LIKE SHARKS
ATTENTION: WE HAVE WHITE BLOOD CELLS NOW
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS
BUT INTERESTING TO WATCH, LIKE SHARKS
“Eat a dick fagtron”. –zachary german
It’s cool, though. He’s being ironic when he calls people fags.
“Eat a dick fagtron”. –zachary german
It’s cool, though. He’s being ironic when he calls people fags.
IRONIC SHARKS. SEEMS APPROPRIATE.
IRONIC SHARKS. SEEMS APPROPRIATE.
IT’S WORKING. ZZZZIPP NEVER WANTED TO WIN A BLOODY SHIRT BUT IT’S WORKING, RESOLVE IS CRUMBLING.
IT’S WORKING. ZZZZIPP NEVER WANTED TO WIN A BLOODY SHIRT BUT IT’S WORKING, RESOLVE IS CRUMBLING.
This post is so readable I’m going to read it again.
This post is so readable I’m going to read it again.
If we don’t self promote and simply wait for the world to come knocking – not only will we perish while waiting but we will be bored as well. I promote the hell out of my stuff now. Matter of fact – click my name, follow my blog, tell your friends about it and love it or hate it just do something with it.
If we don’t self promote and simply wait for the world to come knocking – not only will we perish while waiting but we will be bored as well. I promote the hell out of my stuff now. Matter of fact – click my name, follow my blog, tell your friends about it and love it or hate it just do something with it.
Everyone’s so busy, overloaded in fifty thousand million different ways, strung out on media, overwhelmed by possibilities, infinite choices, caught up in their own work, their own lives… I appreciate the perspective, Adam. Good to know what others are doing.
I’m finishing up final edits on MY (3xbad) book, and I’m about to start hunting seriously for a print-publishing partner, but I’ve been building an audience, presumably, for the past six months. One thing I’ve done, which I haven’t seen mentioned much, is I’ve tried to reach out directly to readers of authors I respect, whose work shares some qualities with mine. I’ve been doing this on Twitter and Facebook, and the prospective readers I’ve connected with seem to appreciate what I’m doing. We’ll see what it all means when the novel finally comes out, but from what I can tell so far, building a target audience one reader at a time seems like an honest and valid, if time-consuming, way to go. Of course, there’s still the greater existential question: is it all worth the effort? I promised myself I wouldn’t ask this for another 18 months.
As you may know, I’m also an advocate for the multimedia approach, both for promo and to augment the storytelling on the page. I see “badbadbad” less as a stand-alone book than a literary-audio-visual project. So, yeah. My two cents, and my self-promo. Thanks for reading.
Everyone’s so busy, overloaded in fifty thousand million different ways, strung out on media, overwhelmed by possibilities, infinite choices, caught up in their own work, their own lives… I appreciate the perspective, Adam. Good to know what others are doing.
I’m finishing up final edits on MY (3xbad) book, and I’m about to start hunting seriously for a print-publishing partner, but I’ve been building an audience, presumably, for the past six months. One thing I’ve done, which I haven’t seen mentioned much, is I’ve tried to reach out directly to readers of authors I respect, whose work shares some qualities with mine. I’ve been doing this on Twitter and Facebook, and the prospective readers I’ve connected with seem to appreciate what I’m doing. We’ll see what it all means when the novel finally comes out, but from what I can tell so far, building a target audience one reader at a time seems like an honest and valid, if time-consuming, way to go. Of course, there’s still the greater existential question: is it all worth the effort? I promised myself I wouldn’t ask this for another 18 months.
As you may know, I’m also an advocate for the multimedia approach, both for promo and to augment the storytelling on the page. I see “badbadbad” less as a stand-alone book than a literary-audio-visual project. So, yeah. My two cents, and my self-promo. Thanks for reading.
Lots of good perspectives here. Thanks y’all. Looking forward to seeing your works.
Lots of good perspectives here. Thanks y’all. Looking forward to seeing your works.
Thanks $1M for reading my book, Drew.
Thanks $1M for reading my book, Drew.
We should work it out so that you promote me and I promote you. Like, Annalemma rules so hard it’s easy for me to tell everyone about it. I don’t feel self-conscious talking up your stuff, but speaking directly about my work makes me implode. This is why the pros hire people.
Haha, I forgot about that contest. I need to send the shirt and stuff to the winner.
We should work it out so that you promote me and I promote you. Like, Annalemma rules so hard it’s easy for me to tell everyone about it. I don’t feel self-conscious talking up your stuff, but speaking directly about my work makes me implode. This is why the pros hire people.
Haha, I forgot about that contest. I need to send the shirt and stuff to the winner.
Great post, Adam. Lots to think about. Now, I’ll think about them.
Great post, Adam. Lots to think about. Now, I’ll think about them.
I just started thinking of this recently. Promotion is new to me and i’m drawn to the “guerrilla” kind of promotion. A few years back when Wu-Tang was going to be doing a show in my neighborhood, their street team stenciled the letter W all over the place with the date. I dig that stuff. I definitely agree with the “early and often” idea. That repetition breeds familiarity. And familiarity does not breed comtempt. It breeds liking. Like a sort of nostalgia.
My first bit of promotion was a trailer for David Peak’s book. I dig his writing so here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB8qBdJCSMg
I thank you if you watch it.
I just started thinking of this recently. Promotion is new to me and i’m drawn to the “guerrilla” kind of promotion. A few years back when Wu-Tang was going to be doing a show in my neighborhood, their street team stenciled the letter W all over the place with the date. I dig that stuff. I definitely agree with the “early and often” idea. That repetition breeds familiarity. And familiarity does not breed comtempt. It breeds liking. Like a sort of nostalgia.
My first bit of promotion was a trailer for David Peak’s book. I dig his writing so here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB8qBdJCSMg
I thank you if you watch it.
That’s a really nice trailer.
That’s a really nice trailer.
Really glad you guys mentioned Cathy Day’s story. She’s a professor of mine at Pittsburgh’s MFA program and her piece in Ninth Story is pretty interesting. Reminds me of an article by Thom Donovan in Poetry Foundation. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2010/03/beyond-careerism-redistributing-poetic-effort/ Has anybody else read this?
Really glad you guys mentioned Cathy Day’s story. She’s a professor of mine at Pittsburgh’s MFA program and her piece in Ninth Story is pretty interesting. Reminds me of an article by Thom Donovan in Poetry Foundation. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2010/03/beyond-careerism-redistributing-poetic-effort/ Has anybody else read this?
The 5 Pop is a 8 Pop, now.
The 5 Pop is a 8 Pop, now.
This post is invigorating. Awesome Machine sounds killer.
This post is invigorating. Awesome Machine sounds killer.
[…] HTMLGIANT / A Few Thoughts on Promotion […]
Destroy.
Destroy.
You know, it’s so funny that you mention Annalemma ruling so hard because I was thinking Publishing Genius rules with far greater intensity. I could warm to this accord.
You know, it’s so funny that you mention Annalemma ruling so hard because I was thinking Publishing Genius rules with far greater intensity. I could warm to this accord.
[…] Personality, he said, was the most important, Name the least. If you’re worried about bothering people by promoting your book, don’t be. Nobody gives a fuck about your book. Really, they don’t. It’s on […]
[…] Personality, he said, was the most important, Name the least. If you’re worried about bothering people by promoting your book, don’t be. Nobody gives a fuck about your book. Really, they don’t. It’s on […]
Clay, you rock. I’m excited to read Adam’s book. And excited that you’re excited about it.
Clay, you rock. I’m excited to read Adam’s book. And excited that you’re excited about it.