Blockhead

Jeff Cohen

As I have often said in this space and anywhere else someone will listen, I don't believe in Writer's Block. There is no special disease that only writers get which prevents them from hearing The Muse. If I told my editors from my "day job" that I couldn't get the newspaper article in on the proper day because I had Writer's Block, they'd fire me the second they stopped laughing.

But I do believe in another affliction: Promotion Block. That one I have, and it might be terminal. To an upcoming book.

Writers, to grossly generalize, are lousy publicists. We tend to be introverted, solitary folk who like to type stuff out on a keyboard for kicks and then see if anybody else thinks what we typed out is interesting in some way or another. 

We don't often know how to best attract their attention, and much ink has been spilled and pixels, um, pixelated, on this very subject. If you're looking for advice on how to publicize your book here, perhaps your time would better be spent learning to grow your own beets.

I know the typical ways writers help promote their work. We usually announce our upcoming release months in advance on DorothyL and elsewhere; we agree to book signings (which are fun when they're not humiliating); we send out bookmarks or postcards or some other little knickknack designed to best remind booksellers, critics, and best of all readers that this particular tome is on its way.

There is no evidence, to my knowledge, that any of this stuff works, but we do it, mostly because the vast majority of us can't think of anything else.

Then there are the promotional geniuses, the authors who come up with unique ideas simply because they have a unique understanding of the process. Some of them study the publishing business from head to toe before jumping in, like my pal the brilliant Rosemary Harris, and some are driven and just wired to grasp the situation in ways the rest of us can't, like the equally brilliant but in a different way J.A. Konrath. 

But some of us just don't get it. It's not that we don't want to, and it's not that we're lazy. The component for effective, innovative promotion is missing from our DNA. We blog, and people read it occasionally. We post on lists, and readers seem to enjoy that, but our sales stay at exactly the same level. We send out tchochkes, and never hear from them or the people who saw them, again.

I'm stuck right now. My CLOSE PERSONAL FRIEND E.J. Copperman's first novel NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEED  is less than two months from publication. I should have been beating various bushes months ago. I have actually purchased NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEED sunscreen to send out. E.J.'s publisher is being very kind and sending bookmarks. E.J.'s website is under construction, and will hopefully be wonderful and running shortly. E.J. has started blogging (fitfully, to be sure) about the book. 

ARCs are being sent to booksellers, reviewers, casual passersby and for all I know sea captains (although they'd have little tie to the story of DEED, which is about a woman renovating a Jersey Shore Victorian to use as a guesthouse, until she runs into two ghosts in the house who want her to find out who killed them). E.J. will be offering two of them as prizes for readers at the website when it's up and the blog, pretty much right now.

But I'm sure there's stuff that should be getting done that isn't, and that's because of Promotion Block. It affects one in five. Won't you help?

LP-to-Digital Update: The project was slowed this week by Promotion Block and continued Knee Recuperation for my daughter. But we managed to plow through the Bette Midler catalog, and as much as I think she's a lovely personality and a terrific entertainer, Ms. M. has never been a great recording artist. A few flashes of fun here and there, but mostly, vinyl that might have been better used to make PVC plumbing materials. 

Comments

[Lorraine Bartlett]

Well, I'm a big fan of Ms. Midler's rendition of Skylark, which, admittedly was recorded a l-o-n-g time ago. (It's still my favorite version of the song.) I have to say I was very disappointed in her last (first?) Christmas CD, Cool Yule, too. Hmm. Maybe you're right. But I have seen her (on the Tube) perform live, and she can sure grab an audience. Perhaps she gets "studio block" and doesn't perform well for an audience of only recording engineers.

Good to know EJ has a blog. Going now to check it out.

[June Shaw]

Bette Midler would be the protagonist in my mystery series in her earlier days. They have exactly the same personalities. When Sean Connerly was a bit younger, he would have been my protag's hunk, Gil Thurman. Okay, I'll quit daydreaming. Enjoyed your post.

[Theresa de Valence]

Hi Jeff, what can I say? I donno what you otto do about promo! I'll review EJ's first book if you'd like to send me an ARC.

I'll go and check out EJ's blog now.

Best,
Theresa

[Bev]

So Jeff, I went to EJ's web site to count the birds and I am struggling with where to send the e-mail. You or your friend EJ's non-existent e-mail address? A little help, please... Here's hoping it's as good as your books :)

[P.J. Coldren]

Jeff - I'd also be happy to give a shot at reviewing your buddy's new book - let me know how to make that work for him, please. Thanks.

P.J. Coldren
pjcoldren@tm.net

[Jeff Cohen]

Just to clarify: at ej's blog site http://itsthegreatestthing.blogspot.com/
Sliced Bread, it's suggested any ARC contest entries be sent to EJ's email address: ejcopperman[AT]gmail[DOT]com. So as to avoid phishing whenever possible. Thanks for the interest. I'll pass the word along to EJ.

[Chester Campbell]

I suppose I'm afflicted with the dread Promo Block, too, Jeff. My books haven't been exactly sailing out the windows lately. I should probably take a short course in Konrathmanship. My blog has about dried on the vine while I struggled to finish my new book (no, it wasn't because of the un-disease Writer's Block).

[Kevin R. Tipple]

Interesting that my comment posted yesterday was removed. Glitch? Or deliberate? I thought I was polite in my disagrement concerning writer's block.

[Jeff Cohen]

Beats me, Kevin. I didn't delete it.

[Jeff Cohen]

Looks like your comment was posted to Dana's Saturday post, Kevin. Not sure why. But I still disagree--politely--about "Writer's Block."

[Kevin R. Tipple]

I wonder why it slipped to there. How very weird. The web must have briefly tilted or something causing the slippage.

Yeah, I think we have discussed the issue before and just have to agree to disagree. lol