There’s just over one month left for the book to come out and as you can imagine, I’m bursting with joy going out of my mind.
This is mostly because I, an advertising professional who tends to look down her nose at marketing people, now has to figure out how to turn into a marketing professional with zero shame. I mean it, you guys. ZERO shame.
Here are just a few things I’ve done in the past few weeks:
Accosted random famous authors on the internet, begging them for a book blurb.
Approached some pretty famous Indian comedians, begging them for a book blurb.
Rang up an old classmate who works in PR and screamed ‘Help!’
Bullied my boss into designing the cover.
Nagged my boss for the number of one of my literary idols.
Invited myself over to said literary idol’s house and over tea, begging him for a book blurb.
Begged one of my clients to let me do the book launch at one of their venues.
Begged everyone I know who is capable of helping in ANY way, to help.
Now, most of these efforts have simply been ignored as opposed to say, been at the receiving end of a restraining order. And yes, some of these efforts have actually borne fruit, which I will display in a nicely formatted basket on this site soon. But most of it has been the digital equivalent of handing out leaflets for typing courses outside a railway station. Fruitless, soul-sapping and just sad.
Mostly because I don’t know if any of this will work. Book marketing advice on the internet is contradictory and basically amounts to this:
If you want your book to sell, give it away for free to as many people as possible.
The best way to be a successful author is by being a successful author.
I don’t know about you, but this kind of thinking makes my brain water.
Anne Lamott in her wonderful book Bird by Bird tells us the best part of publishing a book is writing it. And I’m beginning to believe her. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited that this is happening. But I don’t have a marketing-savvy wife like Amish. I don’t have a marketing budget like Chetan Bhagat. I don’t have a hope in hell that this book will be a bestseller. But I have you. Yup, you who are reading this. If you’re still reading, then I still have a shot. So, in the hopes that this isn’t all in vain, I will continue my one-woman campaign of shameless self promotion.
And say, hey, if you’re able to help in ANY way, please help.