The Value of Negative Publicity

By Ben Mack

Ever read CrapAuthors.com? They take pride in their ability to destroy a book and its author. A month ago I had the dubious distinction of being a featured author on CrapAuthors. Of course this happened about the same time I was being slammed on an Internet board where I had been the subject of a feature interview two months earlier (RINF.com). I was scared.

I knew the adage "no publicity is bad publicity." But, my confidence stumbled as I read:

"...makes a great gift for someone you dislike."

"I would use this book as toilette paper...but I'm afraid my ass would give me hemorrhoids in protest."

"...the literary equivalent to nails on a chalkboard..."

My sales had been steadily rising but these words would surely grind everything to a halt. The title of this essay let's you know what happened...my sales went up. I mean way up. I average selling 20 books a week. I sold 300 books that week, more than any other promotional stunt I have yet to pull off. I was scandalous.

Here's how I handled this media event--I fought back. When somebody made a vacuous criticism of my book, I asked my detractors to elaborate their perspectives. If I didn't hear back, I'd spell-out their inaccuracies.

I used the opportunity to email other authors and explain what was happening to me, detailing what was happening to me--In the last three weeks, I've been invited to contribute essays to two books that will be published next year.

In replying to readers, I learned that harsh criticism encouraged my fans on those forums to step forward and plead my case. Readers would plead my case when I kept my replies short and SWEET. The testamonies of these fans outweighed the criticism of my detractors.

I made mistakes. I learned to take the high ground. When somebody sassed me and I was sassy back, my quote haunted me from site to site. Google is a powerful tool. Google allows me to indentify possible target audiences, and it allows spurned readers to locate where I'm currently posting.

Allow me to recap, by being the focus of extreme scrutiny, my immediate sales went up and I've secured future exposure. Not bad. Publicity is good. Bad publicity may be even better.

Ben Mack is author of Poker Without Cards. Reading Poker Without Cards disengages your mind from The Matrix by explaining secrets of theatrical magic. Read praise from Kurt Vonnegut and Robert Anton Wilson at [http://www.PokerWithoutCards.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ben_Mack/45237
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Value-of-Negative-Publicity&id=83521

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Book Marketing Information:

Related Articles

Creating a Book Poster
Posters can be a great and inexpensive way to promote your book. But don't rush right out until you know the key items to include on your poster.
Secrets to Selling Books by Mail
This is intended for informational purposes only. Selling books by mail is one of the "ideal" spare-time business ventures that can be operated from your home, and with minimal investment.
Marketing for Writers When Writing Just Isnt Enough
Many writers write for the experience. Others dream of having a number one best seller.
Top Ten Ways of Why and How to Write your Books Sales Letter - Part 2
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down.
Dont Clone your Book or Business Marketing
Remember that the miracle of cloning sheep has its drawbacks. The main one--dying young.
19 Ways to Secure Non-Returnable Book Sales and Sell More Books
Surprisingly, book stores are not always your greatest source of book sales. Most authors and publishers do want their books to be available in all of the book stores, and rightly so.
How to Create an Amazing Author Website
Without a website, an author is unknown.Without a website, an author sells fewer books.
Raise Your Hand If Youd Consider Giving Up The Rights To Your Book Forever
If Random House pulls up to your house with a U-haul filled with millions and wants to buy your book, maybe you'd consider giving up the rights forever. But, let's come back to the real world.
How To Promote A Book
Nowadays it's no longer a matter of whether or not an author should promote his or her book, but how aggressively one should go about it. The sad truth is that publishers often fail to promote books, and if we, the authors, don't promote your own book then it may be destined to a lifespan between that of butter and yogurt, to paraphrase Calvin Trillan.
Book Marketing 101- Book Publicity for Authors -- Creating a Book Publicity Campaign
Publicity is that elusive thing that can make or break your book - in all sorts of ways! Learning to promote you and your book is something that can take a bit of "re-training" for most new authors (and many old-timers too). Publicity is really all about selling your idea (and you), but all too often the word "selling" brings up images of polyester clad used-car salesmen, telemarketers, and strong-arm sales strategies that do nothing but alienate your intended customer.
Three Powerful Tips on Selecting a Book Topic that Sells
The topic of your book or eBook counts-big time. Which would you buy-The Art of Kissing or The Art of Courtship? The kissing book sold over 60,500 while the other sold only 17,500 copies.
28 Reasons Why Publishers Will Buy Your Book
Editors will buy a book for one or more of the following reasons. By knowing what these reasons are, you can then design a marketing plan with those features in mind.
Best Sellers Aren't Written - They're Made - It's All About Promotion
Writing a book is becoming more and more of a trend these days. In fact, an estimated 5,000 mystery books were published last year in the United States alone, and that number is expected to grow.
How To Get The Most From Your Free eBooks Marketing Campaign
First, your ebook needs to have an attractive title.The title should grab the attention of your intendedtarget audience.
Publicity for Buzz Marketing for Authors
Congratulations, you've written a book and even gotten it published! Now, all you have to do is get people to buy it.Getting people to actually enter a bookstore with the purposeof buying your book is not easy because you're not a "brandname" yet.
Discover 3 Easy Ways to Promote Your Articles
Are you using these methods to promote your articles?If not, you are missing out on some easy ways to get more traffic. Ways that require no additional work on your part once they are set up.
Book Marketing 101
Francine Silverman. Book Marketing from A-Z (InfinityPublishing.
Your Book Marketing Plan - Winning Strategies and Tips
Many authors hit a roadblock when it comes to putting together and implementing a book marketing plan. You know you need to have one, you have a vague idea of what it needs to include, but pulling it all together into a step-by-step plan of attack is not nearly as easy as it sounds.
Self Publishing Success Starts With Marketing
Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart. The publication process is lengthy, involves a considerable number of detailed, administrative tasks and can be expensive.
Media Events for Book Promotion
"How do I set up a media event?" -- As a publisher, that's a good question to have an answer for.Media events and public appearances can fall into any number of categories and include any number of venues (book stores, radio interviews, television interviews, writing group speeches, presentations, chat room interviews, online book tours, public forums, and more).