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

How to Make Money With Your Short Stories, Poems, Essays, and Novels
Recently, someone rated my "Online Book Marketing" article a 2 out of 5. That person apparently didn't like the article.
Titles (and Subtitles) Sell Books!
Does a title really sell a book? The short answer is, yes. If a book does not attract a reader initially, it will be overlooked and not purchased.
Book Signings Are Pure Gold
So you've written a book, had it published by a publishing company and you are now facing the dreaded book signing or book launch. Your palms sweat at the thought of facing droves of people and actually having to talk to them.
Speaking for a Publication
Why write a book and get attention and loads of contacts?Expertise can sometimes be defined by the articles, columns, responses and books you write. It does not take a lot of effort to write the articles and columns but it does take effort to write a book.
Publishing Your Book-What Way is Best For You? - Part 2
Your print or ebook is nearly finished. You wonder if you should try to get an agent to represent you to the publisher.
Five Secrets of Winning Book Proposals
Working in the publishing industry comes with a high expectation, especially from complete strangers. After the causal 'hello' progresses to 'what do you do,' and my answer is 'I am a publisher,' the words, like fairy dust, work magic; and in the eyes of my conversation partner, I'm transformed into a glamorous Advice Goddess-would I mind reading this stranger's book proposal?Cornered in frozen foods at the grocery, black-tie events or at the bus stop, I've been 'pitched' as we say in the business, with such book proposals as: A Cat's Tale of Christmas; Old Testament Aphrodisiacs; Break Out (after being committed to a mental institution by jealous relatives, the story of one man's quest for revenge); and Suck it and See: A Guide to Tropical Fruits.
Increase Book Sales: When a Sale Is No Longer Just a Sale
Do you have books sitting in your garage that you haven'tsold yet and looking for ways to move them? Then you willwant to know about these five outrageous ideas that aren'tdifficult and can be just plain out fun. Dede Hall, author of The Starving Student's Cookbook hadvery poor sales for her books.
How Many Ways Can You License Your Tips Booklet?
You've been thinking about writing a tips booklet. After all, it's shorter, faster, and easier than writing an entire book.
Book Club Sales -- Increasing the Odds
What is a book club sale? It is actually a rights sale or a licensing agreement: you are granting permission to a book club the right to "borrow" your work. You have written a book, and now you are allowing a book club to print and distribute your book to its members.
Increase Book Sales: When a Book is No Longer Just a Book for Sale
Do you have books sitting in your garage that you haven't sold yet and looking for ways to move them? Then you will want to know about these five outrageous ideas that aren't difficult and can be just plain out fun. Dede Hall, author of The Starving Student's Cookbook had very poor sales for her books.
Book Marketing 101
Francine Silverman. Book Marketing from A-Z (InfinityPublishing.
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.
Attract More Buyers to Your Book: Use Metaphors
Surprise your potential buyers. Give them chocolate frosting!After we entered school we had a lot to learn.
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.
Sell More Books With an E-mail Newsletter
NOTE: Because many words in this article are likely to trigger sp^m filters, we've disguised them with symbols (e.g.
Dont Clone your Book or Business Marketing
Remember that the miracle of cloning sheep has its drawbacks. The main one--dying young.
Poetry Chapbooks: Ten Tips for Promotion
There are several ways of publishing your chapbook. You can do it yourself with a printer and a heavy duty stapler; you can submit a manuscript to a literary entitiy that publishes chapbooks; or you can try a self publishing company.
Why Write Articles to Promote your Book?
Reach 15,000 to 100,000 targeted buyers every week Online. That's the best reason I know to write and submit how-to articles to opt-in ezines and top web sites.
Online Book Promotion Beats Traditional Seven to One - Part 2
Think of Your Promotion Time and BudgetMost one or two-book authors don't have a large marketing budget. Marketing their speaking leaves them little time to write and promote their books.
How to Create an Amazing Author Website
Without a website, an author is unknown. Without a website, an author sells fewer books.