At BookExpo, silly dress is optional. (Unless you're an unknown author)
At the largest book trade show in the US, self-promotion was the name of the game.
from the June 12, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
I first spotted Ms. Guerrero in a crowded, stuffy room. In a sea of heads facing the dais before them where panelists were discussing how authors and publishers could more effectively use MySpace, a social-networking site, there was a safari hat decorated with plastic animal figurines, palm fronds, peacock feathers, and puffy glitter paint. Nestled in the Noah's Ark were shrunken reproductions of the "Blessing of the Animals" cover. (The hat had taken more than 12 hours to make.)
A few hours later, the firefighter crossed my path on her way to another panel discussion. Kathy Gillette was bubbly and warm, explaining that in a traditionally male-dominated field, where only 2.5 percent of firefighters are women, she's been with the Indianapolis Fire Department for 22 years. Her self-published memoir about the experience will come out on Sept. 11.
Ms. Gillette, a first-time author, read books to figure out every aspect of the process. There was one on how to write a book, another on how to establish a company (she plans to publish other books as well as her own), and finally a book on marketing – which is where she got the idea to come to BEA.
Scott Ginsberg knows a thing or two about the art of marketing. That's his business.
He pulled his giant "Hello, I'm Scott" polyurethane name tag, worn as a sort of vest, over his head, folded it up neatly, and settled in for a massage. Self-promotion can be tiring.
Mr. Ginsberg has been wearing a normal-size name tag 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since Nov. 2, 2000. What started as a fun gimmick led to a story in the Portland Tribune. Now, almost five years later, Ginsberg runs a $300,000-a-year business as a speaker and marketing coach.
"There are 30,000 people here," he said. "Everyone wants to make a name for themselves. The challenge is how you get your name out there and be remembered."
He approved of his fellow costume-wearers.
Ginsberg was giving away copies of his latest book, "Make a Name for Yourself." It follows "How To Be That Guy" (2006), which followed "The Power of Approachability" (2005), which came after his debut "HELLO, my name is Scott" (2003) – which was all about self-publicity.
RSS feed