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
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