Category: Clever Takes on the News

Clever Book Marketing: “Be the Media” Author David Mathison’s Seeks to Squash Al Gore’s Record

As an author (SUGAR SHOCK!), I’m often awed and intrigued by the brilliant marketing moves of fellow authors.
To pay homage to my fellow Author-Preneurs (a word I coined to convey or entrepreneurial stance) — and to help these authors build a buzz — I plan to periodically feature the clever marketing gimmicks of savvy authors in a new feature here, on my Sugar Shock Blog.
Today, I invite you to learn about David Mathison, author of the hot-selling book, Be The Media, who has launched an outrageous campaign to beat former Vice President Al Gore’s book sales record at a particular northern California bookstore.
BeTheMedia_Cover_Animation3.jpg Currently, Gore holds the record for book sales at an author event at the popular Book Passage bookstore in Corte Madera, California. But this Sunday, March 28, 2010, Mathison is setting his sights on breaking Gore’s record.
“If George Bush could beat him, so can I,” declares a confident Mathison, who self-published Be The Media in 2009 to help teach the secrets of independent media to authors, musicians, filmmakers, bloggers, TV/radio hosts and vloggers so that they can inexpensively and widely distribute their message.
To create a buzz for just one book signing by seeking to rival a celebrity’s turnout is brilliant book marketing in action. Because, let’s face it, many authors dread or fret about book signings, because they never know how many fans will show up.
What’s especially clever about Mathison’s marketing ploy is that he’s also encouraging fans based outside of California to help. He invites anyone — from around the world — to buy Be the Media right at his website. He even promises to personally autograph each book. And if you buy a bunch of copies of Be the Media (i.e., be a contributing donor), you can even win lunch with the author, take a photo with a life-size Al Gore, or discuss the invention of the Internet.
According to Mathison, “Diehard Be The Media activists and special guests will rally from noon to 4 pm outside the bookstore. From 4 to 5 pm, Mathison will deliver the same keynotes he gave in December 2009 and January 2010 to the United Nations.”
As if that wasn’t original enough, Mathison is now live streaming the pre-book-signing goings-on at his website, BeTheMedia.org, so supporters from across the globe can cheer him on and support his cause. The author even “promises to eat, drink, sleep, talk, and filibuster until he beats Gore.” He even confidently proclaims: “Once Gore sees me closing in on the record,” he says, “I’m sure he’ll concede.”

Meatless Monday: Will You Join Us?

Tomorrow, I’m joining the important Meatless Monday campaign.
I now pledge to do my part in 2010 to help reduce meat consumption by 15 percent “in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.”
Will you, too, join this important, healthy, fast growing movement, which is a non-profit initiative sponsored in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health?
Of course, you smart, astute, health-conscious readers will have questions. Get answers and learn important information below how going meatless on Monday can improve your health, save gasoline and much more.
What can you eat if you skip the meat?
Get some history about this important program.
Why go Meatless?
Why Monday?
Learn about Movers & Shakers going Meatless.
And find out about Top Meatless Monday Moments in 2009 involving Michael Pollan, the movie Food, Inc., Al Gore, Lou Dobbs, Glen Beck, Laura Ingraham, Kathy Freston and Paul McCartney.

My Zany Publicity Stunt at Book Expo America

As they say, each picture is worth 1,000 words. So I’ll just let these photos show you what I was doing this past weekend at Book Expo America to drum up interest in my next book, The Weight-Loss Habits of Highly Successful Losers. (It was formerly called The White-Out Diet and The Better Habits Diet.).
Suffice it to say that it was one amazing weekend, and things are looking quite promising for my next book. I’m eager to get this book into your hands so it can help you..
Read the press release about my zany publicity stunt here.

Lakers’ Lamar Odom: Is His Candy Habit Triggering His Uneven Performance on the Basketball Court?

Why does the Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom have an uneven performance on the basketball court such as this flagrant foul?
In a blog post, entitled “The Lakers’ Lamar Odom, Sweet Tooth and Erratic Play,” Dr. Daniel Amen, a Lakers fan since a child, presents a compelling theory — the basketball player’s compulsive candy habit is to blame.
After interviewing hundreds of experts for my book SUGAR SHOCK! and suffering my own horrific, sugar-induced nightmare, the physician’s concept makes perfect sense.
Dr. Amen, author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind at Any Age, writes that Odom “is unbelievably talented, but often acts like a space cadet during games.
“He can play great, and be worth his 14 million-dollar salary, or he can act like he is `missing in action.'”
Indeed, acting like a space cadet or have brain fog is clearly a manifestation of low blood sugar, which can be triggered by eating too many sweets.
Kudos to Dr. Amen for pointing out that “Odom’s massive consumption of candy leads to a sugar high and then a crash, evidence of which can be seen on the basketball court.”

My Author Friend & I Are Going Zany During Book Expo America This Week

For this important week in publishing — during which Book Expo America takes place — my fun author friend Dr. Diana Kirschner and I are going out on a limb to drum up interest in our books. Here’s a press release that’s now going out to the media today.
Authors Develop Zany, Outrageous Marketing Gimmicks to Nab Publishers & Fans in these Challenging Economic Times
NEW YORK—As thousands of authors vie for publishers’ and readers’ thumbs up in this uncertain economic climate, some innovative, pro-active authors are taking matters into their own hands by coming up with over-the-top, outrageous, humorous marketing gimmicks.
“It’s time to become an out-of-the-box-thinking author-preneur, who creates gutsy, captivating messages that nab the attention and tickle the funny bones of readers and publishers,” claims author Connie Bennett, who is laughingly walking around Book Expo America on Friday and Saturday sporting a provocative, 24”-by-30” sandwich board that says, “Are You ‘The One’?”
The amiable author’s “Are You `The One’?” message—which looks like a single’s ad—pokes fun of the fact that Bennett is both a single woman and an available author with a Big Platform, who’s seeking “a committed relationship” with a “compatible publisher” to release her second book.
“I wanted to playfully show that I have the guts, initiative and ingenuity to be a successful author no matter what the economic climate,” adds Bennett, an experienced journalist, certified health counselor, self-described “Ex-Sugar Shrew!” and author of SUGAR SHOCK! (Berkley Books) (www.SugarShock.com).

Bloggers: Learn How to Nab Eyeballs & Peacefully Win the “War” from a Pro, the “Copyblogger”

If you’re a fellow blogger, you always yearn for more traffic, right?
To garner more fans and followers, I heartily urge you to read this fabulous post from Copyblogger, “Your Blog vs. The World: 7 Steps to Winning the War for Attention.”
Blogger Jonathan Morrow eloquently presents the plight facing us bloggers.
We’re waging four battles at once, including “against anything that distracts your reader from making it all the way through your content,” Jonathan explains.
“Here, you’re at war against the world. You’re up against the child that knocked over her apple juice onto the rug, the dog barking to go outside, the phone ringing at work, and the e-mail that just arrived in their inbox.”
Read the Copyblogger’s thoughtful eight-pronged solution so you can win the blogging battle and get your posts read from start to finish.
This post sure provoked me to thought — and to action. For instance, I need to think about a strategic content plan. Dear readers, let’s hope it does the same with you!
Did you like this post? If so, please spread the word.

Smile & Then Spread Grins Galore By Sharing This Great Video!

You will feel so exhilarated and happy after seeing this “Validation” video!
Thanks you so much, Warren Whitlock (follow him here on Twitter), for mentioning it last night on the Twitter Tuesday program with Phil Johncock (follow his tweets, too).
And thanks ever so much to the Rich Prosperity and Success Blog, too for sharing this joy-spreading video!
Watch it now and smile! It’ll make your day. Then share this with your friends, family members and fans, too to bring them good cheer, too.