Things to be thankful for
As it became clear this Thanksgiving weekend exactly how un-thankful some are, I thought I would focus instead on some (book publicity-related) things for which I am thankful.
– Informative blogs. I wish I had more time to keep up with media and publishing blogs (many of which are listed on my blogroll).
– Mobile apps. Applications like Facebook, Open Beak and Tweetdeck that run on mobile phones / PDAs are incredibly useful for keeping in touch with friends and colleagues and for staying abreast of the news.
– File sharing. I’m a sucker for all things Google, but you have to admit, these crazy kids have a good thing going. Google Calendar allows author and publicist to share a book tour itinerary. Google Docs can also be used for sharing itineraries (or press material). Google Wave, a mash-up of sorts between Google Groups, Google Docs and plain vanilla email, is the hot new app these days, although it’s being beta tested now so you can only use it if you have an invite. (And if you have been invited, please realize that it is, in fact, your patriotic duty to accept and help test the product.)
– Syndication. We’re all busy, so one of my favorite book publicity tools is Booktour.com. I enter author events on this site and they’re automatically picked up by numerous online calendars and websites. Events also appear on the writer’s Author Page on Amazon.
– My colleagues. I went to my 15th-year high school reunion this weekend and was asked — probably about 15 times — if I like what I do. And the answer is that after 10 years at my publishing house, I can honestly say that I enjoy and am fulfilled by what I do and appreciate and respect (most) of the people with whom I work, both colleagues as well as authors.
– All the lemons. But let’s not go overboard with the love fest, here, because nothing’s perfect and it never will be. The best I can hope for is that I’ll learn from my (and other people’s) mistakes, that I’ll gain valuable experience from any situation no matter how frustrating or infuriating and that I will think of silver linings / making lemonade instead of hiring a hit man. (Oh, wait — did I say that out loud?)
– Frozen yogurt. Well, life’s not *all* about book publicity.
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As an author / book publicist, what are you thankful for?
