A Cynical Look at Shameless Self-Promotion

Not too long ago, we kept seeing commercials for a new book, “Deep into the Heart of a Rose”. It was odd to see a commercial for a book in general. I usually only see them for James Patterson, and they never make me feel any desire to read the book, so I kind of doubt the wisdom of the whole television commercial for book concept.

This commercial was interesting because it was so odd. Patterson is a really popular author (I think), so you know how he gets the budget. Not only was this from an unknown (GT Denny), but it was in the fantasy genre, which a lot of people tend to avoid. That could be more of a reason to try something different, but it could also be a reason that the enterprise is more likely to fail.

I ended up being intrigued. I did read a lot of fantasy back in the day (Pern, Xanth, Shannara, and the Belgariad mainly, and of course Narnia and Middle Earth), but at the same time there was just something a little cloying about the text that was repeated, and yet it was so odd just that the commercial existed.

I went to Goodreads looking for more information, but initially there wasn’t a lot. There were four reviews. Two were from the author, using different but similar screen names. One was just a rating, but the one that had a quote merely said “The book I have read more than any other.”

Well that makes no sense at all. It’s a sentence fragment implying multiple readings for a book that hasn’t really been out long enough for years of history with going back to it, and with no real attempt to hide the identity by a cleverly-disguised screen name. What is it even saying? I spent a lot of time proofreading after the initial writing? I’m not much of a reader but I read this one twice? There aren’t even any complimentary adjectives!

Of the other two reviews, without proof, I got the distinct impression that one was from the person who did the artwork for the commercial, and then the other was a friend.

There is more information out there now, but the fascinating part is how many of them mention reading the book because they won it. That’s not to say that they don’t like it, because many of them are very positive. There are also some online reviews on other sites which are positive. Still, I feel like I would find it too whimsical, if for no other reason that the main characters are named Edward T. Cozzlebottom and Ezmerelda Wimbish. Between that, “the book I have read more than any other”, and the text of the letter that was read in the commercial, my alarm bells for annoyance keep going off. The whole thing just screams "twee".

I still remain fascinated by the whole campaign. I can’t really find anything on the publisher, Night Watch Fiction, so I can’t help wondering, did this guy just self-publish, and finance the commercial and contests—anything to get his book out there? And if so, will it work? The fact that I don’t want to read it should not be a factor. My aversion to Twilight hasn’t made a dent in book or ticket sales.

It’s interesting to me because even though I am in a writing phase now, I will soon be entering a phase where I really need to get someone to invest in me. Ideally this will involve acquiring an agent who is well-connected and aggressive and who believes in me, and then they can do the selling, because that is not my talent.
Even assuming that can work though, it still requires approaching agents and trying to convince them that ten percent of what I can produce is worthwhile.

First of all, I don't want to be bugging my friends for everything. I refuse to attend any "party" that's a selling event, and I love and admire many people who have become evangelical about their businesses, but I just can't.

Also, I do not do well at any kind of sales. I hate asking people for things, and selling myself is even worse because then I have to believe in myself, which I kind of do, in some things, but not everything.

So I am fascinated because there are things that I will need to do that appall me, and I don't know how they will turn out. I will have to figure something out, because I don’t have the budget for a television commercial.