Book Marketing is Like …: 5 Similes That Made Me Laugh

This post kicks off an (occasional) blog series entitled “Book Marketing is like…”  I know, I know. You can tell from the title, this is going to be groundbreaking theory and practice, right?  I’m going to take a flyer here and trust you to see it for what it is.

Book marketing is hard work. But it should also be fun. Sometimes we just need a little entertainment disguised as a nugget of illumination (or vice versa).  At least I do.

Here are 5 Book Marketing Similes that smile:

1. “Book marketing is like a fashion show, everything on parade is stuffed into a size two, even it if requires starvation.”
   - Poet Paula Ray, commenting on “What about Genre, What about Horror?” at the Millions.  She also quipped the very quotable, “You can’t use old rusty pipes to lasso a piece of art; you have to use something flexible.”

 

2. “Book marketing is like following a recipe, a little of several ingredients that result in the right combination.”
   - Jerry D Simmons, publishing industry sales veteran, over at WritersReaders.  Solid base hit. Instructive. Nice!
   
   
3. “Book Marketing is like Bowling”
   - Marcie Brock, Book Marketing Maven (aka “Marcie, the Sexy Bowler” as her cartoon caption acknowledges) in her article “10 ways Marketing is like Bowling.”  Kudos to Marcie for Simile to the power of 10.  I thought #8 was particularly poignant: “Beer can greatly enhance the experience.”
4. “Book Marketing is like Fishing” (actual article title = extra credit)
   - Author A.K. Taylor (aka “the backwoods Author”).  She makes 7 comparisons of fishing to book marketing. My favorite was “Know when to Pull.”  But the photo of the two guys wrestling a 6ft 200 lb catfish is worth the click alone.
   
   
5. Her new book, “Marketing is like Dating, and I Can Help You Score!” (forthcoming)
   - Sharon D Long, Content Consultant over at WeKnowWords.  By any measure, you cannot accuse her title of lacking moxie.

As a group, Authors and Book Marketers are a pretty creative bunch.  So why not, let’s expand the list.  What is your favorite book marketing simile?  Maybe you heard it somewhere or maybe you’ve had it on the tip of your tongue for years, and its finally ready to be written down (and go viral) just as soon as you share it with us.

If you  participate (and I hope you do), here are a few considerations:

1. Definition: Wikipedia reminds me that a simile is a figure of speech comparing 2 things, employing “like” or “as”. Like with Haiku (or most poetry), format counts.
2. Make it ReTweetable.  Stick to 125 characters if you can, so your wit is easily shared
3. Bonus points if your simile can be developed thematically, beyond just the quotable.  If you can shoehorn your simile into a book marketing article that also expounds on some actionable new strategy that we can all use, even better.

This might actually be pretty funny. Here’s what I will do in search of this “Likeness Monster”

1. Register a hashtag:  http://tagdef.com/bmil as in “book marketing is like…”  That way you can run a Twitter search on #bmil and get a few laughs
2. Sponsor a Contest:  leave your favorite book marketing simile in the comments below, email it to me or tweet it so I’ll see it.  Periodically I’ll announce the winner (and some also rans, if there are any) and link back to your site.  We’ll also try and think of some door prize (or simile).  For now, we’ll stick with the subjective committee of one (me) to determine the winner.  If things get out of control, we’ll run a poll or hire away some American Idol judges.

I have no idea if I’ll be the only one in this “conversation.”   If you are also concerned on my behalf and would like to help keep my digital face from getting too red, please show your support with a comment.  Similes, cathartic empathy on the slog of book marketing or even simple hellos are all welcome.

QUESTION:  So, what is book marketing like… for you?