The James Brown, Don Knotts Publicity Blitz

Here's a great idea from Bill Stoller's Publicity Insider eZine:

In 1993, the citizens of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, held a vote and officially renamed a local bridge "The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge." [The Godfather] himself showed up at the naming ceremony and a good time -- and lots of media coverage -- was enjoyed by all.

Try something similar. Run a campaign to name a local street or hill or park after a celebrity, a local notable, or even a fictional character.

Start a petition to rename something that will never really be renamed (the state capitol, Google, a major league ballpark) after, let's say, Don Knotts. I guarantee, if you can get 25,000 web visitors to sign a petition renaming Shea Stadium to Don Knotts Field, you'll get a news story out of it!

How could you use this to get exposure for your art? Hmm ... What about the Borat Museum of Modern Art?

-Bob

Do You Have a Book Inside You?

I've been writing about music marketing and self-empowerment for a good 15 years now. First, it was through monthly columns I used to write for the local music magazine I published in the early 1990s. Later, those tips moved onto the Web through articles I distributed online and the ezine I've been publishing for more than 12 years now.

By acting on my passion, chipping away at success, and making smart use of the Internet, I've reached a point where I now make a nice living as a self-published author (or indie book publisher, as I also like to call it).

While I'm best known for "indie music marketing" (in fact, I come up #1 on Google for that search phrase), I find myself dishing out a lot of advice lately to aspiring authors. I'm serving my third term as president of the St. Louis Publishers Association and am speaking and writing more frequently on this topic.

If you feel you have a potential book inside of you too, I invite you to check out my new FullTimeAuthor.com web site. Everyone has a story to tell or a personal message they need to share with the world. You can do that through music or art or film. But you can also do it through your own book.

And you won't be surprised to learn that I embrace the same DIY attitude with publishing books as I do with pursuing a music career or any other creative endeavor.

Again, if this interests you, pay a visit to FullTimeAuthor.com.

-Bob