Yesterday in Central Park, I saw a man walking around in a Speedo and tennis shoes. "Typical New York," I thought, and carried on.
No wait, I didn't! Because exhibitionist season hasn't even started yet, and because I noticed across his abs he (or someone else?) had written "NakedAuthor.com."
The Naked Author is a self-published novelist named Jason Mitchiner whose gimmick is showing up to places mostly bare. He probably would have stood out even more had there not been a race going on in Central Park and an assortment of muscled yet oddly dressed people milling about. (I think I remember him having a number on in fact, but where would he have attached it?)
From his website he seems a little conflicted about his schtick, writing, "Everything is changing. Will I ever become known for my books as the serious author, Jason W. Mitchiner or will I only be known from my gimmick as the Naked Author?" So here's some free advice: Buy a BEA pass! There was a stir last year over a giveaway of bags printed with photos of hunky men; this would certainly up the ante. And it's probably a lot more agent-dense than a random Saturday in the park.
13 hours ago
1 comment:
The depressing thing is that those gimmicks work just often enough that people continue to try them. I have heard from more than one person that publishers look for writers who are "hot nerds" - Tina Fey/Joshua Ferris types - because that is what appeals the most to the book-buying demographic. So if that works, then maybe the website-written-on-abs approach will work. A man can dream.
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