She's an Armchair Expert
When people (such as author and podcaster Dan Blank) ask me about my marketing and promotion strategy, I talk in terms of years, rather than weeks or months. I started planning the 2015 release and marketing of The Gift of Failure in 2013, and have been shaping the April 2021 release of my next book, The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence since early 2018.
To create a long-burn book, you need long-term plans.
I’m an extremely impatient person, so no part of this long-term view comes easily to me. I got used to seeing articles I write on a Monday go live at The Atlantic or New York Times on Tuesday. Fast, fast fast. Immediate gratification.
Book publishing, however, operates on a timeline measured in years.
I’ve been a fan of Dax Shepard and Monica Padman’s Armchair Expert podcast since the very first episode went live at the beginning of 2018, so you can imagine my excitement when I heard my book, The Gift of Failure, mentioned in the first thirty seconds of an early episode. I promptly sent signed copies of my book off to Dax and Monica, and crossed my fingers.
About a year later, after my crossed fingers were seriously cramping up, Dax’s wife Kristen Bell took to Instagram to recommend The Gift of Failure. I mean…COME ON.
I uncrossed my fingers just long enough to send off another pitch, re-crossed, and waited.
Nine months later, Monica emailed to invite me on the show. I built a trip to Los Angeles around the interview, and could hardly contain myself.
And then COVID-19 happened and poof went my speaking schedule, and my journey to Dax’s attic in Los Angeles. I got a very kind email from Monica, she was very sorry, etc etc etc, but let’s wait and see what happens with this whole social distancing thing. I mean, how long can a thing like that last, we mused.
We finally recorded a few weeks ago via Skype. As far as I’m concerned, it was well worth the wait, and I hope you feel the same.