RO: Yes, it's not enough that we write the books. We have to look and sound good on camera. I thought it was just the newbies like me who had to shamelessly flog our work in the hopes that someone will discover our book and feel that it's something they'd like to spend time with, but apparently even an established, bestselling author like Mary Karr has to trod the boards, however reluctantly.
Seems to me I read Karr's first book, although I may be confusing it with another similar memoir, but now that I've seen the book trailer for her latest, Lit, I will probably pick it up this summer (although I'm in the middle of two good books - Story of a Marriage and Hero, the bio of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda...more on them later.)
Lots of friends (including Roberta) raved about Lit when it was first released. I didn't think I needed to read another memoir about recovery and redemption after years of destructive behavior and/or horrendous abuse. I get it. I'm happy for you.
But dang if I didn't change my mind after seeing MK's book trailer on Youtube. I wouldn't have even known about the trailer if there hadn't been an article in the NYTimes about - book trailers.
So was it Mary Karr's personal charm, the book trailer itself, or the power of the New York Times that got me to want the book. At the risk of sounding retro, I think it was the Times...
What does the JR gang think?
PS....Stop by tomorrow when our guest blogger is Mary Boone, Library liaison for Sisters in Crime who'll give us the skinny on exhibiting at ALA, the American Library Association's Annual Conference.
