What do billiards, golf and advertising have in common?
Besides needing balls to do any of them?
I have been in the advertising business – all considered – for about 38 years. I started as an editorial cartoonist and feature writer for various college newspapers, worked as a be-all flunky at an ad agency upon exiting college, was the art director of a direct-sales auto industry magazine, did graphics for a book publisher, then went to work for the first of four (4) daily newspapers in 1991.
This year (2018), the proliferation of overseas outsourcing combined with my cumulative health problems, led to my finally conceding to retirement, even though I’m not quite “retirement age.”
Along the way I grew dissatisfied. I spent my career doing my best work, to make someone else’s life financially stable. In return I was shown the door, when cheaper help came along. But during that time, one would think I picked up some degree of savvy regarding that industry – the business called ‘advertising & marketing.’
Like Socialism, or one of Leonardo DaVinci’s man-powered flying machines – it looks fine on paper. Actual field testing in the real world is where its terrible, fatal flaws emerge.
So how do billiards and golf become relevant?
If one decides to take up either billiards or golf, one realizes something terrible as time passes. One can spend hours a day practicing billiards at a local pub or in one’s home. Controlling every geometric strategem, knowing the cue ball's sweet spot from any vantage point. One can spend every day on a golf course mastering which club to use, the correct ‘English’ to put on a ball, lawn break patterns, wind factors… everything. And on ‘Game Day,’ when all that accumulated expertise is brought to bear – you can still STINK.
Play the worst round of your life.
Choke. Rookie out.
Look like the pantsless guy in the enema factory.
Advertising has the same risk. You can technically know exactly what it takes to sell snow to polar bears. As the hired help aboard some company making its living by providing ad services, you might pull off sales that save fiscal years for the firm. You might make the difference between the company falling short, or it having a boom month.
But when it comes time to make great sales for yourself… that’s when you run into the polar bear who’d rather eat you than purchase fresh snow.
In my self-styled side career as an indy author, I’ve had both kinds of years. But the same old marketing strategy doesn’t cut the mustard forever. This year I tried hiring a third party to promote my work. SHOUTMyBook-dot-com has fulfilled their promises to get my book covers (and my own promo text) onto social networks, and reposted by other book blogs. It’s all been great.
On paper.
But after three months, and even resorting to giving them my personal best-selling book to promote – there have been no sales. A lot of bluster, but no cash register ca-ching. In short, they’ve made a nice little sum from me. I don’t blame them – I blame the strategy becoming old too soon.
So in the next few months, you’ll see the return of the MMCD Blog! Yes, it will get a bit crazy, but I can do no worse for myself than SMB has done. Plus – it’s FREE!
So let me be the first to welcome you all back to the sink or swim world of My Mind Creates Danger! At the very least, I promise you interesting promo stuff. I hope you’ll browse my product while you’re here too. The Fosterical Library O' Modern Classics awaits you!
Amazon still has all its great promotional add-ons that I can, in turn, pitch to you!
All my books are available in paperback and e-reader format!
KindleUnlimited members can read stuff FREE!
AmazonSmile lets you mark part of your purchase total as a donation to your favorite worthy cause. (You could stick it to me, for not liking my politics, by donating to a charity you’d think would get my goat – while helping me with my medical bills by buying a book!)
Amazon Matchbook lets you get a free/price-reduced digital copy of whichever paperback you purchase – to gift a friend with an e-reader, or take along on your own.
Yep, I have new titles on the way – hopefully before year’s end. But if not, then 2019 will be chock-full of surprises!
Just click ‘View All Titles’ above, and do some really early Christmas shopping for the bookworms on your gift list! There’s something (or there WILL BE) for everyone!
Read in renewed vigor!
