World Famous Comics: Self-Promotion for the Creative Person: Get the Word Out About Who You Are and What You Do
Self-Promotion for the Creative Person: Get the Word Out About Who You Are and What You Do
By: Lee Silber Publisher: Three Rivers Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Three Rivers Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: June 26, 2001 Release Date: June 26, 2001
Product Description: Are you a creative person who desperately wants to tell the world about your talents and your art but lacks the time, money, and know-how? Self-Promotion for the Creative Person is full of clever and creative ideas you can use to successfully get the word out about who you are and what you do quickly, easily, and cheaply.
Everything you need to know about marketing yourself is included in this book. Self-Promotion for the Creative Person is packed with proven techniques that will work for you whether you are an author, actor, artist, or accordion player who wants fresh, off-beat, and cost-effective ways to build a business or develop a successful and fulfilling career.
Full of winning strategies, innovative ideas, and proven sales and marketing techniques, Lee Silber will show you how to go from starving artist to superstar status with smart advice, including:
* How to market without money
* How to create marketing materials that will sell you even when you're not around
* How to build a buzz using word of mouth
* How to use the Internet in ways you never thought of to promote yourself
* How to get the leaders in your field to endorse and help you
Self-promotion is one of the most difficult things a creative person must do. It is also the most critical. Open this book to any page and chances are you will find something that can help you overcome this hurdle and get the attention and recognition you and your talents deserve.
Full of Excellent Marketing Ideas This book is filled with great examples of creative ways to market yourself - - now if I only had a 28-hour day. Baby steps! Seriously though, I highly recommend it.
As close to perfect as an advice-oriented book gets When I was reading this book, I really felt like someone had actually been through what I had (and still go through), as opposed to a Dr. Phil type who spouts off cliches that apply to everyone yet don't really mean much. As a freelance cameraman, this book was invaluble not just for the adivce it gives, but all the ways you can easily see them applying in your creative life.
The best thing I found is the book's tone. I wouldn't classify it as a traditional "self-help" book, it would be much more accurate to say the book is an idea-generator. It promises no quick fixes and invloves no emotional manipulations. Far too many self-help tomes make the reader feel like a victim of some kind, and this book doesn't at all. It is informal, encouraging, and seems to anticipate the questions in your mind as you go along. In that regard, it is very logical and well-thought out.
It offers a ton of good advice that is not exactly "inspirational" in the cheesy, shallow sort of way, but rather throws so many ideas at you that you start to look at things differently. As a creative who hated the idea of selling, I started to look at selling in a different way, and when I did, I saw all sorts of new avenues in a way that I had closed my mind off to before. That's what Silber seems to be all about, making the challenges that are almost instinctually ingrained into creative tyes seem a bit less scary, and he succeeds remarkably well.
I think it's also important to point out that I don't think the book is literally asking you to try every single idea it provides, as I couldn't imagine that would even be possible. Anyone who reads it overly literally would be missing the point, I think. I came away with the impression that when he gives examples of what to do, it is more so to give someone a jumping-off point where you can learn to get the creative juicing flowing (that's not at all to say you shouldn't consider a lot of his suggestions, of course). If you look at it that way, instead of as a checklist of all you should do, you'll get a lot more out of it.
"Criticism" is not the right word really, but if I did have one issue with the book, it would be that it applies much more to creative types that have a TANGIBLE product to sell, such as artists selling paintings, authors selling books, and musicians selling albums. I, along with many other creatives I'm sure, do not have a product to sell, but rather I have to sell my services. I don't sell my creations as they are not really mine to sell. Mind you, the advice he gives is no less wise, just realize that your particular niche may not have a lot of the advice tailored towards it the way some others do.
A chapter in the book is entitled, "You can't be everything to everybody" (as I made clear above). True, but Lee Silber comes pretty darn close to being everything advice-related for creatives. Highest recommendation.
Couldn't read it There may have been something life changing in this book but I could not make it very far. I think this book is out of date. There are many other how to books that are much better.
All over the place I feel like this book has some quality points about it, but the way it's written and structured (or not structured) seemed random to me. There are a lot of fine examples about famous people using "creative" methods to get noticed or get their foot in the door, but after reading the majority of them I didn't feel inspired, but left thinking "Hm, ok. I guess that could work in the perfect situation."
Perhaps I am biased already knowing that having a bunch of business cards with you is key, and writing funky and creative thank you cards can cause you to stand above the rest, but I felt like claim of "everything you need to know to get the word out" left me wondering what else was out there.
After reading points like "don't listen to naysayers", "don't take no for an answer", and "create magnets or stickers with your information on them" I couldn't help but think that the comments were either 'duh' quality or 'tacky' quality.
The book has many, many randomly placed famous quotes, interviews, and "action items" that never seem to follow a strict pattern, which is why I pointed out that the book seemed to be structured poorly.
In the end, it's a great read for someone with only a few ideas or knowledge on promotion (as long as you can get past the structure annoyance), but for the guerrilla who wants thought-provoking ideas, this might not be the best book for you.
Good common sense presented humorously! A really good book for anyone getting started in creative media. The author speaks like a person to another person and it doesn't put me to sleep. It's full of ideas and sympathy for a creative soul struggling to survive in a world of business types.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
