Test marketing 101

Welcome to Something about Barbaro, a blog I shamelessly created to test market my book of the same title. I figured if I could demonstrate a following, the proposal might make it past the sales and marketing divisions of major publishing houses where it seems to have run into a dead end. More about that later.

The title comes from my article of the same title that appeared in the University of Pennsylvania alumni magazine, The Pennsylvania Gazette in July/Aug. 2006 and attracted the attention of a few literary agents, one of whom took me under his wing. We embarked on a six month odyssey to gain the authorized contract from the Jacksons, owners of Barbaro, a process that involved more lawyers than I care to count.
Contract in hand, I began researching and drafting the length proposal which also took much longer than I had anticipated. About six months and three edits later, I had pretty much created the skeleton of the book, which my dutiful, high profile agent was confident would sell in a matter of weeks.

It's been a matter of weeks and we've had mixed responses. Some love it but marketing can't see the forest for the trees. Some think it's too sad. Some are tired of the story. Some say the writing's good but not great. No one has said the proposal is bad--small consolation but at least some.

So not being very good at waiting, and having been instructed by my agent to essentially put my life on hold because he is committed to selling this book, I decided to test the waters of the blogosphere.
Hence, a hopefully daily report on the progress or lack thereof of my saga and other musings on animal related topics for which I seem to have become associated.

At the very least I hope to answer the question I am eternally asked, "How's the book?" and fill everyone in on the business of getting published.

Welcome and thanks for coming.