Celebrity Power

Here's how important it is to have a celebrity name associated with your book. Tuesday morning on Good Morning America, James Patterson (of best-seller fame) appeared to promote his new book: a non-fiction tome about the son of his friends who has Tourette's Syndrome, entitled Against Medical Advice.

There is no way in the world that this book would ever have been published without Patterson's participation--just another medical story, as compelling as it might be, about an average family confronting a medical nightmare. But add the name of a best selling author to the cover and Voila!--instant success.

All of which goes to underscore the near-impossibility of getting your book published without a celebrity to endorse it or participate in its creation. All of which showcases the problems inherent in the publishing industry--they are only publishing "sure things" with name recognition that they know will sell, which leaves the little guys, with compelling stories and even proven talent, locked out.

I know I have written about this before and I know you hear the bitter taste of rejection coming through, but I find it incredibly shallow and superficial that the arbiters of literary taste are always pushing more of the same.

This has nothing to do with Mr. Patterson or the Friedmans, whose son has Tourettes. I am sure it is a good read and will do a lot to put Tourette's on the national radar screen and attract funding for research, both of which are worthwhile endeavors. But it is about those who should be helping you break through rather than concentrating on the ones that already have...