In the interim, social media took off, and I was drawn into ‘street teams’ for writers I’d learned about from well-known authors. I was totally honest about each item, and ended up at the top of the Bzzagent hive. I’ll tell you, I received some amazing things, as well as some that were awful. It was the beginning of formalized Word of Mouth advertising. The company would have me write reviews for each encounter, and I’d get more points for better promotions. They’d send me something interesting, and I’d try it and tell people about it. So, how does anyone get known without being known in the first place? In the late 1990’s I became involved in a new scheme for marketing. The Internet is filled with more eBooks than the Library at Alexandria, and coming from a stalker fan, most wouldn’t worth the paper they weren’t printed on.

The library may carry the book, but where is it hidden? The brick and mortar stores are becoming coffee shops with a few books and a lot of games. The internet is swamped with blogs about everything from making a good cup of tea to how to tie a fly. Where does anyone find out about these amazing books? Publishers aren’t doing a lot of promo anymore. I could stalk, though, if I didn’t know about all these great authors. I want to be the one that finds out what happens in the next book before anyone else. How do they get their ideas? Where do they work? What famous person did they model their characters after? I go to their signings, I follow their pages and blogs and tweets. So here I am, surrounded by those I admire. Now, if you are into dogs or plants, but this blog has nothing to do with any of that. What am I doing here, on this blog, with people that I admire for their strong characters, their ability to give me a vacation from life, for making me think?

George Knows by Mindy Mymudes