Just for Giggles

Various publishers are testing the idea that blogs might be a good way to get out the news about new books. There is, as we all know, a limited amount of space on the books pages of the newspapers and so there's obviously going to be an attempt to use the new medium to reach the potential readership. I've been in receipt of a few books here and there myself.

As with any experimentation, sometimes the results are not quite as hoped. Chicken Yoghurt was unimpressed by an offer, Blood and Treasure similarly. Being asked to publicise a book without actually get a copy of said book does seem a little, well, odd.

The best response though came from Don Boudreaux, Chair of the economics department at George Mason:

With that background, here's a letter that I just sent to the Marketing Director at Henry Holt, publisher of Naomi Klein's latest book, The Shock Doctrine; this gentleman e-mailed me this afternoon with an offer of a free copy of this book.

Dear Mr. Rhorer:

Thank you for your e-mail offer of a free copy of Naomi Klein's latest book attacking capitalism.  I accept.

I note, though, that Ms. Klein's previous best-seller, No Logo - which you call "groundbreaking" - was praised by the PBS show Frontline as "an impassioned critique of marketing's effects on culture and citizenship."  Is Ms. Klein aware that the major American corporation publishing her new book is trying to drum up sales with mass e-mails from - of all people! - its director of Marketing?

Sincerely,Donald J. Boudreaux