Muffin Marketing
I think I know Mark well enough to flip his Make Your Readers Love You post on its head. It’s true that good writing can be about good relationship, but…
Sometimes, writers are not terribly likeable. Nor do they necessarily like the people who read their words. Nor are they easy to work with. They just happen to write what people want to hear. And so, sad but true, sometimes writing is simply about good marketing and good connections.
I compare this to my recent muffin disaster.
Let’s just say the muffins had a very nice crust on the outside and a very moist inside— kinda like pumpkin pie. So what did I do? When my kids came downstairs I announced, “Pumpkin pie muffins for breakfast!”
My excuses-for-muffins hit the Barkat Times bestseller list, in two seconds flat.
Of course, I had to earn the Barkat family trust first, to pull this off. (Hey, Craver, does this make me a chef hypocrite?)
Photo by L.L. Barkat
NEW LINKS to this post:
Choose an Identity... Heather's sort of related idea that makes one think about "hypocrisy"
posted by L.L. Barkat at 11:14 AM
15 Comments:
You know - it is hard to find what people like. But I have to say that I will not 'sell myself out'. I still write about what I believe in. I have had some comments what question why I believe what believe - I just keep plugging along :)
hahha, good one, L.L.
I'll take one myself.
Yeah. It's nice to meet authors and see their genuine humility and love in the Lord.
I used to love to write. But I just cared too much about what other people thought. Thankfully writing wasn't my calling :) At least not up until this point!
mmmm
putting it all aside--they look yummy!--no matter *who* made them!!
Oh and I printed out your talk and read through it this morning. Wow.. that is powerful, very encouraging. Thank you for speaking out on something I am passionate about as well. I am not a great writer or speaker so it's such a blessing to know there are others out there verbally fighting for the same cause!
Touché, L.L.
You're right of course. Every writer needs good marketing and good connections.
It's so much easier to make the connections when you love people, though.
I think about writing in terms of the two commandments. As a writer, am I loving God in my writing? That question is a little hard to answer. It feels all deep and theological. But the second commandment is easier. Am I loving my neighbor with my writing.
Who is a writer's neighbor if not the reader?
Certainly you demonstrate a love for your readers by the way you interact on this blog!
(Thanks for the link, and the muffins look yummy. Beats the snot out of the organic Kashi I had for breakfast.)
Do you know the muffin man?
Well, they sound good to me; I'd eat 'em! As to the question of hypocrisy, you did not pass, but partook... right? If so, you spoke a blessing, and that's quite different from hypocrisy.
Eph... you go, woman!
Ted... I agree. When I wrote this post, I was actually thinking of an author who greatly disappointed me. So many good words the author has, but the author really doesn't like people (I'll keep the how-I-know to myself... you'll just have to trust me).
Stephanie... if you loved it, you might consider doing it... not for pay, but for love. Oh, and I'm glad you enjoyed the talk.
Andrea... see how sneaky I can be?!
Mark... I'm so impressed. I never use the T word, even when I want to, because I don't know how to get the little accent (wouldn't want to be caught saying, "touche"!) Thanks for the compliment... I think writing is actually teaching me to love.
Heather... nope, don't think I do. But it appears I should seek an introduction, after this disaster!
Craver... I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean I'm not a hypocrite as long as I ate the muffins too? In this case, you've got me thinking... isn't it possible to partake in/of one's own hypocrisy? Isn't that perhaps partly what makes it possible to live with one's hypocrisy? Not sure.
It would, at the very least, be sneaky to say, "Mmmm, this is good; you'll love this," and then not eat.
Now, "...isn't it possible to partake in/of one's own hypocrisy? Isn't that perhaps partly what makes it possible to live with one's hypocrisy? Not sure."
Me either. I found that to be a bit slippery. Y'all can go back to talking about writing now. I'm gonna sit here for a while pondering.
Hmmm... you know what goes good with pondering? A nice, moist, pumpkin pie breakfast muffin.
Once we find out this disappointing information about our favorite writers, that they in fact don't like people (or that they may not like much of anything), doesn't that make us no longer want to be their readers? And aren't we willing to excuse some writing deficiences, after all, for those people who just give so much of themselves on and off the page? This doesn't mean that these writers are no longer "successful," though, I suppose. Maybe we all don't want a personal relationship with an author.
(Not sure I'm writing in the royal "we" here. I'm really just speaking for myself!)
As my grandma used to say, "It all tastes the same to your stomach. Now eat it!"
That's referring to your muffins.
"Spin" is very important in home management, I think.
Btw, I did elaborate a bit on my site in response to your question about my, uh, driving record.
MMMMMmmmmmm scrummy muffins, where is mine?
Hope you are fine and dandy L.L
Talk to you soon.
byeeeeeeeeeeeee
Charity: I really appreciated your comment here. We feel like we're actually connecting with a writer on the page, like somehow they know our soul when they speak something we know, too, or become illumined by from what they say. But when we find out they're actually less-than-charitable in real life (didn't mean to do that play on words with your name), it really does taint it for us. We start to doubt either ourselves for liking them in the first place (could we really have been that gullible? did we miss something?) or to judge them for their hypocrisy.
I just realized I spoke in the royal "we" with this comment, too. Oops. :)
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