In my last post, I spoke about bad ideas for publicity.

This idiot came up with his own...(article from Publishers Weekly.....)

 
Mystery Bookstores Solve Scam
by Kevin Howell

When the owner of the Seattle Mystery Bookshop was recently scammed by a vanity publishing house, he set out to solve the fraud himself.

J.B. Dickey recently took a phone order for The Shortcut: 20 Stories to Get You from Here to There (Author Identity Press, $17.95 978-14243-2797-3 ). He took the customer's name and credit card information before placing an order through Ingram. Both turned out to be phony—something Dickey didn't find out until after the two non-returnable copies arrived.

"Our normal procedure is that we feel a credit card is a failsafe," said Dickey. "We don't charge the sale until it's ready to send out. Except this time we found out all the information we were given was fraudulent."

Dickey swallowed the feeling of being duped and launched a warning on the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association listserv, saying, "I hate like hell committing my buffoonery to the world-at-large, but if it stops someone else from making my mistake, good. If it can expose the mean-spirited jackasses behind this scam, all the better."

The posting got some comments from other booksellers in several different states who'd gotten stuck with the same book. In fact, the customer ordering the book had used the same fake name, Michael Evers.

Evers, it turns out, is the name of the main character in a suspense novel called The Palace of Wisdom: A Rock and Roll Fable by Kevin A. Fabiano, printed by another on-demand publisher, PublishAmerica. Fabiano, whose Web site says he's a New York lawyer, is also one of the contributing authors to The Shortcut.

Back in November 2006, Victoria Strauss investigated complaints about Author Identity Press on her Writer Beware blog. She devoted an entire entry on November 20, 2006, questioning the vanity press's credibility and attempted to track down just who was behind this vanity press, whose own Web site offers writers no names and no way to reach the potential publisher other than via e-mail.

"I hope this warning reaches other bookstores," said Dickey. "Anyone being contacted about ordering this book should *69 the call to get their real phone number and let them know we're onto them."

I always get a little anxious in the weeks preceding the release of a new book. I start thinking about publicity; am I doing everything possible to make the book a success?

Book tour? Check.

Copies submitted to reviewers? Check.

Revised web site? Coming soon.

Postcards? Check.

Etc. etc.

Of course, these things are nothing new. I’ve done all of them for the previous books. Like other authors, I’m always trying to think of some fresh marketing tactic or PR angle to give me a boost.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had any epiphanies.

However....

I have come up with several extremely bad ways by which an author could gain a bunch of publicity for his or her new book.

1. Break into Oprah’s house and leave a copy on her nightstand.

2. Arrive at Book Expo America naked.

3. Approach the White House wearing a ski mask. Act suspicious. Toss a copy of the book over the fence, then run away.

4. Put a picture of Anna Nicole on the cover.

5. Get a blurb from O.J.

6. Dedicate it to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

7. Go into rehab. Give up on it. Shave your head. Go into rehab again.

8. Give co-authoring credit to James Frey.

9. Call it Larry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Half-Blood Prisoner.

10. Tout it as the first book without verbs.

I have a good friend named Donnie, and we were going on a hunting trip about twenty years ago. I think we were hunting in Leakey on this particular trip, and on the drive out there, we stopped in a small town called Fredericksburg.

We were getting groceries, or beer, or whiskey, or something. I ended up turning on some narrow side street, between a couple of houses, and when we were pulling through, we noticed a man crouched down beside a small shrub. He was naked from the waist down, meaning all he had on was a shirt. He looked scared. Really scared.

It happened so quickly, and we were past him in a flash, and Donnie and I looked at each other with that "Did you see what I just saw?" expression on our faces.

We immediately started theorizing as to why this man was half naked behind a shrub in broad daylight. The only thing we could figure was that he'd been fooling around with somebody he shouldn't have been, and that person's husband/boyfriend/father came home.

Of course, we decided to have a little fun with it. We drove back around on the same path and came up beside the guy. We called out to him and started asking him questions, acting like we didn't notice his predicament at all.

We asked him directions to someplace or another, and he gave us a very brief answer, hoping to get rid of us as soon as possible. But we kept hassling him, asking more questions, and continuing to act as if we didn't realize he was naked.

I'm sure he was terrified that we'd draw attention to him, and that the husband, or whoever, would come charging out of the house.

We finally let him off the hook and drove away. The only thing I regret is not flat-out asking him what the hell he was doing. I'm sure it was an interesting story.

Don't be surprised if you see that in a book someday.

I mentioned this guy in my blog a while back...

Man gets probation for dead deer sex
Wed Mar 21, 6:15 PM ET
SUPERIOR, Wis. - A 20-year-old man received probation after he was convicted of having sexual contact with a dead deer. The sentence also requires Bryan James Hathaway to be evaluated as a sex offender and treated at the Institute for Psychological and Sexual Health in Duluth, Minn.

"The state believes that particular place is the best to provide treatment for the individual," Assistant District Attorney Jim Boughner said.

Hathaway's probation will be served at the same time as a nine-month jail sentence he received in February for violating his extended supervision.

He was found guilty in April 2005 of felony mistreatment of an animal after he killed a horse with the intention of having sex with it.

He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and two years of extended supervision on that charge as well as six years of probation for taking and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent.

Hathaway pleaded no contest earlier this month to misdemeanor mistreatment of an animal for the incident involving the deer. He was sentenced Tuesday in Douglas County Circuit Court.

"The type of behavior is disturbing," Judge Michael Lucci said. "It's disturbing to the public. It's disturbing to the court."

From the Texas Parks & Wildlife web site....

Funeral Services Set for Slain Texas Game Warden

AUSTIN, Texas – Funeral services for Texas Game Warden Justin Hurst have been set for Wednesday, March 21 at 11 a.m. at the First Methodist Church in El Campo. Hurst, 34, was killed in the line of duty on Saturday, March 17.

Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 20, at Triska Funeral Home, 612 Merchant Street, El Campo, Texas. There will be no graveside service; however, following the funeral service there will be a procession to the Legion Hall for a reception.

Hurst started his career with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a biologist in August 1995 specializing in waterfowl management along the mid-coast. He was part of the 48th Texas Game Warden Academy and graduated in August of 2002. He served about a year in Brazos County before moving to Wharton County in 2003.

Hurst is survived by his wife, Amanda, and son, Kyle Hunter, age 4 months, his parents, Allen and Pat Hurst of Bryan, a brother, Greg Hurst of Denver, Colorado, and in-laws, Larry and Jeanie Wilcox of Denton, Texas.

Memorial fund donations may be made to Operation Game Thief, c/o Justin Hurst Memorial Fund, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX, 78744. The Houston 100 Club is also accepting donations for the family at: 100 Club Survivor’s Fund 1233 West Loop South, Suite 1250, Houston, TX 77027-9107.