Here's a book promotion riddle. You're Andy Rooney of "Sixty Minutes" fame. You're on the Larry King Show to promote your latest book. The interview begins, and a few minutes into the interview, Larry notes, for the benefit of his viewers, "You can get his book, "Years of Minutes."
Okay, now remember. You're Andy Rooney, and this is your book that Larry King has just plugged to his international audience of thousands upon thousands of potential book buyers -- all of whom have tuned in to see this interview. Do you:
A. Thank Larry for mentioning your book and graciously continue the interview.
B. Chastise Larry for wearing suspenders instead of a suit jacket and diss his mother.
C. Scowl and diss your own book by saying: "You can't get it anymore. That book sold about nine copies."
The answer to the riddle, naturally, is C. No, seriously. Talk the viewers out of buying your book. That's the actual answer to the book promotion riddle.
If you don't believe that Andy Rooney would do such a thing (and I'm convinced his publisher doesn't believe it yet, either), then do click on the transcript for the Friday, January 6 Larry King Live television interview.
Authors often ask me how they should handle themselves during interviews. I provide some tips for successfully negotiating an interview, to which I would now add the following.
Note the mistake that Andy Rooney made last night and never, ever make it. Never, ever do what Andy Rooney did on the Larry King Live show last night. Just never, ever do it.
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