Choose book promotion opportunities with caution. This is new advice and, coming from a book publicist, it's counter-intuitive advice. You'd think that a book publicist would want authors and publishers to take advantage of every book promotion opportunity that comes their way, and to err on the side of doing any interview that might win some exposure for the book, wouldn't you?
Well, this just in. Some media personalities have such objectionable messages to disseminate that you don't want to accept their interview invitations. In short, you don't have to deal with jerks.
Case in point: Radio show host Michael Savage said, on the air, that 99% of children who are labeled "autistic" are actually undisciplined brats. Read the Associated Press's story about it here, via MSNBC.com. If a more ignorant statement than that has been uttered about any child, I don't want to know about it. Does Savage believe the nonsense he spouted, or did he just say those things to get attention? In either case, no author, no matter how worthy the book he or she is promoting, should feel the need to appear as a guest that's hosted by people who say objectionable things on the air for any reason.
Don't feel guilty for turning down a book promotion opportunity if you feel that accepting that opportunity would force you to compromise yourself. Most book promotion opportunities are worthwhile, and they can even be wonderful. But if it doesn't feel good to you, then don't do it. That is this book publicist's advice of the day.
