Blogger: Rachel Kent
While I was in Orlando, FL for the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS), I checked Yahoo news and saw that they were reporting a failed publicity stunt for Grey–the new book by the Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James. From what I understand, she was on Twitter for two hours to answer questions tweeted to her under the hashtag #AskELJames. Turns out that most of the tweets were attacks or snarky criticisms and from what I read, E.L. James was blocking people and she and her agent were upset. I read through quite a few of the tweets even though I’ve never read any of the books.
Here’s a small sampling of the tweets:
Johnny Quid: “If E.L. James asks for these tweets to stop, does that mean she really wants them to continue?”
Jack Howard: “What’s your favourite shade out of the 50? Is there a chance that more shades will be added?”
Laura: “That moment when #AskELJames hashtag is way more interesting than her books.”
Caitlin Stasey: “Does the E.L. stand for ELiterate?”
Dean Burnett: “Today E.L. James learned a valuable lesson that ‘A lot of people bought my work’ is not the same as ‘Everyone likes me.'”
Trevor Donovan: “What do you dislike more, Independent strong woman or the English language?”
Andrew Vestal: “After the success of ‘Grey,” have you considered re-telling the story from the perspective of someone who can write?”
Matty: “What’s it like telling millions of women it’s okay to be in an abusive relationship as long as he’s rich? Asking for a friend.”
Arjun Basu: “Here’s the thing: I think the team behind #AskELJames knew EXACTLY what they were doing. Every news outlet is carrying the story.”
Do you think Arjun Basu is onto something here? Is any kind of publicity good publicity?
I do find it hard to believe that her publicity team would think that she wouldn’t face that type of opposition in a public place like Twitter. And controversy like this does get people interested and reminds those who meant to buy the book that they should go get it.
I still will not be purchasing any of her books.
To what extent would you go to sell a book? Would you attempt a similar stunt?
Do you believe this was a purposeful or was this just a bad publicity move?
And what do you think Jesus would tweet to #AskELJames?
I agree, Rachel, that it’s hard to believe her publicity team didn’t see this as a possibility. With such a controversial subject matter in the books, I think the stunt would have made news even if it was a raving success. So they took their chances. That’s my assumption, anyway.
And in all sincerity, I think if Jesus were to respond, he’d simply say, “Follow me.”
“Follow me.” My thoughts exactly, Melinda.
Rachel, you and your team are so topical – do you dig up subjects in committee or just go with your gut? By the way, you are building your brand very well, not through a flashy website but through engagement and exchange, which is far more sustainable and relevant to your mission.
Someone once said of church recruitment, “You must keep them the way you won them”. It is an argument against using cheap gimmicks to win souls into a church, as it becomes a monster that needs constant feeding and which, thus, detracts from our mission.
That said, I know of firms that deliberately stir the pot and even accept that they may have to withdraw an ad, because the publicity works. 50 shades has the kind of brand personality that suits this kind of approach, regretfully so – it is a controversial, seedy book that appeals to a grey audience. I bet they are feeding on it and their business plan is to make their bucks quickly and then duck before the reputedly bad writing gets found out.
The marketing secret is to be honest to your brand. Never put the cart before the horse as in sales before brand, which is why I advocate a long-term, steady advancement through social networking, blog participation, relationship building, networking, quality writing, thoughtful commentary, and managing your public.
The brand has a personality, which in the case of Christian Books, precludes sleaze or gimmick.
Anyone trying this kind of ambush marketing, be warned, it may crank sales for a while, but it is not sustainable and once you go down that road you will find it almost impossible to get back.
If I told you that Michael Cain is in a movie, you could almost bank on it being a good movie, because he has so carefully stewarded his brand over so many years.
If I told you Nicholas Cage is in it, he who has prostituted himself to just about every genre and whatever pays his bills, you would think twice about viewing the movie.
A brand can take decades of consistent, deliberate effort to build, as Max Lucado has done with great success, but like an old tree it can be cut down in a moment through brand compromising activities, as i think is happening to Joel Osteen.
Marketing must always be about building a long- term value and a platform to support future books. Short term marketing tricks will burn out as quickly as they rise – I tend to think Lady Gaga and Marley Cyrus peaked too quickly and now I hardly ever hear them (not that I am sorry). Now they can’t get back and are resigned to doing what got them there – controversy and publicity, none of which sells music, although it may sell gossipy mags. I might add that even Cyrus’s fellow muso’s criticized her theatrics as damaging to the industry – well whatever, it was misguided.
Oh I could go on. I exit with this story. Coca Cola flighted an award winning advert during the Superbowl, but then withdrew it – because they were honest enough about their brand to say, “we are not in the entertainment business, we sell Coke”. That is what is called Brand Stewardship. However, for a writer, well no one can advance or destroy ‘Brand You’ better than you can.
We are stewards of something priceless, that baton receivers of a timeless legacy that God has entrusted to us: so as for me and my house, I want to careful, consistent and discrete in ensuring that I do what I do for His glory.
Peter, I applaud your use of the word “stewardship” in this context. I am a steward of the resources and gifts God has given me. It applies to book content and marketing.
I think the biblical concept of sowing and reaping applies here. If I sow gimmicks and manipulation, I won’t reap loyal readers.
Amen Shirley. We have one life to live and I owe it all to Him. His love constrains me.
Very thoughtful response, Peter! Thank you!
We are all in charge of coming up with our own topics. This one interested me because the headline caught my eye. 🙂
Sorry to be out of the loop with my responses to comments! I was traveling and then got back in time for my wedding anniversary and the 4th of July.
My skin isn’t thick enough to withstand that, but I hope my book isn’t as poorly written as hers (from what I’ve heard) or glorifying a distorted view of love and human sexuality.
While I think it may have been personally bad for E.L. James, publicity-wise, I doubt it hurt. Maybe a few readers will pick it up and pay for it just to see what the mocking is about. (Sadly.)
What would Jesus tweet? That’s pretty personal and hard to say without knowing why she writes this stuff. I guess I’d hope somewhere in his message would be how love is self-sacrifice, not self-satisfaction. (And keep it under 140 characters, of course!)
Let’s face it, she knew she was doing it for the money, not the fame, and she deliberately played on the sensationalism – so I suspect she is relishing the limelight. We are all inclined to act somewhat for attention, but when you see this level of attention seeking and a thick skin relishing it all, you can be almost sure of an absent or distant father somewhere in her past. It is more tragic to me than sensational.
My skin isn’t thick enough either, but then again I’d never write what she is writing!
I suppose that I’d be willing to have a twitter party while doing a HALO over the Las Vegas Strip – at night – but that would be about it. (Barb and I were married in a helicopter over the Strip – at night – so it would be a nice segue.)
* I suspect it was purposeful; publicists have their own reputations to consider, and being labeled as a clown isn’t very good for the career. A serious attempt at publicity that backfires is part of the job, and happens to everyone. A stunt that might go awry can wreck one’s career.
* What might Jesus tweet? The popular version of Jesus is one of sweet, gentle wisdom, but it may be instructive to remember that WWJD includes turning over tables, smashing merchandise, and chasing people around with a whip. I suspect it might run along the lines of a quatrain like this –
Watchest thou thy back,
oh silly E.L;
if thou art annoyed by this flak,
you’ll really hate Hell.
I would love to see the Halo, the ABK segue. Talking of hello, I have been thinking of you and wondering how you (and her) are holding up?
Peter, thank you so much for asking. It’s rough, but the funny thing is that as pain and other bad physical things increase, and the metaphorical darkness deepens, the Flame of the Immanent God is all the more clearly seen. There’s none of “why did God let this happen to ME?”; that would be flagrant ingratitude for the joy my life holds.
* It is harder for Barbara; she has to live the dichotomy of my decline, played out against her success and accomplishment in her work. She has to plan for an ending, and at the same time ensure continuity. I have the easier role.
Peter, I don’t know if you caught it earlier this year, but I was planning a book on the trip, so to speak, that Barb and I are on, concentrating on the caregiver’s ordeal. The book is coming, and will be an expansion of a series of blog posts (25 so far) called “Your Dying Spouse”. I wanted to get the information out there quickly, at least in bare-bones form, in case I died sooner rather than later. If you’d care to read it, I’d love to have your thoughts – you’re so well-grounded in The Word. Clicking on my name should take you to the latest.
* Well, I guess that IS publicity, of a sort.
Thanks Andrew. My entire journey into writing has encountered many amazing warriors like you and I have let them tell their stories. I will read, but understand I might just capture a few summary para’s of that story in my own book. I never use real names so it will always be discrete, yet honorable. I am indeed honored to share this much of your story. You may note I am not awkward around the possibility of death – that is a story in itself, but the essence of it lies in the profound hope we share in our Redeemer. That said, I remain in hope for you and your soulmate – how hard this must be for her and how much I have learned to value the incredible reservoir of strength that a good wife is in our lives. Blessings, Pete
Pete you do me great honour, and anything in my writing you find you can use – please feel free. Your story must be a powerful one, for you are a strong and resilient voice of faith. Truly, I think Jesus feels the Great Commission is well-tended in your able hands,
I replied on your Blog, Andrew. Didn’t want to digress to much from the thread here. Pete (btw it shows me as “My Profile” … some gmail issue I have to sort.
I like your tweet! And thank you for the fun and thoughtful comment!
Also, thanks for the update and we will continue to pray for you and your wife and family.
Hahaha. I have no idea. They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, so I suppose that will be the case here. It was funny as all get out though, and I appreciated the laugh at her expense. Okay, that’s not very nice of me, is it? 🙂 As far as what Jesus would say, well, it probably wouldn’t be what I would like him to say, although he was a pretty good table flipper … Sadly she is raking in millions and we’re still talking about it, yet it still remains one of the lowest forms of ‘literature’ (using the term extremely lightly) available on the market. Which says a lot about our society.
I thought some of them were pretty clever, too!
And very few were actually really mean. More snarky than than anything. But I’m not sure how Jesus feels about snark either.
Well, it does make everyone talk. I read The Da Vinci Code so that I could have an intelligent conversation about it with people. But I would not enjoy that kind of publicity, I think it might actually help her sales in a way since it brings her books to mind, but it will also bring to mind all of the faults in her work.
Yes, it’s not the kind of publicity I would want!
If my book was a zillion seller, but people thought I wrote birdcage lining, why, oh WHY, would I subject myself to mass insults???
Unless I a) had no brains, b) my publicity knew that I had no brains, c) I loved attention more than good sense, d) I forgot what good sense was, or e) I have no shame.
No matter who we are, there are people from whom we seek approval. For me, it’s my family. My husband and I have instilled in our kids a certain phrase, “don’t shame the family”.
And the best thing is when they toss it back at us, okay, usually, they toss it back at ME. Like, whenever I leave town for something. “Mom, don’t shame the family…remember, there’s Facebook. It only takes a second for Uncle Kevin to upload your pictures from middle school.”
But beneath the humour is the truth. We expect them to have standards. Limits. Boundaries.
Basically, those standards are, “if you can’t say it or do it in front of Grandma and Jesus, then don’t do it!!!”
I think the Twitter thing was a purposeful move gone bad. It seems as though no one is allowed to say “what the heck are you thinking?” when that kind of money is being made.
What would Jesus tweet? “Let’s go talk, I have some things to tell you. First of which is, I love you.”
Perhaps Jesus would tweet to #AskELJames – I’m still here, loving you.
Thank you, Davalyn. That’s my comment as well. I think the first thing Jesus would tweet would be, “E.L., I love you,” followed by “Please start loving yourself.” I do believe Jesus would help her understand that what she has written (and I haven’t read it either but have heard about it way more than I ever wanted from other people) is not in keeping with the dignity of a child of God.
Yes. I agree.
Rachel, thank you for the Friday smile. What a fun entry! And yes, they knew exactly what they were doing. But I’m still not buying it!
Me either! Not my cup of tea.
I don’t think all publicity is good publicity.
I can’t imagine anyone setting themselves up to be hated. So, no, not purposeful. She has a huge fan base and while I am not part of it, I know many who are, whom I imagine she would have hoped would be tweeting questions.
Like you, I will not buy her books, but, at the moment, I am more disturbed by the tweets than by the content said to be in her books. It saddens me when people attack people. We can disagree with her and not read her but to attack feels like anyone but Jesus. I believe Jesus would tweet her: “I love you. Follow me?”
Amen, Nick.
I haven’t read her books nor do I want to, but my heart hurt for her with just the few comments Rachel posted. Her publicity team may have been aware of what would happen, and in all honesty, any author has to expect to have some tweets / comments that are going to be negative, mocking, or hurtful because, sadly, some people just seem to feel a need to do that. However, I’m sure E. L. James was hurt by at least some of the comments. She’s human.
In regards to the comments about the quality of her writing, I actually doubt that she knows that it is poor. I suspect she has thought, because of her phenomenal book sales numbers, that anyone who thought she couldn’t write was wrong. There is maybe a lesson in humility there for her, if she is open to it, but to be ripped to pieces by the Twitter respondents is a hard way to learn it.
I have hated the fact that this book existed–and my heart ached that it did so well in terms of sales. I also was thoroughly puzzled by its continued sales because everyone who told me they had read it, said the writing was horrible and that the book became boring very quickly. I really did want the book to crash and burn. However, I do feel compassion for James. It seems her publicity team fed her to the wolves.
Bottom line WWJD? He would love her and He would not throw stones at her. I agree with Andrew that Jesus showed there is such a thing as righteous anger but it always was aimed at the hypocrites and the self-righteous. Towards sinners, He consistently showed compassion, love, and mercy, e.g. the woman caught in adultery.
I agree! I don’t think Jesus would ever want us to attack anyone or publicly shame them.
I question what her publicity crew was thinking about organising such a blatantly unregulated horrorfest like this twitter AMA. Surely they wouldn’t have done such a thing without warning her of the potential backlash. I would be interested in knowing what EL personally thought about the whole stunt, before and after the fact.
What would Jesus tweet? I think it would be more along the lines of “I have atoned for you. Go forth and sin no more. #forgiveness”. Of course Christ loves us–every single one of us. But He also desires that we become better people than we were yesterday. All of His preachings weren’t just to let us know how much He loved us, but also how we could achieve that great commandment, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as I am perfect.”
I think this #askELJames was a bad idea that did more harm than good.
P.S.: I must confess I am amused at the thought of Jesus tweeting, “Follow me.”
Jesus did “tweet’ to Saul: “Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
Perhaps he would take that approach here?