Meanwhile I just got essentially censored by the West Caldwell NJ library today. I walked in past a sign lauding the appearance of an author about a silly book about the paleo diet at the library next week. I showed a copy of the book to the librarian. The creep dismissed me with a few muttered cursory comments about how they really don’t do want to do personal author appearances at the library anymore as they only attract a few people. He said “We’re not interested” a few times and waved me away.
:rolleyes:
I swear that probably explains why the stupid branch has copies of nearly every horrible anti-vax book ever written. I am half tempted to contact the mayor and ask why their local librarian refused to let a pro-vaccine advocate and published author speak to the community about a vitally important health issue.
Yes we do. I may see about contacting them to write for them. I will be speaking at the West Orange NJ library in November at a date as yet undetermined.
Are you sure it was an actual librarian, and not a clerk or other individual with no actual power to make such a decision?
I’d think most libraries would be pleased to attract readers through a freebie author appearance. If this one is run by someone who only wants to promote woo, then alerting his/her boss(es) is appropriate.
I don’t recall ever seeing an author talk at our local library branch; we get some signings at the B&N (typically fiction authors, thankfully no health loons or similar wooists).
If you’re traveling through central Ohio, let me know, as it would be a pleasure to take a couple of distinguished authors out for good barbecue.
Oh I know exactly who I spoke to today. It was Ethan Galvin. His official title is Coordinator - Adult Programming, Public Relations & Community Outreach.
I would also think that most libraries would be happy to see a local author in person. But judging by the number of anti-vax books I routinely see at that branch and that branch only, I think someone there is definitely on the nut bandwagon over there. I have no proof. Going by today’s conversation I strongly think it’s him. My husband dubbed the guy the head of the Librarians Against Facts local chapter.
I get emails all the time about local author appearances and routinely go them when I have a chance. This library is sponsoring an appearance by a fellow local author promoting a fad diet that is presently announced the minute you walk through the library doors.
If Diane Sanfilippo can babble about the “whole foods lifestyle” there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to talk about what we can do help protect our babies from this state’s pertussis outbreak.
If you’re ever in NJ, let me know as would be happy to take a fellow doper out for truly great pizza.
I clicked on Marketplace by sheer accident so I’ve seeing this for the first time.
I want to add my congratulations. I’ve written several popular medical books and I know both how incredibly difficult they are and how rewarding they can be. A simple thank you from a stranger means more than a thousand knocks from the crazies and loons. You done good.
I have a few suggestions for going forward built on my experiences. I don’t know what your plans are so these all may be obvious to you or totally irrelevant. If anything’s helpful, though, feel free to use it.
Checking in on Amazon I found that your books comes up #32 when searching on vaccines and at #7 when searching for anti-vaccine. That’s pretty good but probably a reflection of Amazon building publishing date into its algorithm. (I heard a pundit during the convention call it an a-logarithm and I wanted to throw a chair.) Amazon also uses customer reviews to decide relevance. If you look at the top 30 books almost all the ones without customer reviews are new, while much older - and probably outdated - books with high review counts outrank them. I’d encourage people here who want to support the book to add a review. And I’d encourage you to tell all buyers to post a review.
You don’t seem to have a web page for the book. That could help a lot. People can link to web pages and that drives you up the Google listings. And they provide a place to post appearances and comments, answer questions, and get feedback from readers. A blog can do most of this but a site with fixed information that doesn’t scroll has advantages. I had a pro put up a site using Wordpress for a nominal amount of money but I do my blog myself. Your book is already appearing on related websites and that’s good. Try to make as many contacts through them as possible and keep your names active.
Remember that the crazies are organized. I once many years ago put up a blog post about a truly crazy alternative allergy treatment that’s on the far periphery of what I normally write about. Yet I’ve gotten more comments on that post than any other. And virtually 100% praise the wonderfulness of the treatment and call me names. It’s a fringe treatment that you would never have heard of and there are days when I believe that more people have written me about it than have ever actually tried it. They’re not your audience. The louder they are the more they lessen themselves in the eyes of people who want real, hard information and facts. Or so I tell myself.
With 250,000 books being published every year, breaking through the clutter takes as much work as writing the book in the first place. Just when you thought you were out…
Thank you so much for this wonderful post. Allison and I will carefully consider your suggestions. We’re trying to do what we can in between our full time jobs and family committments.
I have talked to the parents of our son’s class (when we celebrate one of their birthdays), and every single one of us are ardent defenders of busting the vaccination-autism connection; each one of us has had the opportunity of setting an anti-vaxxer straight to a point where they don’t even get a chance to be cruel.
The only odd thing about the review is she asserts we didn’t provide an index. I assure anyone who wants to read it, the book does indeed have an index!
Again, thank you all for your support! And Exapno Mapcase, your suggestions are very very helpful. We do have a Facebook page (under “Your Baby’s Best Shot”) and a Twitter account for the book (@BabysBestShot), but building a webpage is something neither of us have had time for yet.
Since the Booklist magazine is often used by librarians to determine what books to buy for public and school libraries, it would be a helpful thing for Dopers to mention if you want to encourage your local libraries to buy copies
Ooooooh, I was going to say that I only know of Booklist because of my friends who are librarians. Glad that they gave it such a good review. I wonder if you can contact them about the index. Maybe the advance copy didn’t have one for some reason.
The sentence Yeticus Rex quoted is a marvelous summary.
This really isn’t the appropriate venue for arguments but if you would like to start a thread in IMHO or GD about what you think is the cause of autism, I’d be more than happy to participate.
Thank you. I just want to remind anyone reading this that my share of any profits will go towards a campaign to help provide measles vaccines for all the world’s poor children. If you like it or hell even if you didn’t could you please provide a brief review of the book on Amazon?
We would like to get it ranked in the Amazon search listings. As Exapno Mapcase points out, part of the ranking process is based on reviews. Right now when you search under books for vaccines the first twelve books that show up are nearly all bad. You’ll see books like the Dr. Sears book complete with stupid alternative delayed vaccine schedule, Louise Kuo Habakus’s collection of stupid anti-vax screeds and Neil “I Speak With Space Aliens” Z. Miller’s false info. Only a single of one of Dr. Offit’s books shows up.
I am sorry you feel that way. As Inner Stickler pointed out, I’m not sure this is the appropriate forum for debate, but if you’d like to start a thread in an appropriate forum, we can discuss the scientific evidence that vaccines are not linked to autism.
