Charlie Sheen, you crazy man. Or, perhaps marketing genius.
Flash back a couple of months. Charlie is doing great. In May of 2010, he’s making approximately $2 million per episode of a 30-minute sitcom that is also in syndication.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone that Charlie’s personal life was a bit, well, shocking. Over the years some have even called him a “Hollywood Badboy.”
That aside, Charlie appeared to generally balance the personal and professional. That is to say the two co-existed and things had, at the time, not risen to the level of some celebrity meltdowns seen in the last decade.
However, when the Charlie Sheen train derailed, it happened fast. In the span of what seemed only hours, he lost his job, his family fell apart, Goddesses appeared and Charlie allowed the media a front row seat to it all.
Then subtle events started to occur that made me wonder what was really going on. Charlie hit Twitter and explosion doesn’t even come close to describing the result. Charlie’s approaching 4-million followers and still climbing.
Then came a coast-to-coast tour. Initially the reviews were horrid, but Charlie retooled and the reviews are better. And, he keeps selling tickets.
Most people quickly offer the opinion that Charlie is just nuts. Maybe he is. Maybe he has substance addiction problems, maybe he got some bad Tigerblood. Who knows?
Needless to say, something is going on, and people are lining up to see what happens next and they seem to be paying for the privilege.
The general celebrity meltdown results in a fall and rarely is there any meaningful recovery.
Not Charlie. He falls, but he seems to bounce back at least to the level from which he fell. So is this accidental or intentional? I have no idea.
However, I believe there are some lessons to be learned from Charlie that you could apply to marketing that book you’re trying to sell.
Charlie got rejected, heck, he got fired from the most successful sitcom on television. What did he do? He made sure everyone knew he felt he was getting the short end of the deal.
I won’t get into his lawsuit, but Charlie showed a #winning spirit. Charlie is refusing to be rejected. He’s fired? So what?
Do what Charlie did. If you’re a writer and you’re dealing with rejection, so what? I’m not saying sue anyone of course, but retool and focus more attention on your book. You Tube a glowing book trailer or interview about the book. Continue to build a following. Rejections be damned!
Get your book in front of people. Invite them into your world. Post excerpts on line. Solicit feedback and input from your Twitter and Facebook friends. Make people a part of the process and encourage them to invite more people to the party.
Self-Promote. Evaluate. Modify as needed. Charlie lost his television show, what does he do? He orchestrates a nationwide tour and adapted to make it work. Do the same with your book. If something isn’t working, fix it and make it work.
I believe the true genius of Charlie Sheen is that he completely believes in himself and has the ability to adapt. With the whole world saying he is insane and washed up, he adapts and keeps people interested in Charlie Sheen. He also keeps people spending money on Charlie Sheen. He refuses to believe he will be anything other than an overwhelming success.
Pull a page from Charlie’s playbook. If people tell you that you won’t succeed, smile and prove them wrong. You may not have the dollars of Charlie Sheen, but there is nothing prohibiting you outspending him in effort and confidence.
And if you ever need a bit of inspiration, follow @CharlieSheen on Twitter. At a minimum you’ll be entertained.
Oh and as long as you’re here, why not read an excerpt of my book, The Trust or evenbuy a copy of your own. A percentage of all sales will be donated to canine related nonprofits. Support K9 rescues!
