Neil Gaiman, a guy who considers himself a
lazy author, is (of course) not too lazy to
write a book.
But you are not Neil Gaiman.
And now if you're too lazy to write a book
you can have one written by for you for the
bargain basement price of just $25,000.
That's the current price; when it first launched
Book in a Box cost $15,000.
I'm not kidding.
I'm horrified, but I'm not kidding.
My shock at the existence of Book in a Box
is not about the thought that an author's
work might be ghostwritten.
Having someone else write as you isn't a new
idea, after all.
It's also not about the fact that the mastermind
behind Book in a Box is Tucker Max, a heinous—if
ultimately harmless—individual if ever there
was one.
I also have no specific thoughts about the
cost of Book in a Box.
But take a close look at the Book in a Box
website and you'll be hard-pressed to see
anything beyond a kind of scam.
And the Book in a Box the scam isn't being
perpetrated so much on authors as their readers.
Despite never having heard of any of the works
that Book in a Box has published—nor any
of the authors—my point isn't about quality.
Seriously, it's possible that Book in a Box
is turning out great books.
But for whom?
And why?
Book in a Box: For When You're Too Lazy to
Write a Book
And now, our business lesson of the day.
The subject is Content Marketing.
When You're Too Lazy to Write a Book
Building a library of content is either time-consuming,
expensive, or both.
Nevertheless, that Content Marketing effort
is a business necessity.
If you can afford Book in a Box it may be
a bargain compared to other options.
But Book in a Box underscores the problem
with the Content Marketing Business Environment.
People who use Book in a Box aren't writing
their memoirs.
They aren't famous people with interesting
stories to tell.
Book in a Box's customers are people who wish
to appear to be experts without actually having
any demonstrable expertise.
They contribute to the cacophony that is the
Internet with actually adding anything of
value.
I used to say something like that about many
attorneys.
They add nothing of value to the Gross National
Product.
Book in a Box is your chance to be like that.
It's your chance to be Kim Kardashian.
Publishing a book when you're too lazy to
write a book is just like being famous for
being famous.
Hmm.
Which, come to think of it, may be a great
business model.
Just not a useful one.
So maybe Book in a Box is actually a great
idea.
On the other hand, maybe you'd like to do
content marketing that brings some real value
to your customers.
If that's you, drop me a line.
Let's make you a real content marketing star.
