The job of a lowly scribe is an unenviable one.
This DIY film, shot by journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman, offers a raw look at what it takes for writers to bring their work to an audience.
What many might imagine would be a proud occasion is revealed to be anything but. It’s embarrassing to see and hear the likes of Christopher John Farley – a Harvard-educated editor for the Wall Street Journal – recall the time he stood outside a pirate museum dressed in a pirate costume that made him look like a “…sad, middle-aged man, going to an office party” in the hopes of attracting the attention of passersby who he could invite to his book launch.
When I say embarrassing, I mean it as no offence. These wordsmiths are proud of their work, but you certainly can’t help feeling sorry for them when Pearlman buys a copy of their book out of pity rather than interest.
For all of this, the documentary is often humorous, and ultimately rather inspiring. Pearlman’s interviews with writers who have found success through clever self-marketing tactics offer interesting insights for emerging authors, serving to remind that selling a book is all about the creator selling themselves.
That is, to become a book whore.
Watch the film below, then be sure to tell Jeff Pearlman what you thought over on Twitter.