The Dog is Out of the Bag

By on August 11, 2010 in Success

In today’s Brave New Digital World, the marketplace for any new product (a book, movie, website, etc) is more crowded than a strip club on Superbowl weekend. Just getting noticed is a Herculean task and damn near impossible if you ain’t willing to drop some serious coin. No lap dance for you! You may have spent a year or more pouring you heart and soul into your art, but if you can’t sell it in 140 characters or less, you’re a loser without much hope.

The good news is that with all the online tools available for free, authors (like me) are a lot less reliant on publisher’s rigid ad spends and traditional marketing approaches (can I get on Oprah? Can I get a review in People Magazine?) and can take control of their own fates. Kind of. Because then again, just figuring out how to use some of those online tools is like a life-long futbol fan trying to learn the rules of football.

Have you heard of tumblr? Until about two weeks ago, I hadn’t. Getting a tutorial from one of my sister’s 20-something year old colleagues at Intent.com reminded me of the time several years ago I tried to explain how to use email to my 80-something year old grandfather in India. He still prefers to type out emails, print them, and send them via snail mail. "What a great invention!"

As I may have mentioned most overtly again and again, I have a book WALKING WISDOM with my father coming out October 5th. I may as well come out and say it: I am desperate for it to succeed because, contrary to my spiritual origins, my ego is pretty shaky and my self-esteem will take quite a profound hit if I don’t meet certain self-imposed expectations.

For that reason, I’m diving in full throttle to the virtual world of social networking, viral marketing, tagging, platforming, and all things trending (my new goal in life).

Call me old school, but I’m starting with Facebook. I had planned on building the page, understanding all the various options available, and launching it with some actual strategy. Then I mentioned it to @deepakchopra and well, he ain’t exactly a strategy guy. He tweeted it out to his 260k followers and well, the dog is officially out of the bag. In other words, we’re live! Whatever – we’ll build this thing on the fly.

My goal with all these platforms is not to sell my book (this is me lying for future reference). Correction: my goal is not just to sell my book (note the subtlety of my being honest), but actually to create a conversation around what inspired me to write the book and what it is about. I’ll blog and tweet more about it over the next few weeks and months, but the heart and soul of the book is about the most important life lessons we learn from the beings most important to us. For me, that was obviously not just my family – his holiness @deepakchopra in a way few have ever seen him – but also my infant son, and amazingly my crazy neurotic dogs.

So really what I am hoping for is that all of you will come and share your stories, your loves, licks, and pics and create that conversation with me.  Oh, and make sure to tick of that "like" button. Apparently that’s a big deal.

More soon!

 

About Gotham Chopra

Gotham Chopra is a multi-media voice on issues of spirituality, culture, and news. As an anchor for Channel One News -- an in-school educational news broadcast seen daily by upwards of 8 million American students -- Gotham reported from Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, Egypt, China, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Colombia, Russia, Chechnya, Mexico, Honduras, all across Europe and the United States. He has interviewed a wide range of Global leaders -- from President Bush to the Dalai Lama to associates and foot soldiers of Osama Bin Laden. He has hosted events as diverse as the Pope's pep rally in St. Louis to the action at the fifty-yard line at the Superbowl. Gotham's global assignments have sent him on patrol with anti-militant commando units in war torn Kashmir and had him detained by secret police in China, Iran, and Pakistan. Gotham is the author of Familiar Strangers (Random House 2002) -- a non-fiction and spiritual chronicle of his travels and encounters at the frontlines of areas in conflict and transition. Gotham served as Story Editor on the Bulletproof Monk -- a comic book about bullets, monks, gangs, and seekers. He also served as Executive Producer of the feature Film with John Woo's Lion Rock Films and MGM Studios, which appeared in theaters in 2003. He is also author of Child of the Dawn, a novel published in 1996 and translated in 13 languages internationally. He recorded The Mythical Lover on A Gift of Love -- a recording of sensual poetry by the 13th Century poet Rumi, and has served as researcher and lyrical advisor to Michael Jackson on the multi-platinum albums Dangerous and HIStory. He has also served as Producer on television specials for PBS. As co-founder of 5K Entertainment, Gotham wrote, is producing, and will direct the indy feature Swindle. He is also the co-creator of K Lounge -- a Kama Sutra bar and lounge in New York City with more to launch internationally in 2005. As co-founder of Chopra Media and a partner in Intent Media (with Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur), Gotham is involved in a wide-array of creative media ventures. He is the President of development for Gotham Studios Asia, the largest comic book studio in India. Currently Gotham is serving as creative consultant to Current TV, a new television network co-founded by former Vice-President Al Gore, and scheduled to launch in 20 million American households in August 2005. Identified by Newsweek Magazine (March 04) as one of the "most powerful and influential" South Asians worth watching, Gotham speaks nationally on issues of youth and spirituality, conflict resolution, and develops workshops to create a language for young people to bring out the internal and external issues that important to them.
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7 Responses to The Dog is Out of the Bag

  1. maureen trahan August 11, 2010 at 4:36 pm #

    Can't wait to buy your book, because every time i read one of your blogs I always end up laughing hysterically at some point, you do have a way with words, keep it up……you're always interesting to read

  2. toanoo August 11, 2010 at 11:24 pm #

    You are a talented, gifted, intrepid writer… love your blogs looking forward to reading your book!

    Your future (and the future of your book) is bright, as you are the one illuminating it!

  3. Lauren August 12, 2010 at 4:05 pm #

    Congratulations Gotham! I just love your personality that comes through your writing! XO

  4. almosteph August 12, 2010 at 4:48 pm #

    Anything I can do to help, I will do. You are so refreshing and honest (even about ego) that I know the world will respond to you well. I appreciate your humanity and transparency even with any flaws that you acknowledge. To me, that just makes your writing and the essence of you that comes out of it more appealing. I believe very much in what you are capable of achieving (and actually, OK–totally, I'm kind of picky on such pronunciations) so I agree that getting the word out is the obstacle. You shine! Let us help. It will be a pleasure.

  5. PaulGopal August 13, 2010 at 12:24 pm #

    Good luck with it Gotham !!

  6. stuball56 August 14, 2010 at 12:35 pm #

    Dear Gotham,

    It is always a pleasure to read your blogs. I look forward to reading your book. It is amazing to me how the drive for fame and fortune runs so deep. Some of us feel so strongly that what we have to say will change the world. Here you are with a father who is a semi-deity, and yet you still struggle for recognition.

    I have always known that my own writing will not be recognized until my medical research on apocrine sweat is successful. I am getting closer as the NIDA will be testing my research hypothesis in a new clinical trial starting next month.

    Good luck to you Gotham.

    love and light,

    Stuart
    http://stuartmarkberlin.com http://hermeticdiagnostics.com

  7. neil.sattin August 17, 2010 at 1:47 pm #

    Gotham,

    So encouraged to hear about your new book. I'll certainly click "like" and drop a few coins on your behalf.

    best,

    Neil