THE SCANDAL PLAN

Category Archives: THE SCANDAL PLAN

HuffPo #4 - Let’s Be Blue - A Plea for Partisanship

Posted by Bill on September 17, 2008 – 9:53 am

Here’s my latest article on the Huffington Post, where I argue for Democrats to use the word “Democrat” again. If you like it, please buzz it up. After a few posts, I finally have my own login information at HuffPo, so I’ll now be able to post directly to the site whenever I choose. This will be much nicer than my old method of posting, which involved a long e-mail chain and sometimes meant significant delays between when an article was written and when it got posted. This should mean more posts from me as well. Very exciting. Thanks to those who made this a reality.

If you happen to be reading my blog and have not yet read my book (a small demographic, I’m sure), you may suspect the book to be quite the polemic–particularly given my last two posts. Rest assured, this is not the case. I take great pains to avoid beating anyone over the head with a political agenda in my fiction. The book is meant to be enjoyable for readers of all political persuasions, and my goal as a satirist is to raise questions rather than answer them. So please forgive me if I get a bit heated in my blog posts these days. We’ve reached that all-too-familiar moment in the political season where I start to fear the rest of the country is living in a different reality than I am, one in which facts are subjective, where up is down and down is up and who wears lipstick is more important than who lives or dies. It’s crazy season.

Categories: Blogging, POLITICS, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

The Satirists Dilemma

Posted by Bill on August 21, 2008 – 2:51 pm

Check out my guest essay on Beatrice.com by clicking here.

I’ve included the text here:
Read More »

Categories: BOOKS AND PUBLISHING, Blogging, POLITICS, Press, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

HuffPo #3 - I’m Going To Sue John Edwards For Plagiarism

Posted by Bill on August 12, 2008 – 9:03 am

Read my latest on Huffington Post here. This is where I call out John Edwards — not just for lifting many elements of his sex scandal from my book — but also for having the audacity to do it so terribly. I provide advice on how politicians can make the most of their sex scandals. If you like the article, forward it to a friend.

Categories: Blogging, POLITICS, Press, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

John Phillips—er, I mean Edwards

Posted by Bill on August 9, 2008 – 1:06 pm

Poor unoriginal John Edwards. Twenty-four hours later, my head is still reeling from the parallels between his sex scandal and the one I wrote about in The Scandal Plan. It’s eery. Check out these quotes I scraped together from HuffPo:

Elizabeth Edwards as Melissa Phillips:
“Elizabeth Edwards says her husband told her about the affair in 2006 and they worked through it. “This was our private matter,” she writes.”

Rielle Hunter as Tina James:
“Jay McInerney reveals that Hunter was the basis for Alison Poole, the main character of his book, Story of My Life. “It was narrated in the first person,” McInerney writes in the intro to the interview, “from the point of view of an ostensibly jaded, cocaine-addled, sexually voracious 20-year old who was, shall we say, inspired by Lisa [aka Rielle].”

John Edwards as Ben Phillips:
“I made a serious error in judgment and conducted myself in a way that was disloyal to my family and to my core beliefs. I recognized my mistake and I told my wife that I had a liaison with another woman, and I asked for her forgiveness. Although I was honest in every painful detail with my family, I did not tell the public.”

Crazy, no?

Of course, it’s a pity. I liked John Edwards. I liked his message. I liked his wife. And, yes, it’s sad to see this happen. But, in my own self-absorbed way, I can’t help but wonder how this will impact the fortunes of my little book. That’s the crazy thing about trafficking in political satire. What is good for business is usually bad for someone else.

I stayed up late last night crafting my official response to the scandal, and you will be able to read that soon. Until then, enjoy the media frenzy. Let the self-righteous indignation commence …

“I’m shocked! Shocked, I say!”

Categories: POLITICS, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

Dr. Blogstein, I presume . . .

Posted by Bill on July 28, 2008 – 5:00 pm

Tomorrow night (7/29), I’ll be appearing on Dr. Blogstein’s Radio Happy Hour on Blog Talk Radio to chat about The Scanal Plan and verbally loiter. The show starts at 9pm EST, and I’ll be on around 9:30pm. If you miss this show live, it will be available for a week on the good doctor’s website (www.drblogstein.com), and archived forever at: www.blogtalkradio.com/DrBlogstein.

It should be a fun time. Tune in.

Categories: Press, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

POTUS ‘08 Interview - Sunday —No, make that Monday

Posted by Bill on July 13, 2008 – 12:33 am

For those of you who get XM radio, I’ll be interviewed on the POTUS ‘08 channel in about 12 hours from now.

2pm EST. XM 130. Dig it

*******************ADDENDUM*******************
Wait. Scratch that. Just had the interview. It was pre-recorded. It will not air until tomorrow. Monday between 7-9pm EST.

Categories: Press, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

Hot Bookstore Visits and Amazon Envy

Posted by Bill on July 1, 2008 – 5:36 pm

I visited a bunch of LA bookstores this week in what is becoming an increasingly familiar drill. I introduce myself, give a reading copy to the store, sign stock if they carry the book, tell a few jokes, and try to be as nice as I can to the wonderful people who are selling my book. I feel like I’m truly pounding the pavement with these bookstore visits, going door-to-door and handselling to the handsellers–real old school. I did the same thing in New York recently, only without a car, which made it more dramatic, as I lugged a heavy bag of books down one city block after another.

It’s been real cool discovering some of the independent bookstores I’ve never visited before. Each one of them is so unique, and their booksellers are so passionate about what they do. At all the stores, chatting with the employees is definitely the highlight for me. People who sell books tend to be interesting people — whether they work at Booksoup in Hollywood or at Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica.

In other news, after disappointing us by leaving the book off their Father’s Day table, I’m pleased to announce that Barnes & Noble has come through on their summer reading table promises! I’ve been to a bunch of B&Ns and have also heard independent confirmation from friends that THE SCANDAL PLAN is indeed on the summer reading table when you first enter the store. Very exciting.

If only the book were as easy to find elsewhere . . . My biggest frustration continues to be Amazon.com, where just about the only way to stumble across the book is to do a search for it. This presents a challenge because, in my limited experience, people will only buy a book if they know it exists. So, how do we get those people browsing through Amazon.com to know that THE SCANDAL PLAN exists? Well, I’m glad I asked me. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Strategy #1: Become a bestseller.

I have to say, all things considered, Strategy #1 is not a bad strategy. The more I think about it, though, I believe I might need a backup plan. You know, just in case. How about this:

Strategy #2: Harassing friends for Amazon Tags, Search Tags, and Reviews.

Yes, I need help for this strategy, so I’ll speak to you directly, whoever happens to be reading my blog now. If you’ve ever purchased anything on Amazon, then you can write reviews and tag items with words and phrases to make it easier to find said item. If you’ve read my book and liked it, I’d ask that you please take a few minutes to write a quick review online and tag my book.

How do I tag a book? Click here to learn how to tag a book with regular tags and here to learn how to tag with the more important search tags. As for reviews, I’ve had a couple friends who wrote some good Amazon reviews (and a bunch of strangers), but I need more.

If you are one of my friends or you’re on my mailing list, you probably received an e-mail from me requesting just this kind of assistance with reviews and tags. Now, my friends are wonderful people and they’ve been super supportive, buying my book and flooding me with e-mails telling me how much they’ve enjoyed it, but, as far as Amazon reviews are concerned, I think everyone is just assuming that everyone else is doing it — because my recent spamming of several hundred people has resulted in . . . that’s right . . . zero new reviews to date. So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I’d ask those who are reading this to please step up and make your voice heard!

Beyond the world of Amazon, there are many other ways for fans of THE SCANDAL PLAN to help spread the word, and I’ve put together a list of all these strategies on a new page of my website called: Campaign for My Book!

Subtle, I know. Anyhow, check it out if you get a chance, and if you can think of any strategies I’ve overlooked, please leave me a comment and let me know. I feel bad that I keep bugging you all for your help, as you are the ones to whom I owe the most already, but the simple truth is that in order for Book #2 to see the light of day, Book #1 needs to be a success. And, as always, I can’t do it without you.

Okay. Enough of my yapping. I promise to keep the self-promotional pleas to a minimum from here on out. Now it’s time to get back to the real work.

Categories: BOOKS AND PUBLISHING, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

The Worldwide Tour of New England: Episode 5: Fairfield, CT

Posted by Bill on June 18, 2008 – 1:17 pm

My east coast tour ended with a bang last week at the Borders Books in Fairfield, Connecticut. At more than 40 people, it was my biggest crowd yet, and my most family–packed event to date. In addition to my sister and my parents, my future in-laws drove up from New Jersey for the show. Also in attendance was the rabbi who Bar Mitzvahed me (and who will marry me in a couple months). I tell you, if you want pressure, try to think up something pithy to inscribe in your rabbi’s book when you’ve only got a couple seconds. Oy.

I usually find I can rise to the occasion when asked by someone close to me for a witty on-the-spot inscription, but every now and then, I disappoint myself, usually by writing something too cheeky that I instantly regret for one reason or another. There have been a couple of those. Perhaps most challenging are those friends who approach me and ask for a totally unique creation. “Write me something you haven’t written to anyone before.” The proper response to such a request is usually an inscription like this:

“To Joe – I’ve been sleeping with your girlfriend, Molly. I hope this knowledge does not in any way diminish your enjoyment of my book. Happy reading! – Bill”

In all seriousness, though, for you authors out there, this strategy only works if Joe’s girlfriend is named Molly.

So … Fairfield was a good time. Following this reading, I had a crazy day in New York, schlepping books all around Manhattan, dropping off reading copies and introducing myself to employees in bookstores from the Village to the Upper East side (three cheers for pounding the pavement!). Then C flew in and we were reunited for a weekend of bridal shower fun and wedding-planning-ness. Then, after the requisite 2+ hours on the tarmac of Newark airport and a quick cross country flight, here we are.

I am now back in LA, trying to catch up on my life (and my blogging), but I will end this series of posts by once again thanking everyone who came out to see me on my first little book tour. Your support meant a lot. Happy Wednesday and God bless.

Categories: BOOKS AND PUBLISHING, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

The Worldwide Tour of New England: Episode 4: Easton, CT

Posted by Bill on June 11, 2008 – 10:23 am

$Bill\'s reading - Easton Library$

Monday night, I was “local boy made good” at the Easton Public Library, the most happening place in my quiet hometown. Bernadette, the head librarian, did a great job of spreading the word about my appearance and alerting the local media (I was on WICC radio on Friday and the front page of the Easton Courier on Thursday). For a book reading in a small town, we had a nice turnout, which included a friend I hadn’t seen since high school and a couple of my more magnificent middle school teachers. In attendance were the English teacher who encouraged my creative writing and the History teacher who encouraged my fascination with politics. It was nice to have them there.

Categories: BOOKS AND PUBLISHING, Growing Up, Press, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis

The Worldwide Tour of New England: Episode 2: Politicking

Posted by Bill on June 11, 2008 – 9:52 am

I am starting to feel a bit like a politician running for office. I now have a stump speech that I can access effortlessly at these readings. I have the 20 second spiel, the 20 sentence spiel, the 20 minute spiel, and every length spiel in between. I have a pocket full of self-deprecating and self-promotional one-liners at my disposal to use when signing, spieling, shaking, or charming. I’ve been going into bookstores, introducing myself, and leaving behind cards and reading copies.

I am raising awareness, spreading the word, and tiring myself out as I unabashedly campaign for this book. After writing a novel about a political campaign, I find it amusing and slightly ironic to be in this position. It’s fun. It’s exhausting. And, it’s what I have to do.

Categories: BOOKS AND PUBLISHING, THE SCANDAL PLAN|Post a comment|ShareThis