Admit it. You envy the Kardashians just a little, don't you? I do

Writing

If you're starting a new business, building a brand, trying to sell almost anything, especially a book, wouldn't it help to be famous? Imagine all the free advertising you'd enjoy if the paparazzi followed you everywhere, clicking your photo and writing about your every coming and going.

You can't help but be at least a little offended that the public bestows so much attention on those who have contributed so little, can you? What did the Kardashians ever do to deserve all that attention? Do you know? Did they develop a life-saving vaccine? Did they invent the latest technological gadget that everyone must have? Do they have some great talent? (I'll let you mull that over as you read on. The answer is at the end of this article.)

Imagine what you could do with all that attention. I might actually sell some books. You might own a chain of franchise outlets all over the country and people might flock to them. Your children might bask in the glow of your fame for decades to come.

Then again, you don't have to surrender your life to adoring masses to enjoy the benefits of public adulation. You might, instead, allow one of them, a popular personality, to endorse your product or service. These people have agents who sell endorsements of famous personalities. Yes, you have to spend money to make money, and there are no guarantees that even that will work.

Or, you can struggle on like I have. I've worked long and hard to build my brand to no avail. There's something almost heroic in my ability to persevere in the face of repeated failures. Let me give you an example. I recently posted a brief synopsis of a novel that I've just completed. I included a twenty-seven-word request to read it and answer a simple question: “Would you purchase and read this story?”

I promoted this posting in my weblog in the major social media and there have been almost 400 visitors to it in the first 3 days that it appeared on the Internet. What have been the results? There have been just nine respondents: four yeses, three noes, and one maybe. Yes, that's not bad if you look at the fact that more than half said “yes”. But, the fact that only about two percent of the visitors even bothered to respond to the survey isn't very heartening, is it? Still, two percent was a reasonable response to direct mail campaigns as I remember from my days in the ad biz. Who knows, I may be becoming famous after all.

Would you like my autograph?

ANSWER: Who are the Kardashians and why are they famous? The source of their notoriety probably originates with the fact that Robert Kardashian was one of O. J. Simpson's defense attorneys in his 1995 murder trial. Daughter Kim has parleyed that spark of fame into a family business with the help of her mother and siblings.