By Emily Witt 11/18/11 11:58am

publicity stunts

Charney tell-all? Or a pack of lies?

The Tell-All of Dov Charney and Tucker Max? All Part of Ryan Holiday’s Media Strategy

Yesterday Gawker, Galley Cat and other sites reported that Ryan Holiday, the marketing strategist, got a major book deal for a tell-all about his clients, including American Apparel founder Dov Charney and writer and professional bigot Tucker Max. Called Confessions of a Media Hit Man, the book sold to Penguin’s business imprint, Portfolio. “Major” usually implies it sold for at least $500,000. Well, we will save Mr. Holiday from confessing one aspect of his strategy. A book editor sent us a copy of Mr. Holiday’s proposal, which contains the following tactical outline:

The Press Release
The press release announcing the sale of this book is the perfect opportunity to create a compelling yet fake spectacle about the book. Relying on the fact that blogs and media outlets simply take for granted whatever is stated in a release, we will state in the press release that the advance given for this book was a spectacular sum. Blogs covering publishing and media will instantly pick up on the fact that a first time author was paid such an exorbitant amount. Combined with Ryan’s experience working with bestselling authors, this will immediately put the book on the radar of the media elites. That the information is all fake and part of a social experiment will be revealed later in the book itself—as evidence of the gullibility of the web and proof of concept. Read More

By Drew Grant 9/30/11 10:38am

Book Parties

Michael Ellsberg, Julia Allison, and Tucker Max

The Education of Millionaires Book Party: Tucker Max Buys Julia Allison For $1,700

Last night author Michael Ellsberg sat us down on the roof of the Hudson Terrace and told us something we didn’t want to hear.

“Student loans are the only kind of loan that you can’t default and declare bankruptcy on,” said Mr. Ellsberg, wearing a crushed-velvet red jacket, “It was necessary in our parents generation to go to college in order to get a good job…I can’t tell anyone not to go to school, but now that the cost of a B.A. can go up to $50,000 a year, unless you plan on getting a law degree or go into medicine, I think smarter kinds can find other ways to gain real world experience.”

Mr. Ellsberg, promoting his latest book The Education of Millionaires: It’s Not What You Think and It’s Not Too Late, sounded like one of those wall street protestors, but the scene at the Terrace couldn’t be more different than that at Liberty Plaza. Read More