The Answer’s on the Internets!
We’ve all been there: someone asks you a question so inane that the only adequate reaction — after the jaw drop — is “Let me Google that for you.”
So what is a Stupid Question? It’s not necessarily one whose answer *you* think is obvious. Nor is it one whose answer can be found online. At the end of the day, the answer to pretty much everything can be found somewhere on the Internet and no one can be expected to spend hours (or even minutes, in some cases) trawling site after site.
But sometimes a question has an answer so immediately and completely available online that it practically takes longer to ask the question than it does to find the answer on the Internet. You know what I’m talking about. And that, my friends, is a Stupid Question.
When I wrote about Stupid Questions in my New Years Resolution post – and whenever I bring up the topic with friends and colleagues — people react with eye rolls and indignation, so clearly this situation is so pervasive that it demands a collective effort to rectify it. I bring you … “The Answer’s on the Internets!” (Yes — the plural is intentional. No, I’m not going to [sic] it.) Ground rules herewith:
– The purpose of this feature is not to make fun of people, but first, to underscore the fact that we are all independent and knowledgeable and that sometimes it’s far more efficient to look up something yourself rather than ask someone else. Second, I will try to make this feature useful in addition to entertaining by tagging and categorizing questions.
– Since this is The Book Publicity Blog, questions need to somehow pertain to book publicity / promotion / marketing. (I may relax standards for questions that relate to book publishing in general depending on the utility of the question.)
– Email the question you were asked and also the link you found that answers the question to bookpublicityblog[at]gmail[dot]com. Put “The Answer’s on the Internets” in the subject line of your message. Note: I will not look up links myself because, you got it, the answer’s on the Internets!
– All questions will be posted anonymously. Your entire submission will be anonymous unless you specifically request that all or part of your name / company be used. All identifying details will be removed / changed (unless your question is dependent on those details in which case it will not be posted).
– I will attempt to post questions (and answers) on a regular basis — hopefully once a week — depending on how many submissions I receive.
– Lastly, “The Answer’s on the Internets!” should not make anyone afraid to ask questions. I myself like to ask lots of them. I also happily answer lots of them. I’m simply encouraging people to first take just a second to check whether a satisfactory answer might be quickly and easily found online.
You know the story about giving a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach him how to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime? Rather than simply providing the answer to a Stupid Question, send the person the link to the answer so maybe the next time they’ll be able to find the answer on their own.
I just wanted to make the point that while publicity firms are wonderful – and I totally support them – authors should split their funds between publicity which is never guaranteed with marketing which is guaranteed because it is places and paid for. At Authorbuzz.com we reach the people who buy and sell books via different methods but always guarantee the placements. For instance, a $5000 blog ad campaign we recently did got 80 million impressions and garnered over 20,000 click thoughs meaning from 2 million to 4 million people stopped to read the ads.
To this non-publicist/editor/ghostwriter, your blog looks major interesting, if somewhat beyond me technologically.
And you’re apparently able (gracious enough) to handle stupid (beginner’s) questions. I’m trying to help a friend publicize a small-press (literary fiction) book. Where can I find a sample of an up-to-date book press release to send out with copies for review?
Glad to send you a free copy in return for your help! Ad to appear in NYRB
just an invitation to visit On the Seawall, a lit review site that’s been running since 8/07 …
After reading the reactions to stupid questions, I think the part about posting questions anonymously is a real plus. Noone likes to think that their question is stupid. I personally don’t feel there are stupid questions, only stupid answers. Questions reflect knowledge level in a given area.I take some issue with the statement that most answers can be found on the Internet. Internet information is not always as accurate as a professional in the field with years of experience. I’m pleased that you are sharing your professional experience with us.
Information found on the Internet should often be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s nevertheless a good place to start. For example, every so often I get emails / calls from college students or recent college graduates who are looking to get into publishing. Most of the time they’ve obviously taken some time to find out what they can and their questions are relatively thoughtful. Sometimes, however, it’s clear they haven’t even look up “publishing” on Google. Although I’m happy to help a young person break into publishing, I’m not going to serve as their search engine.