How do you publicize a book about a publicity hound who's litigious about publicity about himself?
This was the dilemma confronting Roger Rapoport, publisher of RDR Books
and author of Citizen Moore: The Life and Times of an American
Iconoclast (RDR Books, $15.95, 9781571431639/1571431632), the "untold
story" of filmmaker, former Mother Jones editor and activist Michael
Moore based on interviews with 200 people who have known him and worked
with him over the years. "His own story is a pretty good tale,"
Rapoport said.
Fearing that Moore might react negatively, Rapoport did no prepublication publicity and sent out no galleys of the book, which came out last month. "It was publishing in reverse, I guess," he said. Still, "stores have gotten behind the book" and a starred review in Booklist had a "dramatic impact." ("In this engaging profile, Rapoport portrays the quirks and complexities of a man whose life is as fascinating as his films.") Rapoport himself has been interviewed on a range of radio shows, particularly in Michigan, Moore's home state and where RDR Books has headquarters. The author/publisher has also appeared in some Michigan bookstores and next month begins a tour in California; the first event there will be February 21 at Black Oak Books in Berkeley. Rapoport said he is close to going back to press after the first printing of 10,000.
At the moment, Moore himself is in one of his occasional quiet times, but that will end soon, when Moore releases his next film, Sicko, about health care and the pharmaceutical industry. (He's also releasing a documentary about his Slacker Uprising Tour of 2004.) Noting that "health care is on the front burner in Congress," Rapoport praised Moore for his timing. "He has perfect pitch once again. Sicko will be all over the media in several months, starting with Cannes [which takes place in May]." Methuen, which has bought U.K. rights to Citizen Moore, will release it this summer as a film tie-in.
Rapoport has written and edited books on politics, education, medicine, travel and nuclear weapons. He's also a journalist who worked at the Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle and has contributed articles to many magazines and newspapers. He started publishing 14 years ago, "just when superstores were taking off." In his area, he continued, "just about every town, down to towns of 5,000 or less, has an independent." Perhaps the journalist in him has sniffed a story: he said that he's seen "a wave of startups of stores that are not big by any means but are doing well. A lot are doing events, and all are very regionally oriented."--John Mutter
This was the dilemma confronting Roger Rapoport, publisher of RDR Books
and author of Citizen Moore: The Life and Times of an American
Iconoclast (RDR Books, $15.95, 9781571431639/1571431632), the "untold
story" of filmmaker, former Mother Jones editor and activist Michael
Moore based on interviews with 200 people who have known him and worked
with him over the years. "His own story is a pretty good tale,"
Rapoport said.Fearing that Moore might react negatively, Rapoport did no prepublication publicity and sent out no galleys of the book, which came out last month. "It was publishing in reverse, I guess," he said. Still, "stores have gotten behind the book" and a starred review in Booklist had a "dramatic impact." ("In this engaging profile, Rapoport portrays the quirks and complexities of a man whose life is as fascinating as his films.") Rapoport himself has been interviewed on a range of radio shows, particularly in Michigan, Moore's home state and where RDR Books has headquarters. The author/publisher has also appeared in some Michigan bookstores and next month begins a tour in California; the first event there will be February 21 at Black Oak Books in Berkeley. Rapoport said he is close to going back to press after the first printing of 10,000.
At the moment, Moore himself is in one of his occasional quiet times, but that will end soon, when Moore releases his next film, Sicko, about health care and the pharmaceutical industry. (He's also releasing a documentary about his Slacker Uprising Tour of 2004.) Noting that "health care is on the front burner in Congress," Rapoport praised Moore for his timing. "He has perfect pitch once again. Sicko will be all over the media in several months, starting with Cannes [which takes place in May]." Methuen, which has bought U.K. rights to Citizen Moore, will release it this summer as a film tie-in.
Rapoport has written and edited books on politics, education, medicine, travel and nuclear weapons. He's also a journalist who worked at the Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle and has contributed articles to many magazines and newspapers. He started publishing 14 years ago, "just when superstores were taking off." In his area, he continued, "just about every town, down to towns of 5,000 or less, has an independent." Perhaps the journalist in him has sniffed a story: he said that he's seen "a wave of startups of stores that are not big by any means but are doing well. A lot are doing events, and all are very regionally oriented."--John Mutter