I shot the photo above last weekend at my local bookstore. Barnes and Noble is featuring a special table of titles devoted to social media.
When I first spotted the table I did a double take. Wow, is there a social media book bubble? From the looks of it, maybe. Apparently, publishers left and right are going hard after reputable consultants who I have met, like Tamar Weinberg.
This got me wondering: is this demand creating supply or is supply creating demand? Who knows. All I know I am happy for everyone who scored a gig.
So what about yours truly? Well, actually over the years I have been courted several times to write a book about social media. I actually got very far with one publisher about a year ago. They offered a lucrative six-figure advance and more.
In the end, I always declined. I felt that a book would steal time away from my work and also what I love, which is quickly curating new technologies and incubating them with our teams and clients.
More importantly, however, I felt that a book on such a topic is, well, old school (at least for me). Much of what I would have put down on paper in January would have been yesterday's lunch by June. I decided it was better for me and my career to put this energy more into participating online and I haven't looked back.
Still, when I saw the table, I was amazed that even a year later the books keep on coming. Maybe I am missing something. What's your view?
