THE DAILY AFFLICTIONS INTERNATIONAL
GUERRILLA MARKETING CONSPIRACY

The Daily Afflictions Guerrilla Marketing Conspiracy is a secret cabal of HYPER-enthusiasts of the book "Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe." Members make a pledge to INFECT the reading public with a SWELLING desire to buy the book and OBSESS over its contents. Besides religious FERVOR and cultish word of mouth, our tools include: stickers, pranks, mystical gatherings, underground media viruses, ARM-TWISTING friends, sweet-talking bookstore clerks, and covertly rearranging counter-top displays. We are also plotting to replace Gideon's Bible with Daily Afflictions in hotel nightstands across the country.

[ how to help | why needed? ]
[ pep talk for those who believe it is all hopeless ]
[ note on unequal distribution of purchasing power ]

What you can do to help:

• Put some existential dread under the tree this XMAS. [check availability]
• Write a review on amazon.com
• Buy a book for a friend. (Getting the book into people's hands and letting it speak for itself is probably the best way to get the word of mouth going.)
• Come to a reading
• Invite Brother Void to your city/campus/bookstore.
• Buy a t-shirt and wear it.
• Distribute some (obliquely intriguingly eye-popping) promo material.
• Invite a friend to join the on-line church.
• EMAIL AN AFFLICTION TO YOUR FRIENDS.
• SPREAD THE WORD.

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Why is a grass-roots campaign needed?

Although it is a serious work of art, a book like Daily Afflictions will not be taken seriously -- in part because it is small and strange and doesn't fit properly into any genre. Without a buzz through reviews, it is likely to be lost in the stacks at the large chains where publishers have to actually pay for table display space. The smaller independent bookstores are more likely to display it, but they don't have the traffic they used to. So, folks, we've got to get in there with some PEOPLE POWER and mix this game up.

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Pep talk for those who believe this effort is doomed and all is hopeless.

Is it all hopeless? Probably. BUT as a friend of mine and co-conspirator pointed out the other day, Nietzsche considered hope both "the worst of all evils" and "a much greater stimulant of life than any realized joy could be," so whatever, and anyway, THIS'LL BE FUN. And more than fun: It's the good fight. Together we can strike a blow for freedom. Together we can make this the little book that could. The odd genre-confounding ironic truth-telling little book that bloodies the nose of corporate America.

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A note on the unequal distribution of literary purchasing power.

Obviously, my hope here is that as many people will buy this book as possible, but I also know that without some basics like a strong social safety net, rent control, universal health care, and a guaranteed social wage, this can be difficult. So, buy what you can. And if you can't buy yourself, spread the word. Remember, the main task of all members in good standing of the Daily Afflictions International Guerrilla Marketing Conspiracy is not to spend their own money but to get other people to spend theirs.

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