Avoiding someone electronically such as on Facebook, e-mail, IM, or text messages.
It's ok, from what I understand this is a common phenomena with newly minted authors. You send friends your new book, figuring that they'll gladly bound through it. LMFAO. Not!
Apparently asking people who know you to read your book has a powerful cosmic effect on them, rendering them unable to respond to your queries, calls or any other commonly used means of communication. My guess is that they think that since they know you, they figure wtf could possibly be interesting about your writing.
Perhaps valid. But it is an interesting phenomena. Several people who I do not know, have raved about "Alphabet Success", with a couple people asking about potential speaking gigs. No exaggeration. Since I am "unknown" I am possessed of special powers. The old rule "A good consultant is one is who has flown in" is certainly at play.
My guess, it is sort of the rejection of the familiar. If you know me, I must have already told you any important stuff you'd benefit from, and the fact that I decided to organize my thinking means reading the book would be like repeating a grade in high school (not desirable).
Having said that, I think if I sent the same people an e-mail that I had re-built a 68 Corvette, and they should pop by for a look, they'd be there post-haste. Just to be clear, I am not going to re-build any sort of car. A dirty keyboard is about as close to manual labor as I get.
Of equal importance, the new book doesn't mean I am going to wear a bow tie and cravat. Nor will I start smoking a pipe in my favorite leather chair and start wearing blazers with patches on the elbows. But most importantly, if you don't want to read it, just have the balls to say so. One friend bowed out, and I am completely cool with that. I didn't make it this far in life as an emotional cripple.
But since there is an obvious e-void into which I have entered, I want to public acknowledge complete amnesty for those who don't want to read, or even discuss the book. But I'm still putting it on you to "man-up" and say as much. Isn't that what friends do?
Anyhow, I'm not mad, just a bit surprised by people's hesitation to just bow out gracefully.