Gary Vaynerchuk is Writing a Book. Why?
I’m not going into detail of the email that sparked a small debate around Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book release. You can read John Cass, who covered most of the conversation on his blog, the comments from this other post. I personally think it was more of a tempest in a teapot situation. Gary apologized numerous times, and I think all is good.
John Cass emailed me after I left a partial comment on one of his blog entries on this topic. Here’s part of what I wrote back on what I viewed from this situation:
“I find it odd that Gary would write a book. I get he’s doing it for the cash, but it runs contrary to all the tools, platforms, and channels he used to create all the buzz around his brand and content. He’s not the only one to do this, as online “micro-celebrities” are cashing in for main stream distribution all the time. He’s going for reach and frequency, rather than Gary doing what he does best; having his advocates help him get the word out. It just seems akin to Gutenberg having scribes duplicate directions on how to use the printing press.”
I really don’t believe that writing a book that can help others is a bad thing. He’ll probably do well with it financially. Gary succeeds more than anything from his passionate personality. His ability to convey that passion through online video, is a large part of why he is, where he is today. I don’t know how many emails he sent out, and I haven’t read the book yet, so maybe the editors were able to convey that same passion in writing, as Gary conveys in video…but I’m skeptical. It just seems like the wrong medium for his message, and further away from his sweet spot; online video.
Update: I’d like to offer Gary and his wife congratulations on their new child.
