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Elvin Lim is Assistant Professor of Government at Wesleyan University and author of The Anti-intellectual Presidency, which draws on interviews with more than 40 presidential speechwriters to investigate this relentless qualitative decline, over the course of 200 years, in our presidents’ ability to communicate with the public. He also blogs at www.elvinlim.com. In the article below he looks at General Stanley McChrystal. See his previous OUPblogs here.

Sarah Palin is not the only person going rogue these days. In a speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London last Thursday, General Stanley McChrystal advocated for an increase in American troop levels in Afghanistan by 40,000, while rumors that the General would resign his command if his request was not honored remain unquashed. A week before, McChrystal appeared on CBS’s “60 minutes” to spread the word that help is needed in Afghanistan. And before that, he, or one of the supporters of his proposal, leaked a confidential report of his petition to the president to Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, which published a redacted version of it. These are the political maneuverings of a General who understands that wars abroad must also be waged at home.

But, the General fails to understand that the political war at home is not his to fight, and his actions in recent weeks have been out of line. No new command has been issued yet about Afghanistan, but General McChrystal has taken it upon himself to let the British and American public know how he would prefer to be commanded. As it is a slippery and imperceptible slope from preemptive defiance to actual insubordination, as President Harry Truman quickly came to realize about General Douglas MacArthur, President Obama needs to assert and restore the chain of command swiftly and categorically.

As Commander of Special Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2003 to 2008, McCrystal was given free reign to bypass the chain of command. This leeway allowed McCrystal’s team to capture, most illustriously, Saddam Hussein during the Iraq war. But it may have gotten into his head that the discretion Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney granted to him has carried over to his command in Afghanistan. No doubt, McCrystal has been emboldened by supporters of a troop increase in Afghanistan, who have recently chastized President Obama for not having had more meetings with McChrystal. Others, like Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) have on CNN accused the “people in the White House … (as) armchair generals.”

Those who assault the principle of civilian control of the military typically and disingenuously do so obliquely under the cover of generals and the flag, for they dare not confront the fact that the constitution unapologetically anoints an armchair general to lead the military. It is worth noting, further, that in the same sentence in which the President is designated “Commander-in-Chief,” the Constitution states, “he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments.” The President may require the opinion of any cabinet secretary should he so choose to do so, but he isn’t even constitutionally obligated to seek the opinion of the Secretary of Defense, to whom General McChrystal’s superior, General David Petraeus, reports via the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General McChrystal has spoken out of turn even though his chain of command goes up quite a few more rings before it culminates in the person seated on an armchair in the Oval Office, and yet I doubt he would take kindly to a one-star general speechifying against his proposal for troop increases in Afghanistan.

Dwight Eisenhower, when he occupied the armchair in the Oval Office, wisely warned of the “Military Industrial Complex” because he understood that it was as much an organized interest as was the Liberal Welfare State, Wall Street, or what would become the Healthcare Industrial Complex. No “commander on the ground” will come to the President of the United States and not ask for more manpower and resources, and Eisenhower understood that the job of the armchair general was to keep that in mind.

Let us not rally around military generals and fail to rally around the Constitution. Inspiring as the Star Spangled Banner may appear flying over Fort McHenry, we will do better to stand firm on the principles etched on an older piece of parchment. As Truman wrote in his statement firing General Douglas MacArthur,
“Full and vigorous debate on matters of national policy is a vital element in the constitutional system of our free democracy. It is fundamental, however, that military commanders must be governed by the policies and directives issued to them in the manner provided by our laws and Constitution.”

Daniel Sperling is a Professor of Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis and a Founding Director of US-Davis’s Institute of Transportation Studies. He and Deborah Gordon wrote Two Billion Cars: Driving Towards Sustainability which provides a concise history of America’s love affair with cars and an overview of the global oil and auto industries. Check out the video below to see Sperling’s appearance on The Daily Show.

We decided it would be fun to ask Sperling some questions before and after his big television appearance. After the video are the post-show questions. Click here to read the pre-show questions.  Read other OUPblog posts about this book here.

OUPblog: What advice would you give authors preparing to go on the show?

Daniel Sperling: Watch previous interviews, try to stay calm, have a glass of wine, and pray for the best. Try to formulate your main messages but don’t count of articulating more than 1 or two.

OUPblog: Was it what you expected, did you get your key sound byte in?

Sperling: I got 2 of my 5 or so main points across. I guess that is a success?!

OUPblog: What was the green room like?!

Sperling: Perfectly comfortable and pleasant, but way overhyped. Light green walls, flat screen TV, sofa, bag of goodies (the best being a Jon Stewart cap and t-shirt).

When Angelina Jolie walks down the street wearing scruffy jeans and a ripped T-shirt, there are a dozen or more photographers, or paparazzi as they are known, waiting to snap her picture. They want to capture her every move on film and then they want to sell it to whoever will pay the highest dollar amount.

When Brittany Spears goes out in public with no drawers on, the whole world wants to know. Who cares? Well, oddly enough, millions of people do. And if they don't, they do a pretty good job of pretending they do by continually buying the magazines and papers that slap those risqué shots all over their glassy pages.

What does this have to do with you? It's all about visibility. Every time we see these stars, it reminds us about their new movie release or of their upcoming music CD. It is very carefully plotted publicity. Do you think that Brittany doesn't know what will happen when she rides bareback? Of course she knows. And Angelina…she is considered one of the sexiest people on the planet, those scruffy clothes make her stand out and keep her on the cutting edge of everything.

Again, what about you? What do you do to make yourself visible? I have mentioned this before and it makes people laugh, but where in the hell are the bookarazzi? Why doesn't anyone care about the authors of the world?

The movie industry has the iconic read carpet, what color should the carpet be at the Agatha's or the Edgars? What is the biggest award presentation for the book industry? Anyone know? Not a genre thing, but an overall award ceremony? Who sponsors it? Who decides on those awards? And what color is the carpet?

Why don't authors get all dressed up and celebrate their incredible literary accomplishments like they do at the Oscars or the SAG awards? More importantly, what are you doing as an author to move us into a more visible place in the industry? I've only said this once or twice in public, but I am going out on a limb to ask…when are writers going to start getting the attention we deserve? Movie stars…have no movies without scripts–WRITERS! Singers…have no songs to sing with lyrics–WRITERS!

When you go out and do an event, do you invite the press? Do you have someone take pictures for you? Do you keep a scrapbook of your accomplishments? Where do you display these images? How do you expect to become a household name if no one knows who you are or what you look like?

Too shy? Let's think about this. Go to the bookstore and pick up a copy of Nora Roberts' latest book. Flip it over and check out the back. No jacket blurb, only a picture of Nora. A darn fine picture, at that. She has been working the circuit for so many years that it isn't her words that sell the books any more. They keep people coming back for more, but it is her name and her persona that gets people to the store to buy books that they have little idea what they are about.

So, now that I've got you thinking, what are you going to do to make yourself a household name?

© Karen Syed

The Naked Earth

Forthcoming from Multi-media Publications, LLC

Winner: 2007 Indie Excellence Award in General Fiction

In this modern retelling of Sindbad and The Seven Seas, Evan Khein Al-Mohummad, teasingly called Sindbad by his racist superior officers, specializes in photographing dead bodies for the military in the current Iraq war. Investigating a bizarre double homicide in Al-Basrah, he discovers, piece by piece, that the murder is the beginning of a genocide Western governments knew of and did nothing to stop.

Underworld warlords place the death mark upon him, impeding his investigation at every turn. Despite their efforts, when uncovering his own family’s ties to Iraq during his investigation, Sindbad discovers that Al-Basrah gangsters provided Chemical Ali with the info that led to the annihilation of his family’s ancestral home, Jannah-Ri. Vowing revenge, Sindbad kills a child terrorist who is the son of a gangster, mutilating and beheading him, and losing his own humanity in the process. The event is covered up until God leads Sindbad back to Iraq on a quest of self-discovery and redemption.

This seems to be what I am doing a lot these days. I am tiptoeing around the industry, trying not to upset authors, trying not to irritate other publishers, and struggling not to piss off bookstore owners. It has been my goal for the last five years to "fit in."

Well, I'm here to tell you that fitting in isn't all it's cracked up to be. Fitting in is for kids in high school. I can sense the hairs on the back of many necks standing up already. You're sitting there thinking, what is she going to say now? Well, I'm about to slap the Internet with my honest thoughts. Not so much my feelings, as I think that is what got me in trouble to begin with. I've been thinking. Actually I have been learning. GASP! That's right; I don't know everything.

I've been strengthening my business knowledge, and it is shocking how much I am learning. I spend a great amount of time mumbling, "Sheesh, I should have known that." Anybody out there know the difference between assets and liabilities? I do now.

During the last month, I've spent a large amount of time reorganizing our warehouse. Care to take a guess at how many liabilities I have lining the walls of our warehouse? Oy! Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I am simply giving you a glimpse into the mind of a publisher. The most shocking thing I learned recently is that while I have been worrying so much about upsetting my authors that I forgot the rule of business, succeed!

In this case, success would mean simply, to take the liabilities in my warehouse and turn them into assets, or revenue. In order to do this, I also have to learn how to motivate my other list of liabilities, my authors. Another Gasp! Authors, liabilities? You bet! How so, you ask?

Each author has the potential to be an asset. However, in order to be an asset, those author's books have to be making the company money, as opposed to costing the company money. The costs involved in publishing a book are not small, and if that money is spent, and not re-earned, the columns become lopsided. Bottom line, if you are an author and you think you are doing your publisher a favor by letting them publish your book, think again. This is not meant to irritate you; it will hopefully enlighten you.

Teamwork is the key ingredient to a successful venture when a publisher and an author are involved in a partnership. Books do NOT sell themselves. Not even for authors like Grisham, Roberts, or Steele. Those authors and their marketing, sales, editorial, and publicity staffs have spent countless hours and dollars building up the biggest assets of all for an author--reputation and credibility. It has taken years, even decades for most successful authors to find the level of visibility that gives the illusion of books selling themselves. But I assure you that each of these authors, and any other successful author will tell you that every day they continue to work not only hard, but smart to keep their assets in place.

Success does not happen overnight and it does not happen easily. It is the result of a tremendous amount of physical and mental activity expended with the express purpose of achieving a goal. Success is hard earned, but from what I can see, it is well worth the effort.

It isn't just the authors who play a role in the success of a publisher. There is the role of professional organizations, bookstores, libraries, distributors, and even readers. These are entirely different blog posts, which will follow, I assure you.

Is this a rant? Maybe a small one, but more than anything it is a wakeup call for authors. If you hope to remain a part of your publishing house's author list, I encourage you to learn the difference between an asset and a liability. How long do you think a publishing house will keep an author who continues to be a liability? Make a decision as to which you want to be.

When a writer makes the decision to become an author, something happens inside them, I know, it happened to me. When I made the took the plunge to seek publication for my writing, I had all kinds of grandiose ideas. I would be driven to my book signings in a limo, or a nice town car at worst. I would wear beautiful designer clothes, and everywhere I went, I would be stopped to sign the copies of my books that everyone in the world just happened to be reading.

Then reality set in. I was fortunate enough to get a new car in 2005. My husband purchased me a lovely little Toyota Corolla. By the same date two years later, I had managed to put 50,000 miles on the poor thing and (it seems like) as much money in routine maintenance and oil changes. Why? Because the darn limo hasn't shown! Did they lose my address?

I had very optimistic goals and plans for my career as a best selling author. So what happened? Self-confidence or lack thereof. I realized very early in the game that I had a serious lack of it. No kidding, if I spent a fraction of the time writing that I spend second-guessing my talent, my skill, my motivation or any of those required tools for success, I would have written ten more books than I have. As it turns out my most productive practice is wondering why any sane person would give a flying rat's rump what I wrote.

So how does this work for you? I am not a shy person by nature, I don't really care for public speaking, but I am making it work for me. I have had to buck up and roll with it. I tend to get incredibly nauseous just before I have to address a group. After it is all done, people say I did great, but I can't help but fear they are giving me what I refer to as "pity pep."

Self-confidence is one of those things that you don't really give much thought to. You do what you have to do, and try not to dwell on it. How do you handle this in other aspects of your life?

I wonder even more if a lack of self confidence, no matter how well camouflaged, has a direct impact on your ability to sell books or to even appear approachable to potential readers or fans. I spend a great deal of time listening to motivational audios, I find them considerably more stimulating than reading the material, as I think the sound of a voice telling you something that is of tremendous importance has a much stronger impact on the subconscious mind.

I'd be curious to learn what other authors and creative type people do to overcome or compensate for a lack of self-confidence.


About the Author:

Karen Syed is the proud owner of Echelon Press, LLC . Every day is a new success story for her as she continues to grow herself and her business. She has seen seven novels published, along with numerous articles and short stories. As a former bookstore owner, she garnered a nomination from Publishers Weekly for their Bookseller of the Year award. You can learn more about Karen Syed at www.hartofthematter.com.

© Karen Syed 2007

Exciting news at OUP! James McPherson has won the The Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. The award recognizes and honors the lifetime contributions of a living author for a body of work dedicated to enriching the understanding of American military history including military affairs.

Echoing all of our feelings Niko Pfund, Vice President and Publisher, Oxford University Press said, “Oxford University Press warmly congratulates Jim McPherson on his receipt of the first Pritzker Military Library Lifetime Achievement in Military Literature Award. Few scholars more consistently combine first-rate scholarship with accessible historical writing, and few authors are more of a pleasure to publish. We are delighted that so richly deserving a writer and thinker has been chosen to inaugurate this prestigious award.”

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6. Art & Crafts. Don't laugh; you are of the creative nature. If not, you would not be writing books. I consider writers to be among the most creative. Actors get to use physical action and we get to see it. Artists use the canvas and color to present their images. Writers get a piece of white paper and black text to create worlds and characters and stories that must pull the reader in and hold them captive for hours, and in many cases days.

So, how exactly can arts & crafts help you sell books? Well, there are a couple different ways. First, perhaps your other talent is making candles or knitting blankets. You might have a few extras lying around that you could sell. So here is the scoop. You hunt down the dates and times of your community's monthly or quarterly Craft Bazaars. You can usually get a table for under $50.00. You go and set up your crafts, along with a few stands showcasing your books. Sell them in sets or alone.

You are probably wondering who would buy a book at a craft festival or event. Well, anyone. You are an author and it is not your job to decide who will buy or not. Your job is to write an awesome book and then let everyone in the world know that you have it for sale. Craft people are creative sorts too, so it stands to reason that they just might like to buy books.

When the average person goes to a street festival or event they do not go with the intention of buying anything specific, so this is your chance to sell them on how darn glad they will be after they slide into the pages of your dramatically and well-written tale of murder, romance, or adventure. The good news is that you stand a chance, they had no true desire to buy the Gold Lame' potholder set either, but they did.

Take advantage of the low-key and relaxed atmosphere that these events offer you as a vendor. And don't be afraid to mix your books with crafts, it's okay, stores do it all the time.

Some places to start looking for these events are:

--Schools
--Fire Stations
--Churches
--Community Centers
--Convention Centers
--Strip Malls
--Military Bases

The people you will meet at these events are your neighbors and people who you share common goals with. You want your community to thrive and to support itself and its inhabitants. Getting involved in the events taking place in your neighborhoods is a great way to not only get your name out there, but to build good solid relationships with people and increase the potential that they will love your book, find a connection with you, and talk up your local celebrity status. Who doesn't want to be a star, even a small one?

So get on our into your community and SELL SOME BOOKS!