I've Got a Publicist Now! — It Turns Out the Naming Rights! Membership Option Was For Real and Someone Is Now Five Hundred Bucks Poorer Presents Nat

I never understood or appreciated the value of a great publicist until I needed one for myself and my books. As a staff writer for The A.V. Club, I had a complicated relationship with publicists. I appreciated the access they provided but I also resented their aggressiveness.

Then I became an author when Scribner bought my memoir The Big Rewind in the late oughts. Christ, that was a long time ago. Almost overnight I developed an intense appreciation for publicists.

I was lucky to have great publicists at Scribner who genuinely seemed to like me and my books. My first publicist was the daughter of a legendary food writer who got me and my books so much amazing press that I was legitimately gobsmacked that my memoir was not a runaway best-seller.

My last publicist at Scribner was a Juggalo in her youth, which was fortuitous considering that she was helping me promote a book about how I fell in love with the music and world of Insane Clown Posse.

When I traded in the exciting, glamorous and prestigious world of publishing books with Scribner, the legendary house that has published the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Don DeLillo, Stephen King and Nitro from American Gladiators for self-publishing I gave up a lot.

I gave up sizable advances, first and foremost, but also the support that comes with being an author on one of Simon & Schuster’s classiest divisions.

I managed to sell thousands of copies of 2020’s The Weird Accordion to Al without a publicist or a publisher. I’m still not entirely sure how that happened except that “Weird Al” Yankovic really threw his support behind the book in writing an introduction for it as well as copy-editing and fact-checking it as well as promoting it via social media.

That made a huge difference but I was also able to leverage my connections in the industry and Al’s extraordinary popularity to get it the kind of attention self-published books rarely receive.

That gave me a false sense of confidence for Declan Haven Books’ 2021 publishing slate. The Weird A-Coloring to Al coloring book was a big success due overwhelmingly to Al and my illustrator Felipe Sobreiro’s genius but The Joy of Trash underperformed because I released it at the worst possible time, when the whole world was at home for Christmas vacation, then did little to promote it despite it being not only the best book I’ve ever written but ostensibly the most commercial and accessible as well.

I did myself, my readers, my family and my fragile businesses a real disservice by losing faith in The Joy of Trash. So I decided that I would give the book a second chance to make a positive first impression by releasing an extended version of it later this month along with the Cynical Movie Cash-In Extended Edition of The Weird A-Coloring to Al.

To further ensure that I end the year strong I have hired Jason Webber to work as a publicist for the extended editions of The Joy of Trash and The Weird A-Coloring to Al.

I first came to know Jason when he was Insane Clown Posse’s publicist. He did great work for the Clowns; his time as their publicist included the legendary 2017 Juggalo March on Washington, which I was deeply honored to be a part of.

Webber is also the author of a book called Purple Bananas about his hardscrabble upbringing and obsession with Prince that I identified with so strongly that I’m going to re-release an extended version of it through Declan Haven Books in the not too distant future as well.

You can always trust a Juggalo with your business so I am very excited to be working with him in this capacity. I would love for The Weird A-Coloring to Al: Cynical Movie Cash-In Edition to be included alongside other Al-themed books like Al’s own The Illustrated Al (which features the work of Felipe Sobreiro, illustrator of The Joy of Trash, The Weird Accordion to Al and The Weird A-Coloring to Al) and Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz’s Lights, Camera, Accordion in holiday gift guides.

Oh, but The Weird A-Coloring to Al: Cynical Movie Cash-In Extended Edition is perfect for gift guides so if you would like to consider if for a gift guide you’re putting together contact Jason at jcwebber@hotmail.com and we will make the magic happen!

I am very keen to talk to anyone and everyone about the life and career of “Weird Al” Yankovic, The Weird A-Coloring to Al, The Joy of Trash, Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, Manic Pixie Dream Girls, Flops, Insane Clown Posse, Phish, movies about movies and anything else I have obsessed about over the course of my TWENTY-FIVE years as a professional pop culture writer. So please do email Jason and we will make the magic happen!

I’ve finally got a publicist! And he’s a good one. So please do feel free to shoot him an email about talking to me for your podcast, newspaper, website, blog or anything else you think I might be good for. I’d also love to do signings for the book, in my hometown of Atlanta and in the Midwest as well. And Los Angeles! If you live in Los Angeles and want me to do something there to promote my books I’m all ears, as is Jason.

For the sake of promoting my books and business I’m stepping out from my shell and leaving the comforting womb of this website so that I can share news of my literary treasures with the world. Please help me in this very worthy, very ambitious, exceedingly difficult endeavor.

Buy The Weird A-Coloring to Al: Cynical Movie Cash-In Extended Edition at https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop, signed, for just 12 dollars, shipping and handling included OR twenty seven dollars for three signed copies AND a free pack of colored pencils, shipping and taxes included

Pre-order The Fractured Mirror, the Happy Place’s next book, a 600 page magnum opus about American films about American films illustrated by the great Felipe Sobreiro over at https://the-fractured-mirror.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

The Joy of Trash, the Happy Place’s first non-"Weird Al” Yankovic-themed book is out! And it’s only 14.00, shipping, handling and taxes included, 25 bucks for two books, domestic only!

Buy The Joy of Trash, The Weird Accordion to Al and the The Weird Accordion to Al in both paperback and hardcover and The Weird A-Coloring to Al and The Weird A-Coloring to Al: Colored-In Special Edition signed from me personally (recommended) over at https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop

Or you can buy The Joy of Trash here and The Weird A-Coloring to Al here and The Weird Accordion to Al here

Help ensure a future for the Happy Place during an uncertain era AND get sweet merch by pledging to the site’s Patreon account at https://www.patreon.com/nathanrabinshappyplace We just added a bunch of new tiers and merchandise AND a second daily blog just for patrons!

Alternately you can buy The Weird Accordion to Al, signed, for just 19.50, tax and shipping included, at the https://www.nathanrabin.com/shop or for more, unsigned, from Amazon here.

I make my living exclusively through book sales and Patreon so please support independent media and one man’s dream and kick in a shekel or two!