Ten Reasons Why My Books "Aren't More Famous"

I received an email from a specialist at one of the leading hospitals in America who said this:
I´ve read many books on the topic and all of your anthologies - I'm reading the last one right now. I'm very puzzled how they aren't more famous. Anyway, I'm writing to you just because I appreciate your work at a very high level, it's really impressive.
I've heard this from others. What do I make of it? Here are some of my thoughts.

Factual difficulties

1) National media coverage of atheism waned at the time my first published book came out, titled Why I Became an Atheist. In addition to this, my publisher Promethus Books (PB), placed just one Ad for this book inappropriately six months before it came out, which was delayed in publication and gained no benefit from it (due to no fault on my end). While PB is still the premier atheist publisher in our generation they have no advertising budget to help promote the twelve books they publish each month, and they're not considered a mainstream press by others (sort of like Baker Books, InterVarsity Press and Zondervan, on the other side).

2) For the most part I aim at low-hanging fruit, evangelicalism. It's not that evangelicals aren't a force to contend with, because they are. It's that most intellectuals don't think there is anything of substance to evangelicalism. So my works draw fire from the the right wing, and with it the unintelligent wing nuts. If you read reviews of my works you'll see more of them there than in equivalent atheist titles. They comment regularly here at DC and on forums as well, which makes people think there isn't much to them, and gets my ire.

3) My works are more intellectually challenging than many other works, but not intellectually challenging enough for some others. I aim at the educated person in the pew, the university student, not necessarily the scholars, and not the masses. I do think however that what I write can challenge the scholars, since I understand and can communicate the arguments of the scholars, and I place their arguments into an over-all case against Christianity.

4) "Books? We don't need no books." Many young people, and people in general who live in this digital internet age, are not reading books like they used to do. Many of them prefer to communicate via Twitter, one-liners, YouTube videos, podcasts and short essays on blogs. I might not like it but it is what it is.

5) I don't write for any major atheist magazine. Maybe I can change this in the future when I'm largely done doing the hard work of spitting out book after book, which is my focus right now.

Personal difficulties

6) Some atheists don't like my honesty. I write about my life since I think what people believe or don't believe can and is influenced by their personal experiences. In my first published book I shared quite a bit about my experiences that took place 25 years ago of this writing. They should be so bold.

7) There is a whole lot of hatred being expressed among atheists against other atheists who are vying for a readership, since more readers translate into more hits, which in turn puts money in their pockets. The more drama one creates the more hits they get even though most all of it is written by people who refuse to abide by basic journalistic ethics, who do not contact the person being written about for the other side of the story before it's published. I have a few authors in my anthologies who are on one side or other of this drama, along with readers who won't recommend them because so-and-so wrote a chapter for one of them, or wrote a blurb for them. My main goal, my sole purpose in my books, is to disabuse Christians of their faith. Atheists should focus more on that same goal, I would think.

8) I'm not a specialist myself, nor do I have a Ph.D. I am a generalist. Someone has to be an expert in all things Christian, as much as possible. That's my goal. I think having a Ph.D. is a slight factor since having one gains a person some instant credibility. But when I look at some of the scholarly atheist works available I don't think it's much of a factor. Some of their works are not selling any better than mine.

9) I'm not connected to any atheist organization. I'm not on any board nor do I attend atheist conventions (except for one a few years ago, which was within driving distance and free). I don't do so unless I'm one of the speakers. This is due to financial concerns which may be one of my biggest problems. It keeps me from networking with important atheists.

10) I have lived in small town USA my entire atheist life. I have no atheist friends in my area whom I can conspire with, who themselves may have atheist contacts outside this area, or produce YouTube videos, or podcasts.

That's the best I can come up with as the ten major reasons. Now you know the rest of the story. I'm just very happy to be able to make a contribution to a reality based life devoid of religious faith, and I think I am.

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