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Monday, 17 August 2009

Publicity or Oblivion?

Been checking on some of the Stonehenge / Megalithic / Archaeology sites to see what has been going on over the last few months. There's a huge amount of debate about "The Bluestone Enigma" on the megalithic sites, much of it incredibly repetitive, about ways and means of moving bluestones over large distances. One wonders how much human brain power has been wasted on the matter of stone moving mechanics over the past few years...... Many of the comments relating to the glacial transport theory come from people who haven't read the book, and who appear determined not to do so. That's interesting in itself, since there are many contributors on these sites who HAVE read the book and who encourage others to go out and get it, either from a bookshop or from a library. It appears that some are determined NOT to read it -- maybe because they fear that it might slaughter some of their sacred cows? One point, out of hundreds discussed, was from a guy who was mortally offended that there has been some "hype" surrounding the book. He said that hype / PR puts him off, and causes him to mistrust things rather than approach them with an open mind. I can see his point. But in my defence I will say that without publicity (and a degree of "hype") no new book stands a cat in hells's chance of being noticed, let alone taken seriously. Some of the hype is my own -- through press releases etc -- and others is hype over which I have no control. Newspapers and magazines put their own headlines on things, and spin press releases as they wish -- I have no control over any of that. The problem of "getting noticed" is even more severe in the case of Stonehenge -- since the agenda is controlled by a number of very senior archaeologists who are seriously into fairy tales and who know all about belittling and blocking those who say things that they find uncomfortable......... so if I am ever to recoup the investment that has gone into this book, I HAVE to publicise it, and risk upsetting those in the megalithic community who hate hype!

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