What My Dad and Justin Bieber Have in Common

Full Disclosure: This blog post starts off sounding very promotional. But keep reading. I promise I have a point!

Dad and Bieber have more in common than they think.

Once upon a time, my dad wrote a children’s Christmas book. It was called Elphland: The Story of Santa’s Elves. He used to read it to my brother and sisters and me every Christmas. Our elementary school teachers read it to our classes as we gathered around with sticky fingers and candy canes. It was his dream to get that book in the hands of as many teachers and parents possible to share the story of Santa’s elves with their wide-eyed, reindeer-loving students and kids.

But it was the early 90s. There was no WordPress. There was no Twitter. No Facebook. And the closest thing to blogging was Doogie Howser’s diary entries on his old-school IBM. The only way for my dad to have a shot at getting his book out there was to get published. If you’ve ever tried to get a book published, you’ll know that creating the proposal is a full-time job in itself. And finding a literary agent to work with is another full time job. Well, my dad already had a full time job and plenty of softball and basketball teams to coach, so he put his dream on hold.

Nearly 20 years later, thanks to advances in social media, we can push play. Elphland now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account. The Elphland website features an Elphland store where people can download the ebook or purchase the audio CD or the paperback, autographed by the author. Now that I’ve taught Dad what RT and DM stand for, he’s connecting with Mommy Bloggers and Daddy Bloggers through Twitter who want to review his book. He’s even sending it to some Mummy Bloggers in the UK who can’t wait to get their hands on it.

I’m not telling you this story to promote my dad’s book, (although that may end up being an added bonus). I’m telling this story to show how social media can open doors that used to feel deadbolted. My dad’s book is just one small example.

Have you ever heard of Pioneer Woman? If you’re a woman with a penchant for love stories, ranch living or the Food Network, you’re probably nodding your head right now. Ree Drummond lives on a ranch in small-town Oklahoma, 1,400 miles away from New York City and its publishing agencies, yet she’s a published author with her own show on Food Network. I’ve even heard rumors of a movie deal with Reese Witherspoon playing the leading lady. And how did that dream come true? You guessed it: social media. Ree acquired a huge, loyal following on her blog, Pioneer Woman, where she wrote about living on a ranch and raising four kids. Then she started sharing the story of how she met her husband, and chapter by chapter, people begged for more. Her blog readership grew. Her Twitter following spiked. I was hooked. That story became a book, High Heels to Tractor Wheels.

That’s not to say she wouldn’t have gotten the book published without social media. The story is good enough that I’m sure a handful of literary agents would have picked it up. But imagine how much more impactful that book proposal was with a cover letter that says, “I’ve already shared part of this story on my blog, and it got 20 million hits and resulted in a million returning visitors.” (I made those numbers up completely, so don’t quote me on that.) That’s like telling a publishing company, “Hey, this book will sell. Don’t take it from me. Take it from them.”

It goes without saying that social media doesn’t just open doors for aspiring authors. It turns up the volume for aspiring musicians and actors, too. Take Justin Bieber for example. (No, I’m not a “belieber,” but if you ask me if I watched Never Say Never and cried at the part where he sings to a lucky fan on stage, I might plead the Fifth.)  He was just a prepubescent Canadian boy with swoopy hair, killer vocal cords and mad drumming skills before YouTube took him to ultimate stardom. He’s the biggest name in the musical world right now. Not because he knew someone who knew someone who managed a record label, but because he had real talent and his parents shared it on YouTube. Two views turned into 20 views turned into 2 million views. (Again, making these numbers up. But you get the point.)

I’m not trying to say that my dad is going to be the next Justin Bieber. Besides, his more-salt-than-pepper hair doesn’t exactly swoop the way Bieber’s does. But I am saying that he has the same opportunity. And so do I. So do you. Our parents used to say, “You can do anything you want to do. Anything you put your mind to.”

Now it’s true.