Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's tarmac tiff with President Obama influenced a major book bump. Who knew that her Scorpions for Breakfast tome even existed before the photo-op transformed it into a best-seller?
Apparently not many. Brewer's book rocketed from No. 343,000 up to No. 7 in Amazon book rankings as a result. That's an astonishing literary leap. She transformed a digit on her right hand into a handy digital sales tool.
Was it coincidental that the testy-looking exchange was about her recently released book? After the photo surfaced, Brewer's camp quickly informed the media that the finger-wagging fun centered on the president's reaction to her depiction of an earlier tête-à-tête in the book. The president says it was no big deal. It's a political he-said, she-said. But one thing's for sure: If you're an author -- quick -- find a way to get a testy-looking photo of you taken with a celebrity whom you knock in your manuscript. Book publicity doesn't get any more magical than this.
As for the whirlwind of emotions and etiquette discussions the photo is influencing, that's wide open to personal interpretation.
You decide whether it's disrespectful. You decide if the president looks tense or amused. You decide how finger-pointing sits with you.
But the bottom line is that no one can argue with the book bump. Governor Brewer created a moment of impact and capitalized on it. The tarmac tiff photo-op influenced the country to discuss Brewer's book -- and flock to buy it.