My six-year-old recently asked me if I can “advertise” a book that he plans to write. He doesn’t exactly know what I do for a living even though I tell him that I promote authors to the news media and market their books. But he knows enough to see that anyone—even a kid—has access to cheap technology that can create a book (regardless of the quality of the content), and he knows that the book can sell with the right promotions.

I didn’t ask him what his book would be about or why he thought others would want to buy it. I wanted to applaud him for thinking this up, but I didn’t want to encourage him because I knew it would mean I’d have to promote it. Not that I’m lazy or disinterested in supporting his efforts. It’s just that I wasn’t sure how I’d explain to him all the things many adult authors seem to miss the boat on.

Too many authors think like my kid does—slap together a book and promote it. Then count the sales, right? It’s not that easy. Just as almost any healthy under-40 adult can have a kid, provided they have unprotected sex, that doesn’t mean he or she will be a good parent. And so it goes with publishing. Almost anyone can get a book published, but it doesn’t mean the book is any good. And even if it’s a gem, it will need smart, relentless promoting or it will just die a quiet death.

I suppose if I did encourage my son, Benjamin Feinblum (I put his full name here so he can find himself online), to pursue his dream of getting published, selling lots of books, and becoming famous, I’d first help him think through what he plans to do. I’d want him to think about how his book will be written, designed, and presented. Image is becoming just as important as content. I’d ask him to define his marketplace: Who does he envision as his customers or readers? Why will they buy from him, and at what price point? Lastly, he should tell me how he’ll promote it. Yes, a six-year-old with a business plan!

That may be a tall order to ask of a six-year-old. Many adults fail to answer those questions or to deliver as promised on the answers they provide. There’s a lesson here, I think. Technology allows us to get a book published instantly. It also creates a marketplace and a means to promote. But behind all of the button-pushing, we still can’t lose sight of the basics: you still need a compelling book; lots of energy, time, money, and creativity to promote it; and a readership that can be targeted to with the right offer.

Ben has already convinced me to participate in his other money-making schemes: a car wash, cupcake sale, lemonade stand, to name a few. Maybe publishing and marketing a book for a kid these days will become the new norm. I’m sure some other six-year-old is asking his parent to help with blogging or creating a website as we sit here now.

One thing my son has that most adult authors don’t is his innocence. He has charm and personality. Who’s going to turn down a smiling six-year-old peddling a cute little book for a couple of bucks? Maybe he should write about dogs, happiness, money, or chocolate—a big percentage of the population supports each of those things. Throw in a charity tie-in (Let’s raise money for the homeless, maybe?), and you have a neat little package.

For publicity, do I need much of an angle beyond “Six-year-old publishes memoir; nation’s largest book PR firm promotes it”? Too bad Oprah is gone, but I can see a Publisher’s Weekly interview, New York Times profile, and a Today Show segment (albeit, hour number eight) in the cards. At least that’s what we’ll write on the galley copy’s back cover. His mom can give a great testimonial though his three-year-old sister, Olivia, can’t quite use her crayon to write neatly.

Say, the more I think about it, the more I’m starting to see why my son suggested his publishing foray in the first place. He has me sold on it.

Brian Feinblum is the chief marketing officer of Planned Television Arts (rebranded as Media Connect), the nation’s largest and oldest book promotions firm. Brian has worked in the promoting industry since 1989 and has worked with clients of varied professions such as magician David Copperfield and best-selling author Og Mandino.

Imagine being sequestered somewhere for about a year, getting paid to do what you may love the most: read books. Lots of them. Every day. Non-stop. A marathon of books, books, and more books. Could you do it?

The equivalent for sports watching is taking place right now. Major League Baseball, in its infinite marketing wisdom, is paying two guys to watch baseball day and night throughout the season. They will watch 2,450 regular season games and then the playoffs and the World Series. They are on display to the public—you can go to their first-floor “fan cave” in a space formerly famous for occupying the original Tower Records on East 4th Street in Manhattan.

Besides watching games, the two superfans film a reality show that airs on www.MLB.com. These unabashed baseball addicts interest me because they call into question the old adage: too much of a good thing is not so good. I wonder after it is all done if they will ever want to watch another game, or will they come away as addicted as ever?

Can publishing houses sponsor some gimmick like this? Can Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, or St. Martin’s Press host a read-a-thon by its best authors? Would Amazon sponsor a book-a-thon to highlight the readings of its best customers? Should Barnes & Noble pay someone to read as many books on its Nook as possible over the summer? Maybe someone wants to set a Guinness Book of World Records mark for most books read and blogged about in one month?

The writing profession does get its due. There are many book and author awards out there. There are a number of best-seller lists one can make. There’s attention drawn to a book by reviewers and bloggers. There are public book signings. And there is countless coverage on social networking sites. But maybe the industry, as a whole, needs some fanfare. It’s been a rough few years with layoffs and consolidations, shrinking sales, and store closings.

It’s time to celebrate the profession and art of writing. Go buy a book—or read one.

Or a few thousand of them.

Brian Feinblum is the chief marketing officer of Planned Television Arts (rebranded as Media Connect), the nation’s largest and oldest book promotions firm. Brian has worked in the promoting industry since 1989 and has worked with clients of varied professions such as magician David Copperfield and best-selling author Og Mandino.