When I published "Think Tank" a few years back, giving my no holds barred account of the history of the Adam Smith Institute, with all the gaffes and howlers committed along the way, I decided to help publicize it myself. The publisher, BIteback Publications, was quite small and specialist, and there was no way they could afford an expensive promotional campaign. I decided to go totally over the top by having posters to promote it on London Underground stations. I simply wanted to see the book and my name up there. I could only afford 48, which is not even one for every five stations. However, I requested a bias towards centrally located ones in Zone 1.
When they appeared, I started receiving mails and messages from friends who had seen them. They were at stations that included Westminster, Paddington, Waterloo, Charing Cross and Bank, used by City and Parliament people every day. I sought out a few of the posters and had myself photographed standing next to them. Fortunately Michael Crick, the political commentator tweeted about seeing them and started a conversation about them that set other people looking out for them.
When asked what my motive was, I replied "self-aggrandizement," thinking I might as well be honest about it.