The Publishing Performance Show

David P. Perlmutter - The Shameless Self-Promoter: Why Being Cheeky on Social Media Sells More Books Than Ads

• Teddy Smith • Episode 99

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David P. Perlmutter is a bestselling author with 17 published books, including his breakthrough memoir "Wrong Place Wrong Time" which has garnered over 4,000 reviews and achieved bestseller status across multiple Amazon categories. What started as therapeutic blog writing in Portugal became a successful writing career when his editor friend recognized the potential in his raw, honest storytelling. David writes primarily in first person narrative, allowing readers to "walk the journey" with him through his true stories and crime thrillers. Beyond writing, he's actively working to adapt his "Right to Kill" crime thriller series for television, demonstrating the entrepreneurial spirit needed in today's publishing landscape. 


In this episode:

  • Journey from therapeutic blog writing in Portugal to bestselling author
  • The importance of writing in your authentic voice and style
  • How a traumatic experience in Spain became his breakthrough book
  • Building a social media following through genuine engagement and helping others
  • The reality of traditional publishing vs. self-publishing marketing
  • Transitioning from books to screenwriting and TV adaptation
  • Bold networking strategies that connect with celebrities and actors
  • The challenges of getting film/TV projects greenlit without major representation
  • Writing process: acting out scenes and reading dialogue aloud for authenticity


Resources mentioned:


Book Recommendations:

  • "Midnight Express": https://www.amazon.com/dp/0988981440?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
  • "The Firm" by John Grisham: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0440245923?&linkCode=ll1&tag=pubperf-20&linkId=400c65572fa1761b41f901ed6233057c&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl


Connect with David P. Perlmutter:


Connect with Teddy Smith:

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[00:00:00] Teddy Smith: Hi everyone and welcome to the Publishing Performance Show. Today I'm really happy to be joined by David p Perlmutter, who's a bestselling author. So welcome for, welcome to the show, David. 

[00:00:13] David P. Perlmutter: Thank you. Thank you for the invite, Teddy. Appreciate it. 

[00:00:16] Teddy Smith: It's been great to, chat to you in the buildups this 'cause we're both fans of crappy football teams, so we've had quite a lot in common.

[00:00:23] David P. Perlmutter: Crappy crystal, are doing, as we said they're doing, he's getting them going. And you've got some great players that the striker, he's powerful. 

[00:00:33] Teddy Smith: Matta. Yeah. 

[00:00:34] David P. Perlmutter: Where did he come from? 

[00:00:36] Teddy Smith: He came from, Leon. I think he came from Fr a French team. Yeah. 

[00:00:39] David P. Perlmutter: Wow. 

[00:00:40] Teddy Smith: he's done really well. It, its quite nice to speak to a football fan 'cause there's not usually much confluence between football and writers.

[00:00:46] So, uh. 

[00:00:49] David P. Perlmutter: I was a football fan before a writer. 

[00:00:52] Teddy Smith: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Everyone is, aren't they? Well, 

[00:00:55] David P. Perlmutter: 55 years, I guess. Yeah. Um, 

[00:01:00] Teddy Smith: how did you become a writer in the first place? 

[00:01:02] David P. Perlmutter: Well, I'm never really written. I'm not an. An amazing book reader. Also, to be quite frank with you, I mean, people do say to become a great writer, you need to read books and books and books.

[00:01:13] And I do read obviously, but my writing's, my own style. And if someone likes it, fantastic. And if they don't, you can't please everybody. Actually while I was in Portugal. Yeah. And I was writing, I started a blog for therapy really, because I was writing, a situation happened in 1991 before you were born, I'm sure.

[00:01:36] Teddy, 1991. And, where I had an episode in Mar Bay, Spain, which is, which was quite horrific really. And I started to write, some post, a blog post, as therapy. And I sent it to my friend Elaine, who was an editor at the time, and she replied and she goes, David, this is far too good for just a blog, write a book.

[00:02:00] So I did, and nine months later I flew from Portugal to England and we press the Amazon button. Uh, together and she edited it. And that was the start of it, which I think was about 12 years ago. But she did warn me and said, go, you know, be prepared for very negative reviews because the story, you know, what happened, I sometimes part of it I don't come across great.

[00:02:27] I was very young at the time. But the thing is, thankfully there's about 4,000 reviews. Which aren't easy to get. I'm asking Confess, because people don't really like putting in reviews. They read a book, they don't really review unless you are a major celebrity. But since then I've written, I'm writing book number 17 now, which is, uh, part of a crime through I've been writing and I've written social media books as well about all fields.

[00:02:53] I'm not saying I know everything about how to promote your book on social media. So I've written a brand. But that is initially how I got started really is through a sort of a, you know, not a kick up the backside, but say, David, don't do a blog, write a book about it. Yeah. And that book is now called Wrong Place, wrong Time.

[00:03:16] Thankfully it's been the number one in categories, uh, across Amazon as a bestseller. It's currently, this morning I checked an Australian uk. It was a in development for a movie, but it went con, I dunno if you know much about the movie business, I'm sure you do. Things don't happen overnight. In fact, it could take years and years and years and it's still going on.

[00:03:37] But I've got another project, which I'm really excited about. But that's how I got into writing again. It was in Portugal and the Agar. 

[00:03:44] Teddy Smith: Yeah. No, well, I, I'm mo moving out to the Algarve at the moment. Wow. So you'll have to gimme some tips when I've, uh, when I've worked out exactly how to do it. 

[00:03:51] David P. Perlmutter: It's, you'll, you'll love it.

[00:03:53] It's a beautiful place. 

[00:03:55] Teddy Smith: Yeah. No, I'm, I'm really enjoying it so far. Now with your first book, right To Kill, so you, that you self-published that entirely yourself on Amazon. The, 

[00:04:03] David P. Perlmutter: the first one. wrong Place, wrong Time. That was the one you self published? It was self-published. All my books are self-published.

[00:04:07] That one is traditionally published. Okay. Um, and, but. The marketing has been very, very poor from the company. I, I'm big, I won't say the name of the company, obviously. And they said, well, we'll do this for you, we'll do that for you. And it never, never happened. I believe the only person who can promote you better than anybody else is yourself.

[00:04:33] You know? Yeah. People do promote me and my books and this project we've got going, but really to keep ahead of steam. You've gotta promote yourself. 

[00:04:42] Teddy Smith: Yeah, I think a lot of writers when they get that, they get the publishing contracts, they think that's sort of everything sorted. But it's that thing that Ricky Jve said, it's, you go out and find your own work and then you give your agent 10%.

[00:04:53] It's like you shouldn't just be relying on them to do the work for you. And I think it's the same with writers. I think a lot of people get published and just say, okay, that that's all my work done now. But I think that's just the start of the journey, isn't it? Um, 

[00:05:04] David P. Perlmutter: I would say that is. Writing books, it's not easy, but promoting and getting reviews and getting, getting it ranked up high on Amazon or whatever book format.

[00:05:16] I mean, to be honest with you, people go to Amazon for books, people, they do whatever, you know, I know there's some, I'm sort of going off guard here. I know that authors say, oh, Amazon, uh, my, uh, the review or the rankings and this and that, but without Amazon. And this is my honest opinion. You've got good reads.

[00:05:34] You've got smash words. But if you are looking for a book to buy online, people go to Amazon. They do, 

[00:05:42] Teddy Smith: yeah. 

[00:05:43] David P. Perlmutter: Look at the books which have made it. You've got, 50 shades for, I know she had her own marketing company, but that was self-published. The girl on the train was self-published. Look at Andy Weir.

[00:05:57] I love that film. I've forgotten the film. The name, the Matri or, or whatever it's called. I've forgotten now. He was doing blog posts on that. Then someone picked it up and now look at him. I think you need that. And this is what I'm looking for. Even though you've gotta make your own luck, you need a lucky break.

[00:06:13] You know, there are so many talented writers out there who are self indie authors, self-published. You put books out and books out and books out, and really you don't make a great deal of money on Kindles or to be honest with you, or paperbacks. Obviously Amazon need to make their money, but unless you are very well known, it is very, very difficult.

[00:06:37] And this is why I have not issues. But with these. Sort of, how can I put it? Love Island. I know it sounds terrible. Love island, celebrities, that sort of thing. I think, oh, I'm gonna do a cookbook called Children's Book. Then yeah, they're getting an advance, you know, they get all the promotion, they get in the books.

[00:06:56] It's us little people who really want to afford a, a career outta writing, but We are not famous enough and it is very, very difficult. But you know, when I'm on my deathbed, I can say, if nothing happens about my a TV series or movie, I can say I gave 100%. That's all we can do. 

[00:07:15] Teddy Smith: Yeah.

[00:07:16] Well one, one of talking about being famous, one of the things I think that's actually how we sort of connected in the first place was you are quite successful with social media, especially Twitter, which is where I. Followed you most the first time. What was your strategy for like building up that following and making that successful?

[00:07:32] David P. Perlmutter: I, I would say, I'm smiling 'cause I wanna tell you about something what happened yesterday on Twitter. Funny about that. It's helping other people to be honest with you. Putting yourself out there. I mean, I, this sounds ridiculous, but I probably have done, if you look on my Twitter, you say a million tweets, right?

[00:07:49] Teddy Smith: Yeah. 

[00:07:50] David P. Perlmutter: Half of those are retweets of other people. I. And I think that is really, it's a domino effect. It's really important because then you retweet their books, then it, people follow it on. And I think you cannot be single-minded. You cannot be selfish when it comes to social media. You know, we all need each other.

[00:08:09] And the rea and the thing is, I mean, you talk about Twitter or X, I mean, I'm on all the platforms, but for me. Elon will love this. Twitter, or X has been the best for me. Yeah. LinkedIn's been fantastic as well. But the thing, the difference with Twitter and say Instagram is with Twitter or X, you can put a link in the body of the post.

[00:08:39] Instagram, you can't, how many times do you see linking bio on your Instagram? And people really, they don't wanna go there to be honest with you, but they will click something if it's in, it's like waiting eight seconds for a download or the website. Yeah. So for me, Twitter has been brilliant. You can, contact so called celebrities or actors, which I've done, and also Instagram for my crime thriller.

[00:09:03] For, for the casting. But I do think being verified is, is good. I mean, unverified, you know, nowadays people think you, you paid for it. Thankfully I didn't. But I, I do believe Twitter is, I go for my news on Twitter. I don't go to a newspaper. I see what's trending like today, unfortunately, like Gene ha, Jean Hackman, bless him.

[00:09:27] In fact, I did see that on the news. I went to X and it was like the number one trend and I. I go from my news on X. That's how I think people do and I, I get so much more engagement on x. 

[00:09:41] Teddy Smith: Yeah, it is, it is fantastic to, well, to meet people. I mean, that's exactly how I got managed to get in such a review.

[00:09:47] Like I don't think we'd have met had I not been on Twitter and trying to follow people. So if you are trying to build your network up, I think it's a really, it's a really great way to do it. 'cause you can follow people, retweet them, even DM them when you've got a joint contact and, well, I, I've 

[00:09:59] David P. Perlmutter: done that and I did DM on Twitter.

[00:10:02] I've DM Don. Instagram actors and actresses who wanna be part of my crime thriller and they come back. We would love to and so forth. But the story of what you were saying about being famous, I did, a what was, what was it? I was engaging with a, a fellow author Gregory and I, I dunno, he, oh yeah. So he put something cup about his book was next.

[00:10:26] No, I tell, sorry, I'm going off key here, Lee.

[00:10:32] Being interviewed, the author of Reacher. 

[00:10:35] Teddy Smith: Yeah. 

[00:10:35] David P. Perlmutter: And I, I took a photo, which I do if I see a writer and I on, on Twitter. He came back and said, I, and he had an image of his book next to a Lee Child book. Then I responded saying, oh, I, someone sent me a picture when they're in Turkey of Write to Kill Ne in the middle of an Ian ranking book and a John Grisham book.

[00:10:59] So I, I added that obviously and added them in. I, I'm very cheeky. So lots to do about cheeky marketing as well. And then here applied, there's Greg and, he goes, you've got far more followers of of John Grisham. He should be following you and retweeting you. If only I had his accomplishment. So when you were saying about being famous, that was quite a nice little, little, conversation on, on, on, on X with this guy.

[00:11:26] But no, I would love to, I, I would not want, if I had the choice of being accomplished author like John Grisham and have the firm, which was, I love that book. And Gene Hackman was in that, wasn't he? I think, yeah. The firm he was, I would prefer to have John Grisham's success. Than having more followers than John Grisham on, on X.

[00:11:46] Teddy Smith: Yeah. Personally, and that's what I 

[00:11:48] David P. Perlmutter: actually 

[00:11:48] Teddy Smith: put, you should, you should DM John Grisham. 

[00:11:52] David P. Perlmutter: Yeah. I'm going to now, dude, I'm gonna say Teddy Smith, 

[00:11:59] Teddy Smith: who's the, who's the most famous person you've contacted? 

[00:12:02] David P. Perlmutter: Well, let me think. I've gone back. Did, I love, I love Ross from Frazier. do speak, one of them is, you know, the film Midnight Express?

[00:12:12] Teddy Smith: Yeah, 

[00:12:12] David P. Perlmutter: sure. 

[00:12:14] Teddy Smith: I've heard of it. I dunno, I haven't seen it. Oh, 

[00:12:16] David P. Perlmutter: okay. Watch it. It's on 1979. He was directed by the late Ellen Parker and produced by Oliver Stone, and it was based on the story of Billy Hayes going from America to Turkey with drugs. He got sent into jail. And the guy who played him is a guy who's no longer with us called Brad Davis.

[00:12:38] He was in chaps of fire as well. Mm-hmm. And the book I was telling you about, what in which initially got me into writing called Wrong place, wrong Time when I had an episode in Mabe was I was actually wrongly accused and arrested for ars and the manslaughter I. Okay. When I was being, sort of, questioned by the, one of the, Spanish authorities, she said to me, this is when I hair.

[00:13:01] She said to me, you remind me of the actor Brad Davis in Midnight Express. And Midnight Express is my favorite movie. So one of the chapters. In wrong place. Wrong time is Midnight Express. I always title my chapters in all my books because I use it for marketing as well, and this as evidence. So, I was contacted Billy, the Billy Hayes.

[00:13:26] So Brad Davis was the actor of portraying Billy Hayes. So I, I contacted Billy Hayes, blah. This is the, chapter. He wanted the book. Then he, he got the book, he posted a five star review holding my book up the Billy Hayes on Facebook. Then I did a, a forward on his new book on Midnight Express. Yeah.

[00:13:50] And now Billy Hayes has, is attached to play a character called Bill in My Right to Kill Book to Screen series if we get it green lit. So it was like, I saw this film at 15 and a half illegally. Did, you got me 16 then. And so 15 and a half, 15. So 45 years later he, fingers crossed, could be on set on one of my books.

[00:14:19] And it, it is bizarre. It's bizarre. So yeah, he's very, you know, very famous. So he's famous, but I have a lot of, sort of actors Ray Winston, who, who I contact with, and it's, it's lovely to be honest with you. I mean, I still think I'm just little old me, even though I do supporting work, extra work as well.

[00:14:43] Yeah, I've just been, I just done a shoot at Warn Brothers. Can't say the movie, but I had to be in makeup at four o'clock every morning for two weeks as an alien. 

[00:14:54] Teddy Smith: Yeah, you sent me, you sent me a picture on LinkedIn of you dressed off as Nathan. Cut that out. Oh, sorry. That's fine. 

[00:15:05] David P. Perlmutter: But yeah, I do love being on, I love the creativeness of it all.

[00:15:11] Teddy Smith: Yeah. 

[00:15:11] David P. Perlmutter: And it was with the Hollywood, director as well, who's done few iconic movies. Again, I can't say. And I just love the way everything comes together. You know? Yeah, it's fantastic. And, yeah, amazing. So yeah, Billy, Billy Hayes is one of my idols and for him, not Billy Idol, Billy Hayes, and for him to be part of my crime thriller, please God, is amazing.

[00:15:35] Teddy Smith: Yeah. So Right to kill this is the, we're talking about the series Right To Kill is the one that you've sort of had optioned for TV and that's the one that you're kind of going, no, I'm trying to 

[00:15:43] David P. Perlmutter: get option for tv. You know, I'm not being funny. If I was a, I'm gonna say the ro, if I was a Russell Osman and Richard Osmond, Russell Osman played for it Rich Town, if you remember.

[00:15:55] If I was a Richard Osmond, who I give total respect to, then my crime thriller, like his Thursday murder club, uh, would've been green lit and it would've been filmed is because I'm not I'm not represented by anybody. I'm got an agent. It's, it is li little old me who I had a Michael Gorman in America, co-wrote the TV pilot with me, which is brilliant.

[00:16:22] I've got a guy called Cloy. He's one of the ex, executive producers who is really pushing it. And I've got some, you know, Sean Cronin, Brooke Lewis, Bellas, Amber Dean Thorn, Dan Robbins. We've got a great cast. We just need to get it. And Ricky Morris, we just need to get it, green lit or for an agency to go, right.

[00:16:44] Let's take a chance. Yeah. It's not about a detective, it's not a de police detective story. It's about an author who is Struggl, who is a first time author, got writer's block, but in debt. And he gets involved with, uh, London Gang Lang. He's offered money to, uh, murder someone by, uh, a character called Mad Dog, who's paid by Sean Cronin.

[00:17:06] Fingers crossed. And he accepts it. He murders someone and he thinks, right, I'm gonna write a book about my real life murder. So it, it's a, it's a he writes a nonfiction or crime fiction about his real life murders. So it's a book in a book. 

[00:17:23] Teddy Smith: Yeah. Nice. What was that process like of taking it from being a book to screenwriting it?

[00:17:30] David P. Perlmutter: I loved it. I, I didn't do it on my own. I hope Michael in America dealing with it as well. Yeah. He's more experienced than me. I think it's very difficult to, in my opinion, if, if I've written something then to do this a, a script or a screenplay, I think you need other rights to do it. So he did it right.

[00:17:51] Then I sort of amended it and edited it and did it in, in my style. When I was writing the book, and I'm still writing book four, even though it's, it's a trilogy. I'm writing book four, but it's also in one four book. I acted out most of the scenes, even with the knife stabbing myself and my then editor, who was my ex-girlfriend at the time, who was my girlfriend, but she's now my ex-girlfriend, said.

[00:18:17] She was typing it and said, what are you doing this for with the, I said, I'm gonna do this. She said, looked awful, Jess, then, didn't it? So then I got the knife and I was pissing my stomach. 

[00:18:28] Teddy Smith: Yeah, 

[00:18:28] David P. Perlmutter: she did not like that. So I got banana and I did it because I wanted to feel what the author, the main character was, was feeling.

[00:18:40] And I, as I say, acted out most of the scenes. I read the dialogue out loud. I was doing this at two or three in the morning when I was writing it, and I find that it was dark, obviously out a glass of red wine or squash at the time, whatever. And I think in that morning I got really dark thoughts and it, it comes across.

[00:19:06] I'm very outta all my books. I love Wrong Place. I love another book called Five Weeks, my True Stories. I've written four true stories, but this crying thriller, which as my then girlfriend said, this is based on you. Partially it is apart from the murders. 

[00:19:22] Teddy Smith: Yeah. I'm 

[00:19:22] David P. Perlmutter: pleased to say. 

[00:19:23] Teddy Smith: Right. So you're not admitting to anything live on camera?

[00:19:26] No. Yeah. When you, if a lot of people listening to this have, or a lot of people I speak to, they've written a book just like you, but then they want to then turn it into a screenplay. So what's the first steps they need to do in order to like, go about even thinking about getting into screenplay?

[00:19:42] Like who are the best people to speak to? Like, is there, is there a process they should be following? What does, what basically, what does that process look like from, I've got a book. I wanna get it on tv 

[00:19:52] David P. Perlmutter: and we do a bit of research. 

[00:19:53] Teddy Smith: Um, yeah, 

[00:19:55] David P. Perlmutter: I'm not one for, I did a lot of research when I was writing because it's based, it's relocated to New York and I needed to get the addresses right and so forth.

[00:20:05] So it's quite, it's quite weird because first it's based in West Hamster in London and there's another place called H Hamster. In, in Amer in New York, just outside New York. So it is quite coincidental. I did read a lot of scripts, and I did have a lot of people look at this script and they said, you know, I had to amend it as well on their advice.

[00:20:33] I think it's pretty good. No complaints. I had one. Guy in America who read it on the plane and he said it reminded him of Alfie with Michael Kane, which I think is a compliment. I've had actors and actresses who have received it and said that, yeah, lovely. I had a, a comment from a former BBC drama commissioner saying, it's very pacey, blah, blah, blah.

[00:20:55] I would say what your question is, I do diverse and I do apologize that. with me, I do it for me. I write for me. I don't really write for people. I know it sounds odd because if I like it, that's my main priority. And if people love it, Fanta it is like, you know, thank God if they don't, they're not criticizing the, the writing, they're just criticizing the story.

[00:21:23] I was say for people who are looking to don't do your own book and then your own screenplay, get someone another eyes to look over it because they may see something that you may miss. 

[00:21:34] Teddy Smith: Right. Okay. It's a bit like when you write your book be as 

[00:21:36] David P. Perlmutter: much, you can't put all the book in the script. You've gotta, you've gotta really cut it down obvious, and you've gotta make sure it's my script, which Michael did, which was fantastic.

[00:21:48] He started off. Something which happened sort of four chapters beyond, and he brought that into the beginning and it, and it really, really does work. 

[00:21:59] Teddy Smith: Yeah. Yeah. I think that's one of the things when you watch TV programs, which are based on books that you really love, then you're always annoyed that they've taken stuff out.

[00:22:08] But, but you've got to, I think as a writer, it must be quite hard to take the stuff out yourself because you are so connected to the characters and things like that. 

[00:22:14] David P. Perlmutter: Well, this is why I think my, I won't mention them. My girlfriend and I split it up because she was saying, you can't put this in. I said, I want that in, but you can't.

[00:22:22] It's, it's horny, or it's this or it's that. I said, I don't care. People know my, I know for a fact. That. Well, I dunno for a fact, but I'm pretty confident that people know my writing. People have different writing. Like they know Richard Osmonds, they know 50 Shades. Her, you know, who I met actually is very nice.

[00:22:42] Erica James. They know, they know their writing. So with my writing, people know they're going to get something, which is, it's all the first narrative. It's written in the first person. And so when they're reading this story of Right to Kill or. My true stories. They are, I mean, some of the comments I've had is that we, we joined the journey with you.

[00:23:05] We've walked that journey with you. And if I, if I see that and they tell me that, then I think I've done something, you know, right in my, in my writing. 

[00:23:14] Teddy Smith: Nice. So let's talk about your writing then. 'cause you, do you have a particular way you approach writing, like trying to get it organized, trying to get all the plots and the story in one place?

[00:23:24] What, what's your, what does that look like for you? Oh, 

[00:23:26] David P. Perlmutter: I. I with amount, I make notes obviously, but I do it as I go along. It's, my true story is a little bit different because I know, I know what I know them. They in my my mind, but with my client thriller, I didn't have a strategy at all.

[00:23:46] I'm doing that because people put their things on the walls, you see? 

[00:23:49] Teddy Smith: Yeah.

[00:23:53] David P. Perlmutter: I did note something, right? That really does that sounds good. Or I wake up and one in the middle of the night and I write something down. But I did it as I went along. That's how I did it. Then I reread, I did many rewrites, I did many editing, many amendments. But I don't have a absolute strategy.

[00:24:11] I don't have, I don't do that. I, I make notes if I'm walking. I record it if I think of something, but it's, it's, I do as I go along. 

[00:24:23] Teddy Smith: Yeah. I think a lot of people get caught up in using tools and focus more on being productive rather than actually being productive, you know?

[00:24:30] David P. Perlmutter: No, exactly. Do you know, like, making a movie when I was on the shoot just recently, you know, the script changed so many times. You know, one little scene, what they had in mind was completely changed. The wording was completely changed. So when you do have a script, you follow the script. Obviously I'm not an experienced form maker or director whatsoever.

[00:24:52] I've been on many sets because I'm as an extra been to a lot of events as I've been invited to events, but I'm not a. Choose a director or anything. I'm trying to make a dream come a reality, and a lot of people want it to happen, so I'm doing it for them. 

[00:25:11] Teddy Smith: Were there any, when you started writing, were there any resources or books that you found helpful to keep everything on track?

[00:25:18] David P. Perlmutter: No. No, not really, to be honest with you. I didn't, when I wrote one place one time after my friend Elaine said, you should do it, it. It's too good for a, I just wrote it. I just remembered what happened. And I just wrote it. I don't really have a procedure like that. Why? I wasn't reading any books. I'm dyslexic.

[00:25:40] I can't even spell dyslexic. You know, honestly, my writer sent me down. I can tell you why. Or yp, Nazis is, some words are very difficult for me to spell, and they then look correct. It's very odd being dyslexic. I had additional vocabulary lessons when I was younger, even though you're writing speaking, but it's all in the mind.

[00:25:59] But I just write my way to be honest with you, Teddy, and if I like it, I'm going to publish it. If people don't like it, that's, you know, as I said, you can't please everybody. 

[00:26:11] Teddy Smith: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Now, in order to get your books, the first book, wrong Place, wrong Time, that's got like 4,000 reviews, so it's obviously doing really well.

[00:26:20] What did you do any particular marketing in order to get it to be successful? 

[00:26:24] David P. Perlmutter: I do a lot of marketing on social media, my books, what I did when this, the publishing agency sent me so many books, but I think they were apologetic because they said your book's gonna be in smears on the shelves, Waterstones on the, it was on the website, so on, so on all of these websites, but not physically.

[00:26:43] They could, you would be in Sainsbury. You'll be in Tesco's, but no. none of that. So I think they were apologetic and they sent me a whole load of books and what I did, what I went, I used to be, I'm not now, unfortunately, I used to be a volunteer for cancer research. So what I did was I. Rent around a lot of the cancer research plate around the UK from Don Cars to Bourmouth in London and Waterstones.

[00:27:10] And I, I sold books. I had a little table, so when people come in, they used to buy the books and I used to donate to the charity. And in fact, two people. Which I'm proud of. There's a guy called, I met the mother of Robert Doles, who is an author. He's also an actor. In the Royal from a few years back and we follow each other on, social media and he's got a book.

[00:27:36] And also the, I don't think that happened, but Julie Cooper's got one of my books Oh, right, okay. At one place. And I know for, and I sent it on Valentine's Day. And I know for a fact that friend of mine who. Where in her house once they saw the book on her desk. Right. So they told me about that. And I sent books to, I mean, I'm gonna name it now, Jenny Falconer from Smooth Radio.

[00:27:59] She's, yeah, she, I, she did a post on Instagram and there was my book. I mean, she didn't buy it. I sent it to her. So I, I managed to do some screenshots of my book, that book, particular book on her studio at smooth fm. Marketing does a night show. He's got it. He is a nice, lovely guy. So I do a lot of cheeky marketing.

[00:28:22] Teddy. Yeah. And to be honest with you, I think, oh, James Blunt, he's got it. Yeah. He's got my book. we were chatting on, on Twitter DM about three, four years ago. So I've gotta see him in concert. I've not seen him. Gotta see him in concert. So if you listen, James. He'd probably come to Portugal.

[00:28:40] Probably be in Leesburg one day. 

[00:28:42] Teddy Smith: Yeah. We'll go and find him. Yeah. if I see him, I'll mention that you, uh, that you put me in three many times 

[00:28:46] David P. Perlmutter: I'm in the wrong place, wrong time. So it's all, I think that's a pretty 

[00:28:51] Teddy Smith: good takeaway from, I think that's a pretty good takeaway from this episode is like, you know, just without putting yourself out there, you often aren't in the wrong, you know, you are, you are, you can't be in the wrong right place at the right time Exactly.

[00:29:01] To use the name of your book unless you put yourself out there, you know, it's like serendipity, isn't it? 

[00:29:05] David P. Perlmutter: You, you have to, and. And I do, and I, you know, I contact very well known people and if they reply to me, fantastic. If, if not, I've sent a me a DM to James Norton. 

[00:29:18] Teddy Smith: Yeah. 

[00:29:18] David P. Perlmutter: Not Graham James. And my, my youngest daughter has a little bit of age.

[00:29:23] She, she's just watched happy name dropping here, I'm gonna, all these people in.

[00:29:32] Teddy Smith: You can tag them in this, uh, episode when it comes out. That's what I'm saying. It. So Jane's 

[00:29:35] David P. Perlmutter: Blunt and all these people better be Were, and she's got, you know, I think she's got a little bit of a, he thinks, she thinks he's a bit of an eye candy. So I did message him and I'm waiting for a reply to make her day so he will get, he'll be tagged in on this.

[00:29:48] Teddy Smith: He is unbelievably handsome. So 

[00:29:50] David P. Perlmutter: No, no, you gotta, you gotta do it. Going back to Rick, Ricky, ve you're gonna be tagged in Ricky, my brother, one of my brothers was in, uh, Bournemouth, uh, last week. And there was, he was doing two nights there last week in Bournemouth. 

[00:30:05] Teddy Smith: Yeah. 

[00:30:05] David P. Perlmutter: And he phoned them up the theater and we are part, he runs a cafe, which I did as well.

[00:30:10] Restaurant within the theater in Radlett. Theatro. Tag them in tro in Radlett Hartfordshire. And he phoned them, oh, he's only spare tickets. Oh no, it's sold down. And he was very nice. And the person said, if anything comes available, we'll let you know. That was at 11 o'clock in the morning. Six o'clock the same day.

[00:30:28] My brother got a call, two tickets, 50 quid each. He went to see Rick Bass 

[00:30:35] Teddy Smith: amazing, 

[00:30:35] David P. Perlmutter: and he thought unbelievable. 

[00:30:38] Teddy Smith: Unbelievable. That's a story I'd

[00:30:44] well, so it is been great chatting to you. So what, what, I mean, what projects are you working on at the moment? Obviously you've got your, hopefully you've got your book turning into the TV program. So what are you working on at the moment? 

[00:30:53] David P. Perlmutter: I'm really working on book four. Of this story and the, the full script book four is probably the final book in the series.

[00:31:04] I think you, some things goes on and on and on and people get bored. So if it ever became a TV series, book four will be the end. And this is where it's based in continues in New York. New characters are coming in. Tell the light, not new characters, but not to who wanna play these characters. Like Billy Hayes will be playing a character called Bill, who is the husband of a character called Dorothy, who is the editor of the main character.

[00:31:33] I'm still trying to find someone to play Dorothy, but they have a, they have a daughter who is a detective and her, and this is Brooke, who's come on board. She can't wait to play her. So this is the final thing. So I'm writing that at the moment. I just, this is what I'm working 

[00:31:50] Teddy Smith: on. We've got a, just before, just before you onto the next project, it sounds like you've got actors lined up before the TV before it's been like optioned.

[00:31:58] Yeah. Is that a normal process or is it usually the other way around where Optioned and the casting 

[00:32:03] David P. Perlmutter: had a chat with a film company and who actually has emailed me before I came on this. Call or podcast and I'm waiting for, I'm gonna read what they say shortly. They go, oh, that's a, that's not the way we would do it.

[00:32:17] I think people would, I think you need to get a director first, which I do have, get the funds and then get the access in. But me being me, I think if I get the actors in who are quite well known, then that could stir. People saying, oh, let's take a chance on this. So that is really what I am, I'm looking for, as I say, it is not green lit at all.

[00:32:42] Teddy Smith: Again, cheeky marketing though, to try and do it that way. 

[00:32:44] David P. Perlmutter: Well, cheeky marketing. Exactly. And it is not easy. It's a, it is not an easy business at all. Really trying to get something made unless you want to do something minimal. But I, I want to do something where I'm being greedy in a way or selfish, that I want it to be on like a Netflix or Apple, that sort of thing, because the caliber of actors I have, it deserves it.

[00:33:08] Yeah. And something crap I've watched as well. You think, oh my God, how is that even made? But I give people 10 outta 10 to make anything because it is not easy. I really do 

[00:33:18] Teddy Smith: Definitely. Great. Well, I mean, it's been, I mean, thank you so much Camille. It's been fascinating speaking to you. Good luck with getting the show off the ground.

[00:33:26] I can't wait to sort see where that goes. 

[00:33:29] David P. Perlmutter: Well, hopefully once it is, once I do get finance and it's green lit, I'd love to come on again and tell you more about it. 

[00:33:35] Teddy Smith: Oh, a hundred percent. I'd love to get you to come back on. Okay. We can, uh, compare how well our football teams have done at the same time as well.

[00:33:40] You 

[00:33:41] David P. Perlmutter: never, well, we are still in the playoffs, in the in league one to get into the championship, so if's got relegated. You never know. I love Palace. I love the two things I love about what got me into football. I know it sounds really sad, this, but the Barcelona kit, I love that kit and the Crystal Palace kit.

[00:34:02] I from years ago. 'cause Orian had two players. You will not remember these players. You are far too young. A guy called Whittle. Alright, Google him. He played for Everton as well. In fact, his nephew is, I'm looking there thinking he plays, he played Kim Davis, he played for Everton and now he's at CH United.

[00:34:27] Right. And it got a goalkeeper called John Jackson. He, he was brilliant at Orient and he played for, um. Crystal Palace. Palace and Oren are gonna get tagged in on this as well. You realize that? I've gotta remember who, who we've name dropped. 

[00:34:46] Teddy Smith: I'll send it to you before so you can, uh, go through the, the transcripts.

[00:34:49] No, I'm going to 

[00:34:50] David P. Perlmutter: honestly, because people wanna see this. They don't wanna see you, Teddy. 

[00:34:54] Teddy Smith: Yeah. Brilliant. Well, thank you so much. I've really enjoyed this chat and um, yeah, good luck with the, with the screenplay. I'm really looking forward to seeing where that goes. Thank you very much. Uh, people wanna get in contact with you.

[00:35:02] Where's the best place to do that? 

[00:35:04] David P. Perlmutter: Well all my links have you, you've heard of Link Tree? Yeah. Right. All my links on there. So it's Link Tree hyphen David p Ter. But I know it sounds pretentious. I don't mean it to be, if you wanna go to Amazon or just. Google, David p obviously anybody's name, bestselling author.

[00:35:21] I will not be on there at all. Probably page 4,000. But yeah, just look out for my name and, you know, let's connect with everybody and let's try and make things happen. 

[00:35:31] Teddy Smith: Yeah. Brilliant. Well thanks so much for coming on, David. Okay. Uh, we'll chat 

[00:35:35] David P. Perlmutter: too and thank you for the, um, uniform. 

[00:35:38] Teddy Smith: Yeah, thank you.

[00:35:40] See you later. 

[00:35:41] David P. Perlmutter: Good luck with everything as well, and thank you so much. 

[00:35:44] Teddy Smith: Cheers. Bye. Cheers. Take care. Bye. Thank you so much for tuning into the Publishing Performance podcast. I really hope you found today's episode inspiring. I love chatting to authors, writers, and people in the publishing world. Now, just before we wrap up, let me tell you about publishing performance, the number one platform for authors who want to increase Amazon book sales, but I'm not really sure where to start.

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