When did all this book marketing insanity start? After or before we realize it's do or die?

I read an interesting blog post today at Author U which is a really nifty little site that I'd never seen before.  Judith Briles wrote an interesting piece titled "Stop the Book Insanity…Or Why I Don't Want to Market My book."  She echoes the frustrations of many authors and that's why virtual book tour companies and online book promotion sites such as Pump Up Your Book came into the scene.  Not plugging, just sayin'.

Judith makes good points in this article for sure.  The...