All I can say is thank goodness for the internet. Otherwise if all the press releases constantly pinging into my inbox were printed on paper and posted there would be no trees left. And my postman would have a quadruple hernia. I've noticed in the last few weeks that my inbox has been inundated with way more releases than in past years. I've received about three releases in the post and one of those included booze, which is not as effective if sent as a jpeg.

Maybe in the past my home address was harder to track down. Or maybe in the past performers couldn't afford the stamps. But it is so cheap and easy to find an email address and send a release out that come July they are flying thick and fast through cyberspace.

I don't know about other critics but I do read every release I get. The trouble is I spend so much time reading them there is hardly any time left to write about them, let alone schedule the show in once I'm in Edinburgh. At the recent Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards launch it was announced that there are 581 shows eligible for the award. And the number is still rising, with Free Fringe shows joining the queue all the time in a way that never used to happen. In the past once the Fringe brochure was printed in June you'd missed your publicity window. Now you can be added to online listings well into August.

So it is no surprise then that performers will try anything to get noticed. Gareth Morinan is trying to whip up his own "Listingsgate" scandal. Morinan realised that it was cheaper to buy 11 listings entries in the Fringe brochure for the same show than an advert, but his loophole only came to light after the brochure was printed. The funny thing is that Morinan is an advisor to the Fringe, but did not point this wheeze out before the brochure was printed.

Soon after I received Morinan's Listingsgate release I received another unusual release. This one was responding to the fact that the Queen had shown an interest in the Fringe when she gave Comedy Awards founder Nica Burns her OBE earlier this year. Producer Barry Hetherington has written to the Palace inviting the Queen to attend the Fringe in general and the all-star Big C Gala in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support in particular. His letter called on Her Majesty to put in a regal appearance, as he explained.

"It struck me that though in recent years I’ve seen images of David Hasselhoff, Ricky Gervais and Miriam Margolyes enjoying all that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has to offer, I have never seen a photograph of your Majesty in the Underbelly beer garden. Nor have I ever read a ‘fun’ Herald diary piece about you inadvertently falling asleep during a production of Hedda Gabler at C Venues."

To be honest I think Barry is being a shade rose-tinted. It's hard enough to get critics along to your shows, never mind ageing heads of state, but you can't blame him for trying.  From now until the end of July there will clearly be no let-up in ambitious publicity-seeking stunts like this. This is the time for boundless optimism. Maybe yours will be the Free Fringe show that gets discovered by the Foster's Panel and gets that big break. It can sort of happen. Imran Yusuf and Cariad Lloyd have both got awards recognition for shows that did not cost a penny to see. But these successes are rare.

The trouble is that no publicity stunt works unless there is actual talent behind it. A few years ago Aaron Barschak appeared in Edinburgh shortly after making the front pages for gatecrashing Prince William's 21st Birthday party. He sold plenty of tickets but at his opening performance was simply not prepared enough for the media scrutiny.

If you are new to the Fringe you would be much better leaving your dreams at home and going up to Edinburgh just for the experience. Banish all thoughts of being plucked from obscurity and put onto Live at the Apollo or, if you want to steer clear of that dreaded comedy elitism, Stewart Lee's Alternative Comedy Experience. Work hard, have a good time and who knows, maybe in a few years you could have that overnight success. Veteran campaigner Arthur Smith's philosophy was "I'll get drunk, I'll get laid, I'll get spotted, I'll get paid." If you achieve any two of these things I think you can consider that you've had a successful Edinburgh Fringe.