Storytellersunplugged

Where Words Meet

Word Up, Word Out

(Note: Our regularly scheduled essay for today would have been from the balding and somewhat curmudgeonly Stephen Mark Rainey…unfortunately, Mark had a lot on his plate this month (including a trip to my house where he watched bad TV and slept on the couch) — so we have a standby essay from Mr. Scott Nicholson (thanks Scott)) Tomorrow we will return to your regularly scheculed…well…schedule…)
–DNW

By Scott Nicholson

“Think globally, act locally” is not just a catchy environmental or political-action slogan. It’s also a handy guide to your promotional efforts.

Your publisher will take care of those national print ads in USA Today, billboards on Sunset Boulevard, and banners on Yahoo! Yeah, sure. If you believe that, I have a three-book proposal etched on a cocktail napkin to sell you. If you are one of the writers getting such treatment, you don’t need to read this article and I need your agent’s phone number.

Since your publisher is doing the big stuff (yeah, sure), you should focus on your own backyard. Even in the Internet age, every town in America still has a local newspaper and a local radio station. Your first novel release or writing award is legitimate news, and merits a fax if not a stamped letter. Despite the thousands of books released each year, you have done something that’s worth your community’s attention, whether or not they care about literature. When you think about it, an article in the newspaper is helping you target your audience: by nature of the medium, you are reaching people who read.

Get your hands dirty and write your own press release. Put the interesting information up front and lead with a hook. Editors at larger newspapers might deep-six the release, or pass it along to a reporter to pursue a feature story or interview. Often, smaller papers will run your press release as is, so make sure it’s the best writing in the entire paper. Send in a photograph with your release, and a copy of the book cover if you have one.

If you’re lucky enough to get a reporter assigned to cover you, be cooperative. They will sometimes have a preconceived angle for their story; maybe you’re the “eccentric mystery writer,” the “repressed serial killer,” or “the weird kid who liked spiders.” Go with it, because the story will be better if the writer is enthusiastic. And never complain if some tiny detail is wrong or looks bad in print. The only bad publicity is the kind that links you to child pornography or Pauly Shore. Besides, the industry has a saying: “Never piss off anyone who buys ink by the barrel.”

The radio audience is a little different, but most stations have morning shows or talk segments that require a steady stream of interesting guests. No matter if you cling to your self-image as a frumpy nerd at a dusty keyboard, remember that you are pursuing a fairly common dream. Everybody wants to be a writer, everyone has a book in them, and everyone knows it’s so easy they’re going to get around to it someday. You already have, so they want you to tell them how to do it.

Don’t let shyness or humility keep you from your moment in the spotlight. If you have to adopt a bit of a persona to get over your nervousness when the mic flips on, then go for the “author persona.” It always works, it’s always real, and you’ll find it much easier to relax. If your work relates to the local community, whether in setting or influence, then talk about that. Remember, audiences all over the world, in all media, are hungry to learn more about themselves.

If you happen to snag some time on the local cable TV access channel, then be prepared for a stiff, overheated chat with glaring lights that reduce your pupils to BBs. The hostess will know nothing about you or your work, and will care mostly about her own hair. You will look slightly deranged, and the camera will probably remain as fixed as a Chicago election. There’s a reason literature makes for bad TV. It doesn’t move much and most of the time it’s not that sexy. Still, do it for the home team.

Once you’ve become comfortable with the local outlets, simply expand those efforts outward. Go to your old hometown, your college media, regional newspapers, and any publications or broadcast shows that focus on your particular genre or subject matter. If you’re an expert in something, use it. If you’re photogenic, cash in before your looks fade. A former FBI agent or police officer writing a mystery novel is an easy front page in the Leisure section, as is a gravedigger who writes horror novels, or a sex therapist penning romances. At the community newspaper where I work, the editor has a sign on his wall: “What does it mean? Does it matter? Who cares?”

Answer those questions for yourself. “Buy my book” is not a story. Your personal experience matters if you make it matter. And if you don’t care, why should anyone else? Don’t think of it as glory hounding or grandstanding. Think of your work as a unique flower whose beauty must be shared, a secret message the world is dying to hear, or a different frequency of noise in an overloaded spectrum. Despite what many people think, it ain’t easy.

It means a lot, it matters, and everyone will care if you dare to let them.

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