Are Press Releases a Thing of the Past? 3 Challenges

No. Authors still need them, but with a different spin.

Pig Goes National

In late June, 2009, a traffic accident sent an 800-pound pig on an unexpected journey toward a new life. A truck flipped on the way to a slaughterhouse and killing about 30 of the 90 pigs it was carrying. 59 pigs were easy to catch; but the 60th found its way to fame. It wandered into a residential neighborhood and took up residence in a swimming pool. When the surprised home owner found the pig, it took a couple days to sort it out. Dubbed Wilburette, no one was willing to send this roaming pig to the slaughterhouse. The story broke locally, but within two days, it was carried nationally.

Here's a little known fact: most online media picks up information from local sources or other online sources. You know how the publisher is always telling you to ask your local newspapers to write about you and your work? Turns out this is very wise advice. It even has a name now: Starter Publicity.

Local stories can be picked up anywhere from 1-10 days after the initial report or article. For every book release, major website upgrades, book signings, or other newsworthy events, you should write a press release and send to every local newspaper, community publication, radio station and TV station. Follow up 2-3 days after the press release to answer any questions and push to schedule an interview. Often a publisher will help you write or proof the press release, but just as often for local events, you’re on your own. Here's an example of a short press release by a local PBS station about an interview on a local show.

Online Delivery of Press Releases

Websites such as prweb.com are designed to help you distribute your press releases online. It gives you a chance to read customers directly as they browse online news organizations; it also reaches bloggers, who could pick up an interesting news item to feature.

The most common way of measuring success of an online press release is counting how many times it is reprinted by news sites such as Google News, aggregate sites such as Topix and finally social media sites. Part of this success is links to your site, which improves your ranking in the search engines, which leads to more website visitors—an indirect benefit of a press release.

Many sites distribute press releases, with a variety of services and range of prices. To get you started, here are three such sites: http://www.prlog.org/, http://www.prweb.com, http://www.prnewswire.com.

Here’s a handy chart of steps in creating a press release:
http://www.online-pr.com/newsrls.htm

3 Challenges in Using a Press Release

1. Cutting through the clutter. It’s the buzz word these days, “discoverability.” How do people find you? The press release should help, but only if the headline catches attention and pulls in readers. Work hard on these crucial elements.
2. Targeting and distribution. How do you decide on the best category for your press release? Is this related to politics, education, or entertainment? Sometimes, it’s hard to categorize your book and you need multiple press releases, one for each audience or category. Otherwise, target the best you can and just move on.
3. Measuring results. You know that it was seen by 1000 people from the stats provided by the distribution site. But of those 1000, how many read the whole article and how many did what you hoped? (Read or bought your book!) Unknown. When you evaluate distribution services, pay special attention to any analytics or statistics that they offer to evaluate the effectiveness of the press release.

Press releases may feel like a shot in the dark, but it’s a time tested way of getting information to the right people. And a shot that can be the start of a wider distribution than you first expected. Just ask Wilburette--she found a new home on a local farm.


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Darcy Pattison blogs about how-to-write at Fiction Notes.

The First Page

This past weekend, I attended a writer’s workshop where we had a first pages critique session. That’s when an author panel hears the first 200 to 300 words of a manuscript, and then gives feedback to attendees. Basically, what these published experts ask themselves is, “Would I keep reading after this first page?”

You don’t have to write for children to learn a lot from first page critiques. And you don’t have to write a novel, either. Because the point of a first page is always the same: you have to grab your reader right from the very beginning!

Two hundred and fifty words. That’s the average number of words in that first page. Geez, that’s not much. But that’s all that you, the writer, have to grab that editor or agent or publisher before he or she moves on to the next manuscript. So how do you make every word count?

Here are the top suggestions I heard during the critiques, and the discussion that followed:

“You don’t have to explain the whole plot on the first page, but you do have to give an idea of what the story is about.”

Don’t fill up your entire first page with lovely description of your setting. You can weave that lovely description into the plot (what the story is about). Whoever or whatever is mentioned in the first page should be important to your plot (what the story is about). Resist the temptation to throw in anything that doesn’t relate to…yeah, I think you know what’s coming: What the story is about. Which brings me to the next suggestion.

“The voice or the narrator captures the reader’s attention from the get-go. If we don’t know who the protagonist is, we won’t be interested enough to keep reading.”

Your voice must be strong right from the start! Your audience needs to care about what will happen next—and more importantly, who has something at stake in the story. Read a few of the first pages of your favorite novels, or short stories, memoirs or essays so you can see how the writer manages to invest the reader in the story, right from the very beginning.

That’s what you want in your first page. After that, the rest is easy. Well, easier.

Confessions of a Contest Judge

It begins with voice. It reaches out, pulls you in. You feel engaged, intrigued, and, yes, surprised. Regardless of whether or not you like the voice, you trust it. You will follow it anywhere. That’s the way it feels when, in a stack of writing contest entries, I begin reading a winner.

In the eighteen years I have been judging national writing contests, I can tell, from the first page, when an entry is a winner. Suddenly, I am no longer judging the story. I am experiencing it.

John Gardner describes pulling the reader into the writer’s dream. A winning contest entry does that. Some call it a hook, and you would be shocked at how few submissions have one.

Christopher Allan Poe—and yes, he is Edgar’s distant relative—won first place at the Yosemite Writers Conference for his paranormal thriller, The Portal. He describes the importance of the novel’s hook as “fishing for Jaws.”

“We have to fish for readers in the exact same ocean as everyone else,” he says. “If you expect these fish to jump willingly into your schooner, think again. We’re all going to need a bigger boat, or net, or at least better craft.”

That’s what a strong voice does. It hooks. It may be quiet, loud, even rowdy, but you can’t turn away from it.

Most successful entries have high stakes. They aren’t about broken fingernails or daffodils, unless there’s a reason the nails are broken, or there’s something planted under those flowers.

My husband Larry Hill’s literary short story, “Cocido,” about a young man returning to his family restaurant after serving in Iraq, was the winner of New York University’s Goldenberg Award for Fiction (final judge, Gail Godwin). Although I’d like to think that being married to an editor is his secret of success, Larry says you just have to grab your reader.

“You have to hit a nerve,” he says. “You look for relevancy, something that might be on readers’ minds anyway.”

An agent friend puts it this way. “Make us laugh or cry, and we’ll get you a deal. Make us do both, and we’ll get you an auction.” That’s good advice for writing contests too. Here’s something else I never realized until I started judging contests. It’s the little stuff that gets you thrown out.

The Page 142 Syndrome. Your character spends the first 141 pages thinking about his life. If your story really takes off on page 142, start it there.

Researchitis. You’re convinced you must share every smidgeon of information uncovered during research. Researchitis gives you a deadly slow pace—and it gives that contest judge a reason to move on.

Fruitcake. Do you look forward to eating that fruitcake your Aunt Madge brings over every Christmas? Didn’t think so. Is your prose so sweet and rich that it sends readers into overload? If you have large sections of exposition without dialogue, you may be in fruitcake mode.

Final confession. Most entries are submitted too soon. Short stories without a single scene or line of dialogue. Essays so self-obsessed that they must have come from the writers’ journals. You can do better. Take your time.

Author, teacher and public speaker Bonnie Hill worked as a newspaper editor for 22 years, a job that, along with her natural nosiness, increased her interest in contemporary culture. Her novel, Intern wascalled “a page-turner” by Publishers Weekly. Killer Body, a thriller about our weight-obsessed culture, was a Cosmopolitan magazine “pick.” She also wrote three newspaper thrillers featuring hearing-impaired reporter Geri LaRue for MIRA Books, the young adult Star Crossed series, and most recently, Ghost Island, a paranormal love story. Her publication credits include short stories, nonfiction books and articles.

Bonnie's brand new class:

WRITING CONTESTS: THE FOCUSED WAY TO WIN

starts Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

Reserve your spot now by signing up here!

Lessons and Usage of the Dark Mother in Storytelling

Today is Mother’s Day, a day when the general focus is on the loving, nurturing, self sacrificing image of the Good Mother. In literature, this figure provides our story with a sense of balance. She might be the embodiment of wisdom or the unconditional love. We all have our favorite good mother figures; the fairy godmothers, the pure-hearted queens, the women who lead their communities into action or dispense sage advice. But it’s her darker side that you can count on to really get things moving.

The Dark Mother is the bringer of lessons. She provides a catalyst to self discovery by either directly or indirectly challenging the other characters. She assists us in distinguishing between truth and illusion.

Some examples of a dark mother archetype are:

The Absent Mother: Whether not physically present or emotionally unavailable, the absent mother teaches self-reliance by forcing other characters to find their own way.

The Self-Serving Mother: Self absorbed, bitter, selfish, and conniving, the self-serving mother teaches us about boundaries.

The Evil Mother: Violent and hateful, the evil mother plays the role of destroyer but her true lesson is rebirth. In her capable hands egos are broken and heroes emerge.

What are some other attributes/lessons of the Dark Mother?

Who is your favorite dark mother figure?

Share your thoughts with us…and have a happy Mother’s Day!

By Robyn Chausse
Image by LordAlphie

Studying a Market

There’s nothing easy about finding the right publisher for your work, but here are some questions to ask yourself as you look for just the right home for your manuscript.

Ask These Questions as You Study the Catalog:

• How many (romances/mysteries/biographies/fill in your category) do they publish each season? A market listing can include a wide variety of categories, ranging from adventure to fantasy in fiction and from reference to social issues in nonfiction. Although the publishers market listing may show interest in a wide variety of books, study their catalog to see what they have actually been buying. If you have written a biography and they only produce one a year, this doesn’t mean you should scratch this publisher off your list but they probably shouldn’t be your first choice.
• How would you describe this publisher’s taste in books? When I was looking for romance publishers to interview for an article, I noted that some publishers filled their lists with trendy titles teaming with vampires, werewolves and other paranormals. Other publishers wanted only contemporary. Still others featured covers filled with brocade bodices. A publisher who actively avoids trendy titles may be interested in your romance that another editor passed on because all of the characters were human.
• Is the book part of a series or do they publish only stand alone titles? If they go for series, this is a publisher who knows that their readers want to spend time with specific characters through multiple story lines. Conversely, a publisher who only puts out stand alone’s won’t be the best match for your series.
• Did the titles in this publisher’s catalog first appear overseas? Some publishers fill their lists with books that were initially published in another country. You may have to examine the books themselves to puzzle this one out. Look for a translator and check for multiple copyright dates, including some for country specific rights. A publisher who seems like a perfect match, but fills their list with books published first in Australia or Germany probably isn’t your best choice.
• Last but not least, who are this publisher’s authors? If you find numerous authors with only one or two books with this publisher, you have a much better chance of making a sale than if all of the authors have a long list of titles with this house. Also check to see if the authors are celebrities, professionals writing books in their field, debut authors, or award winning authors. Only you know which category you fall into.

Collect this kind of information and maximize your chances of getting a YES on your submission.

–SueBE

Author Sue Bradford Edwards blogs at One Writer's Journey.

Friday Speak Out!: Why I Enjoy Writing, Guest Post by Muddy Kinzer

Why I Enjoy Writing

by Muddy Kinzer

There is a piece of me that is inherently creative. It is not bossy or demanding, like the part of me that insists I exercise whether I want to or not. I don’t have to force it with a sharply pointed stick to motivate it, like the part of me responsible for laundry and clean bathrooms. This part of me is just there, sitting in the middle of the floor of my mind like a giggling toddler that I can’t wait to pick up and play with.

Over the years, my creative outlets have taken different forms. I have a collection of patterned paper, inks, rubber stamps, and multi-colored markers that thrill me whenever I look at them. As a volunteer art teacher, I have spent many a happy hour elbow-deep in chalk pastels, paint, charcoal, and watercolors.

I love them all!

Well, not the set-up, of course. It takes time to pull out all the supplies and even more time to clean up afterwards. Washing out brushes, scrubbing off glue from my kitchen table, mopping up drops of colored paint from the floor... My creative ventures are fulfilling, but they are also events.

But writing—aahhh, writing! Only a computer or a piece of paper and a pencil and I’m good to go.

Writing slides neatly into the small blocks of time that make up my day, and I can do it at home on my computer or anywhere else with my notebook and mechanical pencil. I love writing longhand, in cursive with no abbreviations, forming each rounded letter if the ideas are coming in leisurely, or cutting off the ends of words when I have trouble keeping up. I can write sitting in a chair with my feet on the ground or lying on my stomach on the floor with my feet crossed in the air.

In a pinch, I don’t even need those basic supplies to write. I can ponder, create, tweak, and rewrite all in my head while I do my daily exercise, when I’m driving someone to somewhere, or at night in the period of time between turning out the light and drifting off to sleep. I just have to make sure I remember it long enough to record it.

Writing gives me the freedom to correct mistakes. In life, I can set myself into a tailspin when I say the wrong thing. But in writing, I can erase the offending line or use it as a springboard for further conflict and/or growth. When my characters have an argument and I think of the perfect retort three days later, I can go back and add it in. Life is uncertain: I may have happy endings or I may not. With my characters, I can give them any kind of ending I want.

Whether I’m buzzing with creativity or too tired to get off the couch, whether I’ve had a bad day I need to escape from or a great day I’d like to extend, writing is always there waiting for me.

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After years entrenched in the baby/toddler stages of life, Muddy Kinzer is now realizing there is life after kids! She writes, plays with art, and is still indispensable to her 3 sons because she has a car. When she’s not enjoying the health benefits of good quality dark chocolate, she writes on her blog Muddying the Waters at www.muddyingthewaters.com.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Writing a Marketable Children's Short Story

The children's magazine market is not dead--it's just changing like everything else in publishing. There are more e-zines for children, like Guardian Angel Kids and Knowonder; and even traditional magazines, like Highlights for Children, have a web presence. But one thing that is NOT different is the fact that these editors still need quality and entertaining stories for children that fit their word count, themes, and general overall magazine purpose.

Writing a fiction short story under 1,000 words for a magazine IS NOT THE SAME as writing a picture book. Picture books have the illustrations to help tell the story--as a matter of fact, the text and illustrations should both do about 50 percent of the work in a picture book. However, in a magazine story, the illustrations are there more for decoration and to draw a child to the story--the text has to do most of the work. So, before you write anything, you need to know what you are writing--a fiction short story or a picture book.

Another thing to consider is the types of stories that are in children's magazines. These are generally upbeat with a small, subtle lesson. If you want to write a story about child abuse or runaway children, a short story for a children's magazine is not your venue. And magazine editors get TOO MANY stories about divorce or dealing with a dying parent, grandparent, or pet. Yes, children go through these issues all the time, but writers write about these subjects all the time, too; so stay away from these if you want to write a marketable children's story.

Okay, so I've been writing a lot of DON'Ts so far in this post, so what should you do if you want to write for a children's magazine? (By the way, it is a great way to start out your children's writing career, OR if you have a book published, it's a great way to let children know about you as an author and get a whole NEW audience.) Here are a few tips:

• Read the submission guidelines carefully. (Consider checking them out online AND in The Writer's Market.) Editors will often give tips on what they are looking for or NOT looking for and how to break into the magazine. You also need to pay attention to theme lists and word count. 
• Read past copies of the magazines you are submitting to and/or check out their online archives. Libraries will often have past copies, or you can get a sample copy for a small fee. Once you read some stories in a particular magazine, you will see the style and tone of their fiction. Never, never blindly submit a fiction story to a publication. 
• You have a small amount of words in most cases. Don't put too many characters or subplots in your story. You generally have two or three child characters and one major problem to solve in a short fiction story. Adults should be absent or in the background.
• I've said this before on The Muffin, and I will say it again. The main character needs to be able to solve his or her OWN problem. If he or she can't, then the story will not work.
• Magazines are always in need of humor and stories for boys. Also, many children's magazines like re-tellings of old fables and stories from other cultures.

I've provided a lot of tips here; and if you follow them all, will you produce a marketable children's story? Hopefully! But I can't tell you how many  I have in the files of my computer that will probably never see the pages of a magazine--and  I know the rules. However, my writing would not be where it is today if I would not have written each and every one of those stories. And who knows? Maybe one day, some of them will work their way into the hands of kids. Write the stories in your heart, but keep the publishing rules in mind while you do! 

If you are interested in writing fiction for children's magazines, my online writing for children's magazine class starts on May 24. It's a great introduction to the magazine/e-zine world, and we also talk about writing for parenting and teaching magazines. After all, who buys the books you are writing for children? If you are interested, you can sign up at Writing for Children online class.  The class currently has a $25 discount for spring!

Thanks and happy writing,
Margo L. Dill