THE PRESS RELEASE

     You have probably flipped through the local community section of your paper before and saw a byline or even a half-page announcement with a photo insert of the crazy, shady cat lady down the street. And if that picture caught your eye enough to read the article, you found out crazy, shady cat lady wrote a book about some other crazy, shady cat lady who planted the first begonias in St. Louis or something.

     Even if you didn't buy the book, or check out the copies she donated to your local library, maybe you found out something about crazy shady cat lady that made you think of her in a less dismissive way. Maybe you found out she was a college lit professor or an award-winning botanist and suddenly crazy, shady cat lady is regarded with respect.
     The book itself, probably didn't do well, at least not in your circles, it may have done very well and hold a place of very high esteem among her peers though, which is what she expected--and which is why your book, even if it's an e-book, should be in the paper, too.

                    A press release for an e-book? ARE YOU CRAZY?

   Well, yeah . . . so? It's still a good idea.

    Press release stuff   


    What is really important in your press release is where you're from, how long you've lived there, what school you went to, what neighborhood you live in. You are made of HOMETOWN.
 Of course you'll touch on your book and give a brief description of it, but what really matters here is YOU and your place in your town. Even if you just moved to a new town--especially if you just moved to a new town. As a new face, this will allow people to stop wondering about you and satisfy a lot of curiosity. As an old face in a hometown it may change radically your community's perception of you. (That stoner biker with the beard is an author? Really?) Your paper may even send around a reporter to find out more about you. 

BUT MY BOOK IS ONLY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
   That's okay. Chances are, your paper is on the Internet, too.

    And your local library, with some nudging, may prominently display the article along with an address to your book. 
    When I've mentioned the idea of a press release to others, I got the idea that few took it seriously because it's Kindle. But that perception is incorrect. The Kindle, the e-format, is more than viable, it is prospering. And, it's a forum in which artists are able to reach an audience unhindered by the selective filter of publishing houses. Personally, I have nothing against publishing houses. I greatly admire their quality control when it comes to a product, but their selectiveness is often short-sighted and many who have met with flat rejection from publishing houses have thrived in the e-book environment. The great hurdle, of course, is advertising. However, much in the way writers and artists have used the e-environment to bypass the control of publishing houses, with innovation and collaboration we can, as well, change the model of marketing. 

     The function of your local newspaper is to inform, and you should be part of that, just as much as the crazy, shady cat lady. If you've done your work, dotted your is and crossed your ts, the people who live around you should know about it. You may be surprised how many of them will happily support your efforts.