Author Self Promotion Tip Number 7

Some fun news for a writer friend of mine was an article featured in the McMaster Daily News today. Kim Foottit, author of the story "Walter's Brain" which appears in North of Infinity II, was highlighted in a wonderful article written by Susan Bubak of McMaster Daily News.




Photo by Susan Bubak - McMaster Daily News

The article begins:

"McMaster researcher Walter Wyndham talks to dead people. Wyndham was studying the memories contained within the brains of the dead when one of the brains began communicating with him through his computer. Sound like science fiction? Well, it is." (Read the full article here)

This is a beautiful example of today's author self-promotion tip (which was liberated from the Dean of Canadian Science Fiction and a master of promotion, Robert J. Sawyer) -- Define yourself as a big fish in a small pool. (Read one of the many words wisdom articles offered on Rob's website, a beautiful resources for writers and researchers, here)

Translated, this self-promo tip means that since it's tough to get noticed or featured in places like The New York Times (as a starting or relatively new writer, it's likely you might not be a well-known name -- a huge group of us fit into that category), so having a national or international newspaper, or The Oprah Winfrey Show, for example, take notice of you is a tough thing to do.

But the smaller more local media outlets might be more reachable, and, in many ways, more supportive. Smaller outlets, such as your University, College or High School newsletter, magazine or newspaper are likely to take pride in the publishing achievement of an Alumnus or current student.

Company newsletters also play that same role. Celebrating achievements of employees is a great way to boost morale and highlight the people who make a company excellent.

You'll find a similar sense of pride and support in local community newspapers -- perhaps not the larger print outlets, often owned by out-of-town conglomerates, but the more community-oriented weekly freebees are a good place to start.

This goes not only for the place you live or work now, but places you lived, worked, went to school. (Dan Ackroyd went to Carleton University and was a member of the student theatre group there -- Sock'N'Buskin -- very briefly. Sock'N'Buskin still mentions this today. Why? Pride in the successes of members, students, etc.)

From my own experience, the best support I've gotten for my writer are the media outlets in the home town where I grew up. I grew up just north of Sudbury, and the two newspapers and two radio stations there, as well as the bookstores there, have been tremendously supportive of my writing efforts. When I launched One Hand Screaming at the Sudbury Chapters, for example, both newspapers put half-page articles in the paper, the Chapters staff did a wonderful job of decorating (it was October, and the book being horror fit perfectly) for the book launch and advertising my arrival, and there was actually a line-up of people at the store to get copies of the book signed. The most copies I've ever sold at a single time so far, in fact.

So, congratulations, Kim. You're a brilliant writer, it's great to see you get exposure -hopefully more people will get a chance to read your wonderfully touching story and discover your brilliance for themselves.

Oh, and Kim, have you contacted your hometown newspaper yet to let them know about this achivement? What about the McMaster Alumni magazine?