tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38733100347921804342024-03-19T03:48:30.508-05:00Phenix & Phenix Literary PublicistsPhenix & Phenix Literary Publicists is a full-service literary publicity firm that specializes in serving the unique publicity needs of authors and major publishing houses. Founded in 1994, P&P has publicized 33 bestsellers and has implemented successful publicity campaigns for books across every major genre. Visit us at: www.phenixpublicity.comRusty Shelton - Managing Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05242193991444737105noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-88806205520655095592009-09-08T08:32:00.007-05:002009-09-08T08:45:07.074-05:00Hey readers...<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Our blog has a new home! Head on over to <a href="http://phenixpublicity.com/blog">http://phenixpublicity.com/blog</a> to keep reading.</span><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Stephanie Ridge - Mgr. Media Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918144827219115167noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-79307503165564753792009-09-04T10:37:00.005-05:002009-09-04T12:15:01.000-05:00Hearing Critics...But Staying Focused<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGlB4goiT8qAGN8q1m0HOjq63-dVlCb8OkE9CiMrND8TcOKxChhgvXL8PuQ9vcj5TtnkK7lf28bwprWi8KMwFMjDYtwgHsW60rXECuk3mWGtEHYuyciXC6m7JWS2zJSaLtdJi6IpjVhr1/s1600-h/kick+butt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 103px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGlB4goiT8qAGN8q1m0HOjq63-dVlCb8OkE9CiMrND8TcOKxChhgvXL8PuQ9vcj5TtnkK7lf28bwprWi8KMwFMjDYtwgHsW60rXECuk3mWGtEHYuyciXC6m7JWS2zJSaLtdJi6IpjVhr1/s400/kick+butt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377659667460430226" border="0" /></a><br />My friend <a href="http://scottjeffrey.com/">Scott Jeffrey</a> has a great post on his blog today titled "<a href="http://scottjeffrey.com/2009/09/literary-opinions/">Ignore the Critics</a>" where he lays out eleven highly successful books next to a dissenting opinion from a critic.<br /><br />For example:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Manuscript</span>: <a name="evtst|a|0553296981" href="http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Frank-Diary-Young-Girl/dp/0553296981%3FSubscriptionId%3D02E5W5871AJF7PMMMS82%26tag%3Dscottjeffreyc-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0553296981" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/http://www.amazon.com/Anne-Frank-Diary-Young-Girl/dp/0553296981%3FSubscriptionId%3D02E5W5871AJF7PMMMS82%26tag%3Dscottjeffreyc-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0553296981');">Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl</a> by Anne Frank<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Literary Opinion</span>: “The girl doesn’t, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that book above the ‘curiosity’ level.”</blockquote>Oops.<br /><br />Beyond the novelty of reading through dissenting literary opinions on some of the greatest literary works of our time, Scott's blog post makes a very important point about how focused we have to be in today's "everyone is a critic" atmosphere.<br /><br />Reviews aren't just for authors anymore. Sites likes Yelp.com, blogs, Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and other social media platforms make it possible for readers, customers, competitors, even friends, to post an opinion on anything from coffee shops to books to passers-by.<br /><br />The anonymous nature of many internet reviews can lead people to be much more scornful with comments than they would dream to be in person. Such reviews often have a domino effect when the <span style="font-style: italic;">reviewed</span> read them and let themselves react emotionally. The often out-of-line response then becomes the story rather than the product or service that the review was about.<br /><br />The power-to-the-people aspect of social media is what we love about it, but it also presents some challenges to our psyche.<br /><br />When you hear criticism of your book, your speaking, your publicity work, your job, etc...what is your first instinct?<br /><br />Do you take it personally and get defensive or do you hear the opinion and remain confident in yourself?<br /><br />Let me give you an example of someone who was pointedly criticized, responded gracefully but remained confident in the face of that criticism.<br /><br /><a href="http://kickbuttcoffee.com/">Kick Butt Coffee</a> is a new coffee shop in Austin, TX. As many of you know, our city is known for it's "Keep Austin Weird" vibe and this coffee shop--complete with live music, mocha martinis, martial arts decor and offer on its website to "<a href="http://kickbuttcoffee.com/2008/black-eye-flat-2.jpg">get a black eye next time you visit</a>"--is everything but run of the mill.<br /><br />The owner, <span class="style62"><a href="http://twitter.com/mastergohring">Thomas R. Gohring</a>, </span>decided that if he was going to stand out from the crowd in a city full of stand-out acts, he had to be different.<br /><br />Gohring's Kick Butt Coffee has generated mostly <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/kick-butt-coffee-austin">positive reviews</a> on <a href="http://yelp.com/">Yelp.com</a>, with many customers calling it their favorite coffee house in Austin. However, like anything that is out of the ordinary, the coffee shop has also had a couple sub-par reviews.<br /><br />A recent <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/kick-butt-coffee-triangle-austin#hrid:b9qHkp8weY2WxjtGPskdIg">review</a>, from Ellyn E. called it "her worst coffee house experience ever," before saying the "insanely loud horrible grunge band" drove her and other customers away. She also cracks on the Americano.<br /><br />Put yourself in Gohring's shoes for a minute...you've invested in a new coffee shop--in the midst of a recession--and someone has written a biting review, where they seem to go out of their way to be a bit dramatic about the (bad) experience. It would be easy to respond with a "you don't know what you're talking about" tone or even question your own logic in including live music at your coffee shop.<br /><br />But Gohring does neither. Here's his response:<br /><blockquote>"Ellyn...sorry to hear you had a bad experience at our new shop. The bands myspace music samples are nice and not too loud. I will address this with them. We are known as a huge supporter of local musicians, live music venue at night. But it is not a good thing for customers to leave because of the music. I appreciate you bringing that to my attention. I am surprised about the americano. Sorry yours wasn't to your satisfaction. (Update, even though it is brand new the decaf grinder's burrs were bad.) The flat screens are my idea, sorry you didn't like it."</blockquote>He acknowledges the issues that can be improved and lets the customer know he appreciates her feedback, but remains confident in the vision he has for his coffee shop.<br /><br />We need to do the same thing with online chatter. You have to hear it and, at times, respond to it, but you certainly don't have to let it get you off track and you <span style="font-weight: bold;">never</span> have to respond emotionally.<br /><br />Stay focused and above the fray and let your idea...your book...your service...whatever it may be...make the impact you meant it to make.Rusty Shelton - Managing Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05242193991444737105noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-36887867212071964152009-08-27T09:16:00.009-05:002009-08-27T09:52:19.247-05:00ANNOUNCING: Winners of the Social Lives book giveaway!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38Eouk8x9CayZB6516zsVq8Qh552GTrd24hyphenhyphenb6OwJTeXRihyphenhyphenNqryTJSVWcRJ82nHC0Jh8JD8rVnWz22iC4IuBqJc8lsSptiKu9koagRXQvD5GMz1wC-YyjRF1X0QzyVaWpKMpGAVc4Ts/s1600-h/Social+Lives.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38Eouk8x9CayZB6516zsVq8Qh552GTrd24hyphenhyphenb6OwJTeXRihyphenhyphenNqryTJSVWcRJ82nHC0Jh8JD8rVnWz22iC4IuBqJc8lsSptiKu9koagRXQvD5GMz1wC-YyjRF1X0QzyVaWpKMpGAVc4Ts/s800/Social+Lives.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374649774854719922" border="0" /></a>And the big winners of our free giveaway for Wendy Walker's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Social-Lives-Wendy-Walker/dp/0312378165/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251383660&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Social Lives</span></a> is ......(drumroll please)....<br /><br /><a href="http://evidenceofanartisticlife.blogspot.com/">Evidence of An Artistic Life</a>! (At least, that is what her blog name is!)<br /><br />AND<br /><br />Melissa from <a href="http://www.frugalcreativity.com/">Frugal Creativity</a>!<br /><br />Congratulations, ladies!<br /><br />And to all those that didn't win: fear not, we're doing ANOTHER book giveaway next month for an amazing memoir, <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Halfway-Each-Other-Brought-Family/dp/0824947800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251383374&sr=8-1">Halfway to Each Other</a>. (Amazon says it pubs Sept. 1, but it actually pubs Sept. 25). It's received early raves <a href="http://reesspace.blogspot.com/2009/08/amateur-book-review-halfway-to-each.html">here</a>, <a href="http://mammaliciousfinds.blogspot.com/2009/08/halfway-to-each-other.html">here</a>, <a href="http://workinggirlreviews.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/book-review-halfway-to-each-other-by-susan-pohlman/">here</a>, and also <a href="http://anovelmind.com/halfway-to-each-other/">here</a>.<br /><br />Back to <span style="font-style: italic;">Social Lives</span> for a moment. As Glamour.com's <a href="http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/little-miss-fortune/2009/08/a-recession-themed-book-youll.html">Little Miss Fortune wrote about it the other day</a>, "recession lit" - a.k.a books like <span style="font-style: italic;">Social Lives, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Pinchers-Club-Sarah-Strohmeyer/dp/0525951172/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251383898&sr=8-1">The Penny Pinchers Club</a></span>, et. al - represent a departure for women's fiction from the credit card-wielding, clackety-clack high heeled heroines of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Harry-Winston-Lauren-Weisberger/dp/0743290127/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251383979&sr=1-1">Chasing Harry Winston</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Shopaholic-Movie-Sophie-Kinsella/dp/0440244870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251383998&sr=1-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Confessions of a Shopaholic</span>.</a> Little Miss Fortune described recession lit as "a new type of chick-friendly fiction packed with characters who are dealing with the reality of today’s economy." Her readers weighed in on this trend, and had lots of <a href="http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/blogs/little-miss-fortune/2009/08/a-recession-themed-book-youll.html#commentAnchor_glamour_1000000000165426">interesting thoughts</a>. Like this one:<br /><br />"This sounds right up my alley. I've given up reading the sort of rich-bitch-socialite-professional-arm-candy books because I keep wanting to slap those fluttery tweety birds. But a-hah! Recession Lit! Yes to that- gimme some realism!" -spikesnsilk<span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-size:85%;">(awesome commenter name)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So we want to know, P&P blog readers: What do <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> think about recession lit?</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Intrigued? Tell us in the comment section.</span><br /><br />And while you think about it, have a gander at the new book trailer for <span style="font-style: italic;">Social Lives</span>!<br /><br /><center><object width="280" height="95"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vrt21GZiS0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4vrt21GZiS0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></center>Tolly Moseley - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08910014878872511116noreply@blogger.com81tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-78612910317946046432009-08-27T08:00:00.002-05:002009-08-27T08:17:57.097-05:00What your publicist wants you to knowI chatted with a few friendly book publicists yesterday about what works best when it comes to the author-publicist relationship. Here are five simple pointers to get you started.<br /><br />1. First things first, <span style="font-style: italic;">talk strategy</span>. It's a good idea to start with a timeline for the campaign, a defined target audience and set expectations. Sure, dream big, but remember, Oprah isn't for everyone. If you've watched her recently, you already know she tends to be celebrity-driven. So unless that's you, be realistic in your goal-setting. Rely on your publicist to steer you to your target audience through the most appropriate media channels (even, gasp, new media!) and trust their expertise.Speaking of new media, consider outside-the-box marketing ideas that go beyond traditional publicity. Twitter is one platform many authors are using to creatively network with potential readers, and they're rolling out ultra-savvy campaigns that spur traditional media. This P&P client landed coverage on <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/08/is-giving-away-a-bundle-of-kindles-brilliant-or-a-gimmick.html">Jacket Copy</a>, the <span style="font-style: italic;">L.A. Times</span> book blog, for her Twitter Kindle giveaway aimed at promoting her upcoming book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-True-Voices-Cancer-Survivors/dp/0765317788"><span style="font-style: italic;">Perseverance</span></a>.<br /><br />2. When it comes to<span style="font-style: italic;"> the "influencer" mailing</span> - you know, all those celebs who "need" your book? - don't leave it to your publicist. That's an ideal project for your assistant, an intern, or even yourself, if you have the time. Allow your publicist to spend her/his time working directly with media, rather than on those media big mouths who may or may not be interested.<br /><br />3. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hey, fill us in</span>. We need professional (and recent!) <a href="http://phenixpublicity.blogspot.com/2009/01/author-headshot-lets-discuss.html">headshots</a>, your contact information, and everything that will help us understand how you climbed the ladder to budding author/aspiring artist/sought-after expert. Aside from what we can learn about you on our own and from the book itself, what's your story? We'll be asked, so the more we know about you, the more equipped we are to respond appropriately. Be willing to do some homework like writing contributed pieces, maintaining a blog, and utilizing Twitter.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-style: italic;">Communicate. </span>If you're not an email person, tell us. Be clear about that early on. I recently dusted off my faxing skills for a client who is still holding out on a home computer. Missed interview opportunities are unfortunate and can be avoided if your communication mode is defined, efficient and most importantly, two-way. Some authors are missing the boat by being unavailable or too selective when it comes to early morning or late night interviews and market size. Allow your publicist to filter the best requests to you.<br /><br />5. In keeping with solid communication, also<span style="font-style: italic;"> trust</span> that your publicist is working on your behalf even when you aren't calling them anxiously. So relax when activity seems to have slowed. Becoming a media starlet or hitting bestseller status isn't an overnight process. An over-eager author can bog down the process when they blow up the phones, duplicate media contact efforts or email assault the publicist. Your publicist can devote several hours a week to crafting lengthy emails that allay your fears... or he/she can be a better steward of that time, using it to pitch media. It's up to you. Stay informed by establishing an efficient reporting method with your publicist so can be sure you are receiving regular, detailed updates.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Think positive. Be creative, accessible, resourceful. And have fun!</span>Stephanie Ridge - Mgr. Media Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918144827219115167noreply@blogger.com86tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-77420254951041609122009-08-24T17:18:00.003-05:002009-08-24T17:45:33.454-05:00Monday web roundup<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cacurrie%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cacurrie%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cacurrie%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> 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{mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]-->Here’s a roundup of book news to get your week started off write--I mean, right:
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<br />--Apparently Agatha Christie and Quentin Tarantino have <a href="http://shelf-life.ew.com/2009/08/24/new-agatha-christie-story-secret-inspiration-for-inglourious-basterds/">something in common</a>. Who knew?
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<br />--Also, what do the <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6807245.ece">Lockerbie bomber</a>, <a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/erbe/2009/08/13/cheneys-tell-all-book-to-take-a-shot-at-bush-for-softening-up.html">Dick Cheney</a>, <a href="http://www.prefixmag.com/news/janet-jackson-writing-tell-all-book/32078/">Janet Jackson</a> and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082103880.html?hpid=moreheadlines">Tom Ridge</a> have in common? They’re all penning tell-all books.
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<br />--Oh, and <a href="http://gawker.com/5344512/this-is-whats-on-dick-cheneys-bookshelf">this</a> is what’s on Dick Cheney’s bookshelf.
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<br />--Director Peter Jackson explains how he adapted the book <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lovely Bones</span> to film in this short <a href="http://io9.com/5343938/peter-jackson-explains-how-to-make-murder-beautiful">featurette</a>.
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<br />--And I don’t think the president will have much time to enjoy Martha’s Vineyard if he actually reads everything on this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/24/obama-vacation-the-presid_n_267218.html">reading list</a> for the week. What, no <span style="font-style: italic;">Julie & Julia</span>?
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<br />--Would you watch an “Antiques Roadshow” <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/08/an-antiques-roadshow-for-books.html">for books</a>? I don't know if I could handle all the excitement.
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<br />--Elisabeth Gilbert talks to the <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32507212/ns/today-the_new_york_times/"><span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span></a> about the anxiety she felt writing the follow up to <span style="font-style: italic;">Eat, Pray, Love</span>.
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<br />--And finally, with all the vampire lore out there in the literary realm, I guess it had to happen: <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight</span> author Stephenie Meyer is <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE57J5PN20090820">being sued</a> for copyright infringement.
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<br />Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-55512619530041164892009-08-21T10:32:00.011-05:002009-08-21T10:58:14.317-05:00Ad hero, Emu & You: Stretching Creativity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nxpu8NCef_E/So6_tevMu_I/AAAAAAAAABg/Au5Ls0HIZOI/s1600-h/James_Web_Young.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 184px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nxpu8NCef_E/So6_tevMu_I/AAAAAAAAABg/Au5Ls0HIZOI/s320/James_Web_Young.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372442193565629426" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You can’t blame an advertising major for wanting to quote an ad giant. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">At some point in my educational career, I was told the quote, “To be interesting, you must first be interested.” I’ve always attributed the spark of brilliance to James Webb Young, an ad hero and author of the essential guide, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Technique-Producing-Ideas-James-Young/dp/0844230006"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Technique for Producing Ideas</span>.</a> True or not, it sounds like something he’d say.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In his book, Young talks about great creative people being intrigued by the world around them. How great visionaries seek out random info about a variety of topics. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Are you curious about hairless emus?</span> Then read about them. Do you want to be able to name significant Roman generals? Study ancient battles. (Or sleep with the history channel blaring in the </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">background) Young encourages people to delve deeply into areas that may not seem relevant to what they do. Why? <span style="font-weight: bold;">Because a wide knowledge enables engaged, inquisitive people to see relationships that others might not.</span> For example, the creative team</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> who wrote this ad took two completely separate objects—a vacuum and a plane—recognized </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">a connection, and perfectly communicated the message.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nxpu8NCef_E/So6_2OUVi6I/AAAAAAAAABo/4_3gE6OermM/s1600-h/HooverBETTER.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 410px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nxpu8NCef_E/So6_2OUVi6I/AAAAAAAAABo/4_3gE6OermM/s320/HooverBETTER.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372442343776816034" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />What does this have to do with PR?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">PR is the work of <span style="font-weight: bold;">relationships</span>. Publicists to media contacts, authors to audiences, authors to media, the combinations are endless. What if instead of seeing possibilities through objects, we saw <span style="font-weight: bold;">possibilities through people</span>? Authors should stretch their bounds in terms of who they are having conversations with. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Fellow Twitter-ers, have you ever had that moment where you are on the page of a new follower and you’re scanning their Tweets, evaluating as you read? I do. I’ll admit it. I go through and think, is this relevant to me? </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What if instead of asking ourselves if it’s relevant, we open ourselves to the new knowledge we might gain? Even if it’s out of our normal realm of </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tweets. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To be interesting, you must first be interested. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In our media training, we talk about social media in terms of involvement. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Participation</span>. Being interested not in who is following you, but interested in those you follow. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Let’s step outside of social media. Authors should stretch themselves in how they position their books. <span style="font-weight: bold;">See the unexpected relationships</span>. Who can you talk to? Who can you get to listen to your book outside of your initially chosen audience? Where can you read? What cause/group can you connect with that will greater push the distribution of your message?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Example: If you wrote a children’s story about a lost mitten, go read while organizing a clothes drive. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I recently attended an Austin <a href="http://www.awcaustin.org/">Association for Women in Communication</a>’s luncheon. In a discussion on leadership, the speaker used a word I wasn’t expecting. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Service</span>. Authors, consider these questions. How can you demonstrate that your book cares about someone else & is cognizant of someone else’s issues? How does your book engage in your community? Is it based on your hometown? Is it about a group of people you met in your community? How do you and your book serve?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Don’t just entertain. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Listen. Respond. Help.</span> This is advice we should all heed, myself included. After all, as JWY may or may not have said, “To be interesting, you first must be interested."<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nxpu8NCef_E/So7AA30cfhI/AAAAAAAAABw/EOhl-i4sh00/s1600-h/Emu+smile.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 290px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nxpu8NCef_E/So7AA30cfhI/AAAAAAAAABw/EOhl-i4sh00/s320/Emu+smile.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372442526716034578" border="0" /></a>Kelly Stonebockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06147283790246388335noreply@blogger.com212tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-68139326592559927472009-08-19T12:31:00.006-05:002009-08-19T13:15:38.426-05:00BOOK GIVEAWAY: Kick off your Manolos, dig into recession lit with "Social Lives"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61CQoqBNqP1sOglrlMjsjdb1X6mPhpfnv79YssgK9PX2F_xi_aptzrcQDZiy7AxbaBmUxR_L2DYCRdA2Z2hr3F3RdgjLOEmzt0dkA3yO_nmoJJxIfltOqUQWlPPzTg5ns05-MBVcwOPs/s1600-h/Social+Lives.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg61CQoqBNqP1sOglrlMjsjdb1X6mPhpfnv79YssgK9PX2F_xi_aptzrcQDZiy7AxbaBmUxR_L2DYCRdA2Z2hr3F3RdgjLOEmzt0dkA3yO_nmoJJxIfltOqUQWlPPzTg5ns05-MBVcwOPs/s400/Social+Lives.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371733626479166738" border="0" /></a>Last week, Ruth La Ferla's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/fashion/13CHICK.html?_r=2">eloquent piece in the Style section of <span style="font-style: italic;">The New York Times</span></a> forecast a new trend for women's fiction: "recession lit." "Once unabashedly focused on the perks of wealth and fame, this spate of new fiction is tackling the recession and its attendant woes," wrote La Ferla. In the story, she quoted this section from <span style="font-style: italic;">Social Lives</span>, a novel coming next month by our client Wendy Walker.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“There was little equity in the house after the loan for the new wing they’d put on last year, and the severe drop in the housing market,” she frets. “Nothing remained in the checking account beyond what was needed to pay the bills.”</span><br /><br />Can you relate, dear Reader?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/authors/novelist_wendy_walker_on_recession_lit_124413.asp">GalleyCat interviewed Wendy last Friday</a> about the new economic reality facing women's fiction. Specifically, they asked her about the experience of publishing exactly two novels that focus on women in wealthy communities: one pre-recession (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Four-Wives-Wendy-Walker/dp/0312367724/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250704621&sr=8-1">Four Wives</a>), and one mid-recession (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Social-Lives-Wendy-Walker/dp/0312378165/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250704640&sr=1-1">Social Lives</a>). From <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b57850cc-8874-11de-82e4-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2Fb57850cc-8874-11de-82e4-00144feabdc0.html&_i_referer=">Financial Times</a> onward, everyone in the publishing industry - as well as those who make the the publishing industry possible, readers - are keeping an eye out for writers and books that grapple with the tightened purses of our times. Call it the Age of Recess.<br /><br />Because we here at P&P are taking the recession lit trend as seriously as anyone, we thought we'd offer something to our plucky readers who could use a little freebie. A moment of escapism while you ignore your 401K, browse online sales, and brew coffee at home! See how the once very, very privileged ladies of Wilshire are navigating the recession waters, in particular Jacqueline Halstead's husband, whose hedge fund husband is being investigated for fraud. (Read Wendy's blog post - and a very moving reader comment - about her character Jacqueline <a href="http://wendywalkerbooks.com/2009/08/the-new-york-times-and-social-lives/">here</a>).<br /><br />We'll select two winners for this book giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment below, and don't forget to include your email address so we can notify you. Contest closes next Wednesday!<br /><br /><br /><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content"></span></span>Tolly Moseley - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08910014878872511116noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-21131379649220912842009-08-17T17:32:00.005-05:002009-08-17T17:40:52.674-05:00Twitter giveaway – Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBRCvRo7dl_iONNRR01gBs6vFCHdADoR0V33WQnXxoZ6997pr6VIPreSHiMsBBwAJh6E-zORkerc1tHAnN21OlAzLc7ijPAzLZvHWpO0jrmtU_qvBpixTJ8tZGFfEN-zjPGiZCKuxKIvL/s1600-h/Perseverance+book+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBRCvRo7dl_iONNRR01gBs6vFCHdADoR0V33WQnXxoZ6997pr6VIPreSHiMsBBwAJh6E-zORkerc1tHAnN21OlAzLc7ijPAzLZvHWpO0jrmtU_qvBpixTJ8tZGFfEN-zjPGiZCKuxKIvL/s320/Perseverance+book+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371065377034774674" border="0" /></a>Tomorrow marks the release of Carolyn Rubenstein’s new book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Perseverance: True Voices of Cancer Survivors</span>, which shares the stories of 20 young people who exemplify success in the face of adversity, and the life lessons Carolyn learned from these brave survivors.<br /><br />The author has decided to celebrate with readers by giving away four <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Original-Wireless-generation/dp/B000FI73MA">Kindle</a> wireless reading devices via Twitter Tuesday, August 18, through Friday, August 21. To enter, simply include the hashtag <span style="font-weight: bold;">#perseverance</span> in ONE tweet ONE time during the contest timeframe. A winner will be randomly selected each contest day and will be notified of their Kindle prize in a Twitter direct message. If you still have questions, <a href="http://carolynrubenstein.com/2009/08/twitter-giveaway">visit her blog</a> for complete contest rules.<br /><br />Carolyn will appear on the NBC’s “The Today Show” on August 31 to discuss <span style="font-style: italic;">Perseverance </span>and to mark the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September). She is a featured blogger for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-rubenstein">The Huffington Post</a> and <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bloggers/carolyn-rubenstein">Psychology Today.com</a>.Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-3640404651696112952009-08-14T09:49:00.003-05:002009-08-14T10:06:42.151-05:00#FollowFriday: Blog EditionI'm a big fan of <a href="http://www.helium.com/items/1395792-what-is-follow-friday">#FollowFriday</a> on <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a>. It's a great chance to give shout-outs to friends and colleagues, while also building new relationships.<br /><br />I think FollowFriday also works for blogs, so today I'm going to recommend a few smart blogs I think you should be following:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://yodiwan.wordpress.com/">The Book Publicity Blog</a> -- Ok, if you read our blog you're probably already following this one but it's a must-read for publicity types.<br /></li><li><a href="http://scottjeffrey.com/">Enlightened Business</a> -- Scott Jeffrey consistently provides smart tips, resources and ideas for creative professionals</li><li><a href="http://www.lisatener.com/blog/">Lisa Tener's Writing Blog</a> -- Wondering how to find an agent? Need help with your proposal? Working on an internet platform? Lisa's your coach. </li><li><a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/">Michael Hyatt's Blog</a> -- Mike's blog gets plenty of good publicity because he's earned it with quality content. A must for leaders in the publishing industry and beyond.</li><li><a href="http://bookpros.blogspot.com/">BookPros[e] </a>-- Everything from distribution info to how to use quotation marks correctly.</li><li><a href="http://booksblog.guidelive.com/">Texas Pages Blog</a> -- Michael Merschel is one of the best book review editors in the country and does a fabulous job of providing Texas literary content here. </li><li><a href="http://followthereader.wordpress.com/">Follow The Reader</a> -- We love NetGalley and the many cool things they do, including this blog. </li><li><a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/">GalleyCat</a> -- This is my favorite publishing industry blog--Jason and Ron do a tremendous job day in and day out.<br /></li><li><a href="http://wklondon.typepad.com/">Welcome to Optimism</a> -- This is my wild card pick. W+K is leading ad agency and this is their UK blog. Great insight into the creative process. I'm a huge fan. </li></ul>Rusty Shelton - Managing Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05242193991444737105noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-68147192994571477812009-08-10T17:18:00.006-05:002009-08-10T17:32:48.577-05:00From book to film<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWG2l6dbPEae5oJnEgo0tIpk9z06Q_tlzJ2Eq9UMxoCjqFVm9POCJu8wBDUCXFArezQgcPBD15ipmnAsqR9yUd-Oa3StR-5lXQPWHSj5MrrX_RaLTFd824I28lTr3S8paMbGtKeyeobbJ/s1600-h/where_the_wild_things_are_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWG2l6dbPEae5oJnEgo0tIpk9z06Q_tlzJ2Eq9UMxoCjqFVm9POCJu8wBDUCXFArezQgcPBD15ipmnAsqR9yUd-Oa3StR-5lXQPWHSj5MrrX_RaLTFd824I28lTr3S8paMbGtKeyeobbJ/s320/where_the_wild_things_are_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368465742443435282" border="0" /></a>Lots of literature on the silver screen this year—here are some of the latest book-to-film tidbits:<br /><br /><ul><li>Julia Child’s famous cookbook, <span style="font-style: italic;">Mastering the Art of French Cooking</span>, has shot back to the <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/bookroom/2009/08/julia_outselling_julie.html">bestseller list</a> some 50 years after first being published. The film “Julie & Julia” reached #2 at the weekend box office.</li></ul><br /><ul><li>For all the romance lovers out there, “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” based on the bestselling novel by Audrey Niffenegger, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movies/the-time-travelers-wife,1145902.html">hits box offices</a> this weekend. (This means you male moviegoers who dragged your significant other to “G.I. Joe” last week have some payback coming. And his name is Eric Bana.)</li></ul><br /><ul><li>A new <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFDcaTI0cl8">trailer</a> has been released for director Spike Jonze’s interpretation of <span style="font-style: italic;">Where the Wild Things Are</span>. Personally, can’t wait to see this one! Less CGI, more monster suits, I say.</li></ul><br /><ul><li>Have you seen the new trailer for the <a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/small.html">adaptation of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lovely Bones</span></a>? It’s directed by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings notoriety, who introduces the trailer. If you ask me, any work of literature is safe in his hands.<br /></li></ul><br /><ul><li>Speaking of Peter Jackson, he <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/07/comiccon-peter-jackson-says-a-script-for-the-hobbit-is-34-weeks-away.html">updated fans</a> on the status of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hobbit</span> film at this year’s Comic Con. (It’s not quite green-lit, but the book will be translated into two films.)</li></ul><br /><ul><li>And the folks at <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/bookselling/julia_roberts_at_brooklyn_bookstore_123969.asp">GalleyCat</a> report that Julia Roberts was seen at a Brooklyn bookstore yesterday filming scenes for the upcoming adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, <span style="font-style: italic;">Eat, Pray, Love</span>.</li></ul>Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-78981467375961161932009-08-07T11:25:00.005-05:002009-08-07T11:52:01.848-05:00Join P&P's web design team<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OvboVMLtZgmkZgiNFPSniLXerdZxvJPPGtXNx3-fhCdNoxjzkghCE_O6zYHC3Z2u0ui9B56WLfmKeTPy4IruTJ0PU_-tpkWqLosYM5H4ttFlhuw6kEKXV9gnFeWs57fHhj1rfD54kEYv/s1600-h/pnp2-header.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OvboVMLtZgmkZgiNFPSniLXerdZxvJPPGtXNx3-fhCdNoxjzkghCE_O6zYHC3Z2u0ui9B56WLfmKeTPy4IruTJ0PU_-tpkWqLosYM5H4ttFlhuw6kEKXV9gnFeWs57fHhj1rfD54kEYv/s400/pnp2-header.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367264742953141714" border="0" /></a><br />It's time.<br /><br />Actually, the time passed a year or two ago. Time for a new <a href="http://phenixpublicity.com/">website</a> for Phenix & Phenix.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />We talk to clients until we are blue in the face about the fabulous benefits of building their sites on a social media-friendly platform and it's time for us to make the jump as well.<br /><br />Luckily, we're <span style="font-style: italic;">almost</span> finished building a new one.<br /><br />That's where you come in. We're looking to our friends, clients, media contacts and other colleagues to let us know what you would like to see from a P&P website. Here's a taste of what's coming:<br /><br />A blog hosted on our actual website? Check.<br /><br />A "why you should visit us in Austin" page? Check.<br /><br />Significantly upgraded online press rooms for each client? Check.<br /><br />Video content from great potential guests? Check.<br /><br />The ability to easily share content? Check.<br /><br />Moderately cheesy head shots from our staff? Check.<br /><br />Case studies, praise and other background on P&P's 15 year history? Check.<br /><br />The ability to opt-in to a monthly email regarding potential guests/sources for your newspaper, radio show, blog, TV program, etc.? Check.<br /><br />We're interested in hearing from you as we put the finishing touches on our new site--what would you like to see from P&P?<br /><br />How can we provide the resources, information and tools through our website to make it as effective as possible for you?<br /><br />Let us know by posting a comment or emailing me at rshelton@phenixpublicity.com. If it is a cool idea, we'll publicly credit you as a member of the P&P web design team on <a href="http://twitter.com/phenixandphenix">Twitter</a>.Rusty Shelton - Managing Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05242193991444737105noreply@blogger.com121tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-91704281193992382862009-08-06T18:16:00.011-05:002009-08-07T08:05:37.967-05:00Biting the hand that feeds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Julia-Year-Cooking-Dangerously/dp/0316013269"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUFi0DmfK3vMfSceJjNCR0Cdr-_UXerDvfO3PkvsdSDFodEwKtToLP6oaHToNXlGrloHfksTE30UYGn99ntJGFGmF8-yh7wgx4BcNR8b8YhBvR0DYM_7NYauimSzay-KI2AZKFM8ey-9S/s320/517FSfc9SaL._SS500_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366997481390793490" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">***This post is written by Kelly Stonebock, new publicist at P&P.</span>
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >
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line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;">Curious indeed. While perusing Twitter, I stumbled upon this <a href="http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-08-01/webextra15.php"><i style="">Texas Monthly</i> article</a> with native Austinite author Julie Powell. The film adaptation of Powell’s book <i style="">Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously</i>, starring Meryl Streep, releases tomorrow. While reading, I was stopped dead in my tracks at the following Q & A:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size:10;">TM: I noticed you stopped posting on Twitter. Why did you stop tweeting? </span></strong><span style="font-size:10;">
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<br /><i style="">When someone asks me about Twitter, I feel like I’m 82 years old. I stopped tweeting—I was actually given a gag order on the tweeting—because Sony Pictures wanted to handle the whole advertising tweet campaign, and, you know, Twitter is such a promotional tool which is exactly what I don’t like about it. I mean, I love Facebook. I’ll Facebook all day, but Twitter to me feels much more corporate, and I’m not that interested, so when they told me I couldn’t twitter, I was like, happy to not do it.</i><o:p></o:p>
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;">My jaw remained agape for a moment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>To a certain extent, I understand. Sony wants an aggressive Twitter campaign. Ok. I can handle that. But for an author to relinquish ownership of her own personal brand— herself as an author, a cook, a normal person —astounds me. My mind flashed to a childhood memory of twisting plastic, rigid Barbie doll arms to position them as I wanted. It seems manipulative. It seems deceiving. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>It seems common. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>Yes, this Pollyanna realizes that there are celebrity Twitter accounts where corporate puppeteers feed us our required 140 characters hourly. I get that. But what those suits (who undoubtedly smile maniacally in their swivel chairs at misleading the public) don’t realize is that <u>they’re not using Twitter as effectively as they could for their clients</u>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>Twitter allows for a conversation. It humanizes what could very well just be a name on a book cover to a dynamic, engaging person to which other people can relate and connect.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>It’s microblogging. It does most things that a blog can do. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>I’m shocked that Julie is apathetic. She paid attention when blogging became relevant. And good thing she did,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;">
<br /><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p>it got her a book deal and a major motion picture.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; font-family: georgia;">
<br /></p><span style="font-family:georgia;">
<br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/videoplayer/aolbc/ExternalAd.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/APIModules_all.js"></script><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></script><object id="myExperience" class="BrightcoveExperience"><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"><param name="width" value="400"><param name="height" value="346"><param name="playerID" value="10035501001"><param name="publisherID" value="1612833736"><param name="isVid" value="true"><param name="autoStart" value="false"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="@videoPlayer" value="21404891001"></object><script type="text/javascript" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/videoplayer/aolbc/ExternalAd.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/APIModules_all.js"></script><script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript" src="http://admin.brightcove.com/js/BrightcoveExperiences.js"></script>Shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08912735062120082561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-67071853791084054502009-08-05T14:50:00.017-05:002009-08-06T14:43:48.210-05:00Good reads<span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">his afternoon, a change of pace: a few of our recommended reads this Summer.<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/Snn1yumySMI/AAAAAAAAB5k/4jB-p85_RPA/s1600-h/In+defense.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/Snn1yumySMI/AAAAAAAAB5k/4jB-p85_RPA/s200/In+defense.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366590682841630914" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tolly:</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/0143114964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249504656&sr=8-1"> <span style="font-style: italic;">In Defense of Food</span></a>! I was inspired to read it after seeing "Food, Inc.," which released a few weeks ago. Michael Pollan does such a great job of restoring the relationship between food and people: I can't stop thinking about this one line where he's talking about a berry ("so this berry walks into a bar"....heh), saying it tells us when it wants us to eat it. When it gets a bright, deep hue, it's saying: "I'm ready for you to spread my genes now." I love that. I love it when berries talk to me. I'm still not an angel when it comes to food, but I'm 50x more conscious about what I buy, and am determined to plant a garden when Texas returns to sub-surface-of-the-sun temperatures. Thanks Michael.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Rusty: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reminiscences-Stock-Operator-Marketplace-Books/dp/0471059706"><span style="font-style: italic;">Reminisces of a Stock Operator</span></a> by Edwin Lefevre, originally published in 1923. I like it because it's more about the market's mentality than gimmicks, stock picks or trends (which are often outdated or played out before the book is published). It's timeless for that reason and most brokers will tell you it's still their favorite book on investing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/Snn162IaW2I/AAAAAAAAB5s/FCx7m69GeHM/s1600-h/Time+Travel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/Snn162IaW2I/AAAAAAAAB5s/FCx7m69GeHM/s200/Time+Travel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366590822300670818" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Merritt: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Wife-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/015602943X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249504608&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Time Traveler's Wife</span></a> by Audrey Niffenberger. I am both fascinated and dumbfounded by the concept of time travel, but Clare and Henry's love story is intoxicating (I might have a literary crush on Henry DeTamble). Next up, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Billionaires-Founding-Facebook-Betrayal/dp/0385529376/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249504568&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Accidental Billionaires</span></a> by Ben Mezrich. I am excited to get the full scoop on the founding of Facebook. Why it is a good summer read? The front cover has a picture of a red bra and a lipstick-stained martini glass. Enough said.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Stephanie:</span> My bookshelf skews toward stories that are introspective and ones that take me to another place, hence my obession with travel memoirs, foodie books, and other firsthand accounts that show us the limitlessness of possibility. My latest read happens to also be a shameless plug for a book we're working on, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Halfway-Each-Other-Brought-Family/dp/0824947800/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249504633&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Halfway to Each Other</span></a> by Susan Pohlman. Unfortunately, the masses won't find it in stores until September, but pre-order on Amazon now. The book is the true story of how Susan and her husband rescusitated their marriage by moving the whole family to Italy for a year. Cozy up with some vino as you are whisked to the dolce vita and soon you'll be unplugging your TV, putting down your iPhone and booking the next flight to the Italian Riviera.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kelly: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061130419/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=304485901&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0061130400&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0Q1P5SM7DBV1X5WJZ05X"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Septembers of Shiraz</span></a> by Dalia Sofer. It's the fictional story of a family that's torn apart when the father is accused of being a spy during the Iranian Revolution. T<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/Snn2vNR8oXI/AAAAAAAAB58/2wU4TD0ZdpM/s1600-h/My+amer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 194px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/Snn2vNR8oXI/AAAAAAAAB58/2wU4TD0ZdpM/s200/My+amer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366591721867878770" border="0" /></a>he story is told from each family member's perspective: the father, the mother, the daughter and the son in America. The book is loosely based on the author's own life- she fled Iran when she was ten. In the biography section of the book, she talks about what it was like as a little girl to leave her house. For the longest time she wondered if anyone moved the toys in her room. When writing this story, Sofer paid the same amount of attention to details. It's beautifully written. Also Patrick Rosal's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-American-Kundiman-Patrick-Rosal/dp/0892553308"><span style="font-style: italic;">My American Kundiman</span></a>. He's a former bboy turned poet who understands sounds so well that his poetry flows off the page like a hip-hop track. Seriously. Poems range in this book from subdued and wistful to in-your-face-confident.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now go read a book.</span></span>Stephanie Ridge - Mgr. Media Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918144827219115167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-79459898364773165302009-08-04T15:48:00.007-05:002009-08-04T18:04:16.554-05:00Hot or not? The White Male<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfSuMwJmj_4VKkE6SlEkxdpf003_U5eD5Y3KMFjPYxvR75Kw9CBpozdnMZVOsAJ4dbvZTC5GxdcWywLXIXnX7Qr9RRe6NWxyG1i-ER1ief9bjEaiZPaZVo9fLbMb4yIFkMghyphenhyphenUExUI5o/s1600-h/white+boys.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 354px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfSuMwJmj_4VKkE6SlEkxdpf003_U5eD5Y3KMFjPYxvR75Kw9CBpozdnMZVOsAJ4dbvZTC5GxdcWywLXIXnX7Qr9RRe6NWxyG1i-ER1ief9bjEaiZPaZVo9fLbMb4yIFkMghyphenhyphenUExUI5o/s400/white+boys.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366216021383852610" border="0" /></a>Oh, handsome white boy! You've reigned over our hearts for so long. Your innocuous good looks. Your Abercrombie ads. Your sly, "who me, cultural privilege?" grin. Omg, sooooo <span style="font-style: italic;">cute</span>!!<br /><br />And yet....<br /><br />It's an unsure time for The White Guy. Well, sort of. According to <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/lit_crit/reviewing_the_white_american_male_123441.asp">Taylor Antrim of The Daily Beast</a>, bookstores around the country are practically swimming in white man anxieties right now:<br /><br />"[We have] a short stack of late-summer reading that’ll make you wonder: Why is white male discontent so naturally literary?....the novel, better than any other written form, accommodates those small-bore anxieties, the quotidian, often shameful preoccupations that turn us inside out but don’t really measure up to the global events of the day. You’re a white guy who’s a little depressed, your eye is wandering, and you sort of want a fast car? Try putting that into an Op-Ed. But for the novel, nothing is beneath notice."<br /><br />Well-put, Taylor (and well-quoted, <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/lit_crit/reviewing_the_white_american_male_123441.asp">GalleyCat)</a>. It's interesting, because for a long-time in the publishing world, the formula has been:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Neurotic literary white guy + literary publisher = BF (best friends)<br /></span> </div><br />But according to the same story, <a href="http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012496.html">white people overall will be a minority by 2042</a>. Now that the White(ish) House is baROCKin', is the Woody Allen-esque hand wringing of well-to-do white guys enjoying its last literary hurrah? <br /><br />Well in all honesty, anything this blogger could say on <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> would probably be a gross overgeneralization. Except for this:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Neurotic literary white guy + literary publisher + gayness = BFF (best friends<span style="font-weight: bold;"> forever!</span>)<br /></span></div><br />(See: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sedaris">David Sedaris</a>).<br /><br />As we look ahead to the literary tomes of tomorrow, it will be interesting indeed to see whether the White Guy anxieties we all know and love will keep their heralded place at our local bookstore, or whether they'll fade away faster than you can say "my therapist in Manhattan."Tolly Moseley - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08910014878872511116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-37789497155740822132009-08-03T17:56:00.004-05:002009-08-03T18:03:31.202-05:00Your local news...on YouTube<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwW2vuf9i55j_0SPFRe0L3KfZCmfLhiUoX-SgKPUOSryl_reA204IUybpyeiXNJxpxn0hJZlNPqjuunOspxyV9xaj4TIYqPTIyDztBp8Q5tVN-sgGetmDn5FyGIawnec8OYCLFTm5yhyh/s1600-h/youtube_logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 109px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPwW2vuf9i55j_0SPFRe0L3KfZCmfLhiUoX-SgKPUOSryl_reA204IUybpyeiXNJxpxn0hJZlNPqjuunOspxyV9xaj4TIYqPTIyDztBp8Q5tVN-sgGetmDn5FyGIawnec8OYCLFTm5yhyh/s320/youtube_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365876565162365042" border="0" /></a>First it happened to your local newspaper when bloggers began taking over the traditional roles of reporters and editors. Now your local news station may also going the way of the digital dinosaur. <span style="font-style: italic;">The New York Times</span> reported today that YouTube is branching out from its usual fare of laughing babies and random people getting tazed to offer “News Near You":<br /><br />"YouTube, which already boasts of being 'the biggest news platform in the world,' has created a News Near You feature that senses a user’s location and serves up a list of relevant videos. In time, it could essentially engineer a local newscast on the fly. It is already distributing hometown video from dozens of sources, and it wants to add thousands more." <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/business/media/03youtube.html">Read more here. </a><br /><br />Will this mean no more local nightly news programs or author-friendly morning shows? Probably not. But it does mean that even more everyday folks (in other words, broadcasters without broadcasting licenses) may become a significant and viable form of local media like never before.Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-57152790300370406062009-07-31T12:11:00.005-05:002009-07-31T13:03:03.008-05:00Friday morning quick hitsIt is hard to top yesterday's wedding videos (which I'm still laughing at) but here are a few of the things that are getting our attention this morning.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publicists: ha</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwkeItwqXQLUe-i8n514eD5XZfMSUV1091wjjwM93g_byyXMWyqnFE55gnFkjJHbsqafn5A9eG3GIjZtoQTCzdFzllx9k8ABb-18F1sej6Vtb_B5dIcX0QcgO0jZA9Lo8IKx-vJiNFdGU/s1600-h/twittorati.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwkeItwqXQLUe-i8n514eD5XZfMSUV1091wjjwM93g_byyXMWyqnFE55gnFkjJHbsqafn5A9eG3GIjZtoQTCzdFzllx9k8ABb-18F1sej6Vtb_B5dIcX0QcgO0jZA9Lo8IKx-vJiNFdGU/s400/twittorati.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364685264470987730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">ve you checked out </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://twittorati.com/">Twittorati</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">?</span><br /><br />The tagline is "where the blogosphere and the twittersphere meet" and while that may not wow you, the site is actually very useful for PR types.<br /><br />Much like <a href="http://muckrack.com/">Muck Rack</a>, which provides a real time stream of journalists' tweets (along with their titles), Twittorati provides a real time stream of top blogs on Twitter. It also provides a ranking of the <a href="http://twittorati.com/blogs">Top 100 blogs</a> (which we're curiously absent from) and a list of each tweeter connected with those blogs.<br /><br />For example, <a href="http://huffpost.com/">Huffington Post</a> is #1 and on the site you'll see <a href="http://twittorati.com/blogs">links</a> to the handles for five of the editors and a stream of recent Huff Post tweets: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/30/glenn-beck-has-meltdown-o_n_247833.html">Glenn Beck meltdowns</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/30/cambridge-officer-chooses_n_247733.html">Beergate</a>...you get the idea.<br /><br />We are fans.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWYOH8rbe5gWJg3esdSvwFRqgFNHupGNYgVLDWfBCloopNserLY5GOJUBs5vvY3ounIcH_Puk_LoEp-CRcetYwKQhZQBdCMgK1rkEzElWU_Y0ftzvCHVy0BdpZagm_ZMjCb3Br_RT0wcy/s1600-h/carolyn-rubenstein-bio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWYOH8rbe5gWJg3esdSvwFRqgFNHupGNYgVLDWfBCloopNserLY5GOJUBs5vvY3ounIcH_Puk_LoEp-CRcetYwKQhZQBdCMgK1rkEzElWU_Y0ftzvCHVy0BdpZagm_ZMjCb3Br_RT0wcy/s400/carolyn-rubenstein-bio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364684822113177666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Speaking of Huff Post, are you reading <a href="http://carolynrubenstein.com/">Carolyn Rubenstein</a>? </span><br /><br />Arianna's newest blogger has been providing <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-rubenstein/5-amazing-lessons-ive-lea_b_248627.html">very cool content</a> on perseverance.<br /><br />Conveniently, she has a <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/perseverance">book</a> due out from <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/TorForge.aspx">Tor/Forge</a> in a few weeks on the same topic. How's that for timing?<br /><br />This is an amazing book that we're honored to represent and, frankly, we're not sure if we have an author that has a schedule more packed than Carolyn.<br /><br />Ready for this?<br /><br />She blogs regularly for <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bloggers/carolyn-rubenstein">Psychology Today</a>, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-rubenstein">Huffington Post</a> and <a href="http://www.abeautifulrippleeffect.com/">herself</a>.<br /><br />She <a href="http://twitter.com/clrsimple2">Tweets</a>. She <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/clrsimple2?ref=search">Facebooks</a>. She <a href="https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:59923/acctId:30586">newsletters</a>.<br /><br />She runs a nonprofit organization, “<a href="http://www.cccscholarships.org/">Carolyn’s Compassionate Children</a>” (CCC), a group that began as a pen-pal program for kids with cancer that now provides scholarships and support to childhood cancer survivors.<br /><br />She wrote a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Perseverance-True-Voices-Cancer-Survivors/dp/0765317788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244668987&sr=1-1">book</a> and is in the middle of a very time-consuming publicity campaign.<br /><br />Oh, and while she's doing all of this she's also a full-time student, pursuing her PhD program in clinical psychology at Harvard University.<br /><br />Her publicity team really appreciates her.<br /><br />I should note that we're having a blast with this campaign because in addition to getting to work with Carolyn, <a href="http://twitter.com/benspoont">Ben</a> and the fabulous publicity team at Tor/Forge, we're also getting a chance to work alongside super-publicists <a href="http://www.goldbergmcduffie.com/team_hayes.html">Angela Hayes</a> and <a href="http://www.goldbergmcduffie.com/aboutus.html">Grace McQuade</a> at <a href="http://www.goldbergmcduffie.com/index.html">Goldberg McDuffie</a>, who are working with Senior Publicist Amy Currie to line up some very impressive opportunities for the book.<br /><br />Keep an eye out for Carolyn this fall and head over to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carolyn-rubenstein/5-amazing-lessons-ive-lea_b_248627.html">Huffington Post</a> for a good taste of her work.Rusty Shelton - Managing Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05242193991444737105noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-75773724443708684962009-07-30T18:13:00.007-05:002009-07-30T18:41:13.336-05:00New media continues rise, begets old media coverage<div style="text-align: justify;">If you haven’t heard by now, circulation at print media outlets is on the decline and new media is making a significant uptick. But, landing coverage from more traditional outlets is still coveted by anyone looking for exposure. Understandably so, traditional media offers authors credibility that new media is still working to earn. As if the writing wasn’t already on the wall I’d like to make two cases for the changing face of media content:<br /><br />Case one:<br />As newspapers are forced to lay off reporters due to budgetary problems, where will they go? You guessed it: new media. This recent post by Michael Arrington at <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/29/aol-newsroom-now-has-wow-1500-writers/">TechCrunch</a> discusses how 1,500 writers are now working for AOL.com. Arrington says hundreds of them are former writers for media elites like <span style="font-style: italic;">BusinessWeek</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">USA Today</span>, to name a few. Why should you care? Well, that means new media just got a whole lot more credible. Journalism isn’t dead, it’s just changing.<br /><br />Case two:<br />I mentioned earlier that traditional media is still important. It has a stamp of credibility that authors and experts want and need. However, the way we’re seeing traditional media garnered is changing. In the not-so-distant past reporters and producers would respond to great ideas offered by way of a pitch. While there’s still a place for traditional pitching, there’s an obvious shift to an environment where journalists want to find their own experts and/or content. Why should you care? This means a larger focus on online outreach may be the key to garnering the traditional coverage that most experts are looking for.<br /><br />Here’s an example. This YouTube video has been splashed across network television, mentioned on morning radio, and the like. What started as a video of a wedding party dancing down an aisle has become a national sensation. Not only has it landed the couple on “<a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32122519/ns/today-today_weddings/">TODAY</a>” but has even been spoofed by fellow YouTubers.<br /></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4-94JhLEiN0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4-94JhLEiN0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zbr2ao86ww0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zbr2ao86ww0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08912735062120082561noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-67781704955761957242009-07-27T18:01:00.002-05:002009-07-27T18:06:58.329-05:00Age of the memoir<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7BAkH4vih2sbHj7Iz0uy-FHvgPefyY7HQT-uAefgcatRjBHAjfSmTh9ACSFXOCxXRd-d_77Gk-eqGJwkOtWmbhwts6nJ-9BqHhcwEKudp0kxl0d9B-ljbipfciwcYC4XV_Sz10frrOBC/s1600-h/mcourtsm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7BAkH4vih2sbHj7Iz0uy-FHvgPefyY7HQT-uAefgcatRjBHAjfSmTh9ACSFXOCxXRd-d_77Gk-eqGJwkOtWmbhwts6nJ-9BqHhcwEKudp0kxl0d9B-ljbipfciwcYC4XV_Sz10frrOBC/s320/mcourtsm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363280173442475282" border="0" /></a>There was an interesting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/weekinreview/26shuessler.html?ref=books">article</a> this weekend in The New York Times about the boom in popularity of memoirs following Frank McCourt’s successful 1996 book, Angela’s Ashes. A storyteller at heart, McCourt had shared tales about his “miserable Irish childhood” in Limerick aloud for years during his time as an English teacher at New York’s Stuyvesant High School. It was only natural, then, that when he finally published his memoir, it would become a beloved book that captured the imaginations of readers everywhere.<br /><br />However, in the spirit of “Hey, I can do that...,” pretty soon everyone thought they had an interesting life story to tell. Memoirists started coming out of the woodwork to capitalize on the popularity of the genre, and still do today. Now, with books like Eat, Pray, Love landing Oprah spots and movie deals, many hopeful authors are under the impression that their spiritual journey, too, is exactly what the bestseller list is missing. (Just ask <a href="http://internspills.blogspot.com/2009/07/notes-on-spiritual-memoirs.html">THE INTERN</a>.)<br /><br />The memoir has become, as the article states, “an easier route to fame and fortune than the novel.” And if your experiences aren’t exactly fascinating enough to captivate audiences, well, then, you might just add a little something here and there to make it spicier—or least less insufferably mundane. (Just ask James Frey.)<br /><br />In all fairness, having that nonfiction element to offer the media when publicizing a book is often what makes a strong literary campaign—which is why it’s often what publicists and publishing houses encourage from authors. (And also why it’s easier to get a memoir published than a novel in the first place!)<br /><br />But the industry may have created a monster by indirectly encouraging authors to write about their real life experiences, rather than the fictional stories they might have written instead. Not only has it led to blatant fabrication in some cases, but in others...well...let’s just say not everyone writes memoirs like Frank McCourt.Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-53532261754125999422009-07-24T09:57:00.013-05:002009-07-24T11:45:59.444-05:00Spanning the world … well, the literary worldA few things popped out at me this week, and I thought I might share with all you aspiring literati types. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these tidbits of literary news and musings:<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpk3SC8Zi-0N7RwjBnu_Ln_Sqd0ZuaTBGoWtxBjR1c6JckhQ4ushaJrDuA96VwVZQHusuUER8cvMEZbozJKVXszMqcF1r6YCJyix4irptLL-7EiNtZiaNTFzYdzZKYoFdIjQzvgQbWRNjG/s1600-h/eatpraylove.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 68px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpk3SC8Zi-0N7RwjBnu_Ln_Sqd0ZuaTBGoWtxBjR1c6JckhQ4ushaJrDuA96VwVZQHusuUER8cvMEZbozJKVXszMqcF1r6YCJyix4irptLL-7EiNtZiaNTFzYdzZKYoFdIjQzvgQbWRNjG/s320/eatpraylove.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362044880427098322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eat, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pray, Love … for best results, rinse and repeat </span><br />Earlier this week, <a href="http://budurl.com/4kcv"><span style="font-style: italic;">PW</span> discussed</a> the Hyperion deal with Michael Cooper, ex-husband of <span style="font-style: italic;">Eat, Pray, Love</span>’s Elizabeth Gilbert. His new memoir, <span style="font-style: italic;">Displaced</span>, will offer the flip-side to <span style="font-style: italic;">Eat, Pray, Love</span>. Is it just me or does this at all sound like: “The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All”? For best results, rinse and repeat. I wonder what Ms. Gilbert thinks of this.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All aboard!</span><br />In case you haven’t noticed, the social media train is here. Check out this <a href="http://budurl.com/gv8j"><span style="font-style: italic;">PW</span> article</a> on the changing literary landscape and how social media is fueling the changes. This is a must-read.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Move over Kindle, there’s a new kid on the block</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xGMdPnUqfngGg3gAA3njJDckqHN7-0Ogfoj5dJl52Xj55LCoD2mhwrII5Yz_mXx5QOAD3QqakuR3khOfnTTBlPoT3NFkL-ZrqQO3gpE_w77vaRS-ZgAzRjKd3KVsWjOLsNYSehoJbunL/s1600-h/e-reader.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 101px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xGMdPnUqfngGg3gAA3njJDckqHN7-0Ogfoj5dJl52Xj55LCoD2mhwrII5Yz_mXx5QOAD3QqakuR3khOfnTTBlPoT3NFkL-ZrqQO3gpE_w77vaRS-ZgAzRjKd3KVsWjOLsNYSehoJbunL/s320/e-reader.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362045992675813282" border="0" /></a><br />Plastic Logic, Barnes & Noble and AT&T have partnered up to create what could be the Amazon Kindle’s biggest competitor yet. With access to B&N’s massive book library and AT&T’s 3G system, the Plastic Logic e-reader will certainly give Kindle a run for its money. <a href="http://budurl.com/p39g">Some differences between the two</a>:<br />- The Plastic Logic e-reader has built-in Wi-fi, unlike the current crop of Kindles<br />- AT&T's Wi-fi hotspot network also seems to be part of the deal<br />- U.S. owners will be able to get online for new books in many more locations<br />- For business-related documents on the web, the e-reader supports PDF and Microsoft Office format documents<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The INT</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiua5v0MSJ2yS970_5pyO6WDwHObKgefdrdG740BOBbgaY_2JXLBl5Z_b_hcz4dNC9lYRxrMaIYRyiCfFQLnv9N5mCqCuPVQzAbLJVIH6crRlx7qwdiMPpE7bBuj-Uy5qY2VCNgVFeIuc4Q/s1600-h/THE+INTERN.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 93px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiua5v0MSJ2yS970_5pyO6WDwHObKgefdrdG740BOBbgaY_2JXLBl5Z_b_hcz4dNC9lYRxrMaIYRyiCfFQLnv9N5mCqCuPVQzAbLJVIH6crRlx7qwdiMPpE7bBuj-Uy5qY2VCNgVFeIuc4Q/s320/THE+INTERN.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362046250739015106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">ERN </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">speaks out</span><br />Ok, I’ve saved the best for last. If you’ve ever been an intern you completely understand the grunt work that comes with the territory: hours of filing, licking envelopes, getting coffee. I could go on. We stumbled on <a href="http://internspills.blogspot.com/">this blog of wonderful hilarity</a> and just had to share. This intern and blogger, known as THE INTERN, works for a publishing house and gives the inside dish on the publishing house floor. Special thanks and a shout out to THE INTERN who brought a smile to our day. Enjoy!</div>Shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08912735062120082561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-8560099634815779712009-07-23T14:51:00.024-05:002009-07-23T17:52:25.134-05:00Vive le Twitter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/SmjNkYPaqsI/AAAAAAAAB5c/Wfx6wVV50d0/s1600-h/radioshack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 217px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ke-aArPVpjw/SmjNkYPaqsI/AAAAAAAAB5c/Wfx6wVV50d0/s320/radioshack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361761381250673346" border="0" /></a>For a few lessons on Twitter this afternoon, let's look to the Tour de France, where we're just a few days away from that famous ride down the Champs-Elysees.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Austin is Lance Armstrong country</span>. From his bike shop, Mellow Johnny's and the coffee shop, Juan Pelota, to SIX, his bar/nightclub and the new Lance Armstrong Bikeway, icons of Lance's success are a part of our city's landscape. Look down, you're even likely to see one of the many faded "Go Lance" street paintings reminding us of his 1st, 2nd, 3rd...7th win. When he won the last TDF, he threw a free concert at Auditorium Shores featuring his then-girlfriend Sheryl Crow (and played drums). So you got the picture - cancer advocacy, community investment and athletic talent aside, Lance is steeped in Austin's culture.<br /><br />But Lance's celebrity status reaches far beyond Austin City Limits, thanks in part to social media. On Twitter,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> @lancearmstrong</span> has more than a million and a half followers. The seven-time TDF champion is clearly passionate about social media and it's easy to see why it's working for him. Just take a look at his loyal fan base and his booming nonprofit organization, LIVESTRONG, with which Lance uses the 140 character updates to connect with us in such a way that just by following him, we feel an exclusive part of his inner circle.<br /><br />Lance is a great example of the power and possibilities of Twitter. He uses it frequently (at least a dozen updates a day) to break stories related to racing, the bike industry, and cancer research. He tweets video and snapshots from his "office" (usually something along the lines of a mountain road out of Aspen - jealous!) and allows all of us to peer into his world. From news of his new son Max [6 week old @maxarmstrong1 has almost 7,000 Twitter followers - WHAT??!] - to his favorite training routes to post TDF-stage thoughts, his Tweets make us that much more endeared to him.<br /><br />Following yesterday's tour stage, Lance mentioned an upcoming 'announcement' about next year's Tour de France lineup, so you can imagine the buzz that brewed until today's big reveal. We all scoured the web to investigate. And by last night, the crafty Twitterati had it nailed - Lance would announce a 2010 team sponsor - RadioShack Corporation. It wasn't until 11am today that Capitol Sports & Entertainment with RadioShack made the <a href="http://ir.radioshackcorporation.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=398636">official announcement</a> with a release on the wire. Acting on their game, CSE rolled out the Team RadioShack website and Twitter account right on cue. Four hours later, the team already had almost 5,000 Twitter followers. If Lance's 2010 teammates are as fast as his behind-the-scenes entourage, we'll be looking at another Maillot Jaune.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Allez Lance!</span><br /><br />So there are two things that we in publishing and publicity can take away from Twitter, Lance and the Tour de France. Today, twitter is a legitimate source (and the fastest news-spreading tool) for breaking headlines, and more than ever, it is an invaluable when it comes to building and maintaining a personal brand.Stephanie Ridge - Mgr. Media Relationshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08918144827219115167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-68622423388266011612009-07-21T09:27:00.012-05:002009-07-21T10:45:53.357-05:00BOOK GIVEAWAY meets far too many puns: Name your favorite frappuccino, win "A Cold-Blooded Business"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdDRgoOPNcSA_OTU6YCUqp1zroeqtnhmTExvyLZDmCsa_JEWatmuSfCTvFRePsEizSD1tHTQ7aCQ4Xn9QrfDPiV9lFqcdrUVrZhyphenhyphen9iXIwUFOc25BYkhqW2cNQPOrOzoMQuxPutb5CJY8/s1600-h/Cover+art+-+high+res.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOdDRgoOPNcSA_OTU6YCUqp1zroeqtnhmTExvyLZDmCsa_JEWatmuSfCTvFRePsEizSD1tHTQ7aCQ4Xn9QrfDPiV9lFqcdrUVrZhyphenhyphen9iXIwUFOc25BYkhqW2cNQPOrOzoMQuxPutb5CJY8/s400/Cover+art+-+high+res.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360920206927702578" border="0" /></a>Do you know what today is?<br /><br />FREE PASTRY DAY AT STARBUCKS!<br /><br />I know, I know. It's only 9:47am CT right now, and we're sure you're already munching your complimentary cranberry scone. But it's summer, which means there's a good possibility you're also enjoying....a frappuccino.<br /><br />And who do you have to thank, in large part, for the bottled frappuccino? Why, that would be Mark Mangelsdorf, friends. The killer featured in Marek Fuchs' new true crime book, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Cold-Blooded Business</span>.<br /><br />Why exactly is a successful corporate star - from a Bible Belt town, a Harvard MBA, who helped introduce the world to grocery store frappuccinos and was praised in Howard Schultz's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pour-Your-Heart-Into-Starbucks/dp/0786883561/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248187148&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pour Your Heart Into It</span>: <span style="font-style: italic;">How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time</span></a> - now sitting in jail for a 20+ year old cold-case murder?<br /><br />Wouldn't you love to know.<br /><br />Simply respond to this blog post, or join us on Twitter (find us at twitter.com/phenixandphenix) and Tweet your favorite frappuccino flavor. The winner will receive a copy of this fascinating tale from <span style="font-style: italic;">The New York Times</span>' Marek Fuchs. You MUST use hashtag #acoldbloodedbusiness to enter, and we will select a winner by 4pm CT today. RT'ers ("retweeters") of the contest may get special consideration...<br /><br />As for us? Mocha frappuccinos all the way!Tolly Moseley - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08910014878872511116noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-37555655108914374822009-07-20T16:21:00.004-05:002009-07-20T16:26:28.319-05:00So you want to write an op-ed…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdRcGZ3y8hUuhOq07qwubZ_vSeQIeKPNfllnJkJMR2wdXefSutZia2nr4KhpfIBxJo3Wx8VwQt23lV78T7oo_Bsb0M-WXsteGEtH8Mm_lGnRzUF79_rlvLkguarok3oxBe97EbTkDv_Pp/s1600-h/op-ed.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 116px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdRcGZ3y8hUuhOq07qwubZ_vSeQIeKPNfllnJkJMR2wdXefSutZia2nr4KhpfIBxJo3Wx8VwQt23lV78T7oo_Bsb0M-WXsteGEtH8Mm_lGnRzUF79_rlvLkguarok3oxBe97EbTkDv_Pp/s320/op-ed.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360656324999221442" border="0" /></a>It’s no wonder so many authors covet a spot on the opinion pages of top daily newspapers—not only do many readers today turn directly to the editorial section, but a well-written, controversial op-ed featured in the likes of <span style="font-style: italic;">The New York Times</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">The Washington Post</span> can create a lasting national buzz. A successful op-ed can thrust a relatively unknown author into the national spotlight; and, unlike feature stories, you control the article’s content and message. But before you decide to give America a piece of your mind, there are a few things to consider to ensure your op-ed submission is a success:<br /><br />1. Know the news cycle<br />Before you even sit down to write an article, do some research and brainstorming for topics. What are people talking about today? Keep in mind what news topics and social trend stories are hot at the moment, and how you can add to the debate. Just because they’re called the opinion pages, doesn’t mean the editors who choose the content don’t want newsworthy articles.<br /><br />2. Compliment your credentials<br />What is your expertise? If you’re an author of a new diet book, you’re going to have a hard time placing an op-ed about 401(k) legislation. But write an article about a new study on the benefits of retirees lowering their cholesterol, and you just may have something. Remember, don’t write the article about your book. Mentioning your book title in an opinion piece is a big no-no—this is what we call an ad-itorial rather than an editorial. Instead, center your op-ed on hard news and relate it to your book’s subject matter. The opinion page editor will include a short bio at the beginning or end of the op-ed that will mention your book title along with your credentials.<br /><br />3. Stick to a reasonable word count<br />Many opinion page editors say they prefer a piece to be no more than 750 words. Though this may not always be the case, it’s a good idea to keep your word count somewhere between 700-750 so you don’t discourage the interest of editors who might otherwise want to run the article.<br /><br />4. Roll with the punches<br />No two opinion page editors work the same way. Some, especially the top dailies, will request an exclusive, while others will not. Some will simply decline an op-ed they don’t like, while others will work with you to make it better, offering suggestions for how to improve it. If you receive feedback from an editor, use it! These are valuable insights certain to benefit any future op-eds you create; and if you make the suggested changes quickly and re-submit, it may even influence the editor to feature your revised version.<br /><br />5. Keep it simple<br />You’re not writing a dissertation, you’re writing what is essentially an opinionated news article. Read the paper and check out news sites online to get a feel for the language journalists utilize in their stories. Don’t say in 20 words what you can easily say in 10. Also, reporters begin their news stories with a “lede,” a tightly-written paragraph or sentence that tells the reader exactly what the story is about, before launching into other details and context. Model your op-ed in this way, and you’ll be sure to catch an editor’s eye—otherwise, if you bury your lede, they may get two paragraphs in and simply stop reading.<br /><br />6. Source your assertions<br />Though this is an opinion piece, it doesn’t give you free reign to make wild assertions with nothing to back them up. Make sure to support your argument with recent statistics and research by either citing a study in the text, or providing a separate source document. This will make your piece more credible to opinion page editors and their readers.<br /><br />Once you’ve written a stellar op-ed, submit, submit, submit! Opinion page editors receive hundreds of article submissions a week, so don’t be discouraged if your first choices don’t respond, or decline—if you’ve kept these simple tips in mind, your op-ed is sure to grab the attention of a top daily.Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-16457953666546258352009-07-16T17:10:00.009-05:002009-07-16T17:35:35.539-05:00Ding, dong old media’s dead … or is it?<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisRrlEpuijs1h650gFdIferz0WXENSdy2z3opiGY5NXolrUxmeYmRUFgFs-UJvYIvBG7USSCcA9ySlEVmhmsnV1FJOUNeMgr-9hArDkGEVMM7l3nhqV58nt7QhBM1MQh_Dio5E5rCUDEi/s1600-h/Ding,+dong+the+witch+is+dead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisRrlEpuijs1h650gFdIferz0WXENSdy2z3opiGY5NXolrUxmeYmRUFgFs-UJvYIvBG7USSCcA9ySlEVmhmsnV1FJOUNeMgr-9hArDkGEVMM7l3nhqV58nt7QhBM1MQh_Dio5E5rCUDEi/s320/Ding,+dong+the+witch+is+dead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359189636511205202" border="0" /></a>Can you almost hear the munchkins cheering “ding, dong old media’s dead,” as the whole world declares the proverbial bucket of water has been dumped and old media is “meeelllttting, I’m melllting” – I digress. Think again. According to a recent article on “<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/old-media-still-powerful-blogs-follow-news-outlets-25-hours-later?partner=homepage_newsletter">Fast Company</a>,” researchers at Cornell have found that traditional ne<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11pde3tXm_yK242LSs1n5_MM_m708Y-OpzDCdZjz3oqlqXvix1YyMK1Erod_h8mFJYgrmWqIEYqTZTsaMK5s5CpOHPUW2SSW8moBNERmVgH-jB7T0l__epe_QAXDva4Wa2mWosWSSbb6l/s1600-h/WizardofOzWitch.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11pde3tXm_yK242LSs1n5_MM_m708Y-OpzDCdZjz3oqlqXvix1YyMK1Erod_h8mFJYgrmWqIEYqTZTsaMK5s5CpOHPUW2SSW8moBNERmVgH-jB7T0l__epe_QAXDva4Wa2mWosWSSbb6l/s320/WizardofOzWitch.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359189927929908354" border="0" /></a>ws outlets still lead the blogosphere by 2.5 hours when it comes to breaking news. That’s almost light years by web standards. So, before we get ready to dump water on old media and watch it melt away, maybe we should take a step back and look at how old and new media are and will continue to work together. Here’s a breakdown of the Cornell study:</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">- Instead of examining a few case-study pieces of news and making behavioral conclusions from limited cases, researchers used a powerful algorithmic search. 1.6 million mainstream media and blogs were analyzed in real-time<br />- Specific phrases were sampled from each site and compared to how they appeared elsewhere – kind of a text-based fingerprint<br />- By comparing where these “fingerprint phrases,” or memes, first surfaced, and then watching for them to pop up elsewhere online, the Cornell team has uncovered how news propagates online<br />- The main result: It's still the traditional news portals that tend to break the news. Blogs followed up the stories an average of 2.5 hours later<br />- In 3.5 percent of the cases news broke on blogs first, before later being picked up by the news sites. Indicating an increasingly professional blogosphere<br /></div>Shelbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08912735062120082561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-74109035088152375872009-07-15T09:15:00.005-05:002009-07-15T11:36:13.731-05:00Study: Who is online, and what are they doing?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9k_l8UqUzxs8NeeuKvDMvMwUveOI48Ol9oCpE4sPSy72LknYFreaf16Nf0OBGX21Mlyd4Og0YO0qQLAaRp6JNLBKwT3DMogPbeeI5NORZjOours5baVTfcbPg4Epx6FcxEvzFx7Y92Q/s1600-h/Who+is+Online.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 405px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9k_l8UqUzxs8NeeuKvDMvMwUveOI48Ol9oCpE4sPSy72LknYFreaf16Nf0OBGX21Mlyd4Og0YO0qQLAaRp6JNLBKwT3DMogPbeeI5NORZjOours5baVTfcbPg4Epx6FcxEvzFx7Y92Q/s800/Who+is+Online.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358690637680094242" border="0" /></a>The Austin-Based <a href="http://www.nmlab.com/">New Media Lab</a> gave us some food for thought yesterday. As book publicists, we are always trying to figure out who is online and who isn't, and we were surprised at some of the findings. For example: less than 20% of my fellow Gen Xers are blogging? What? Maybe it was it all that Nirvana and directionless youth stuff we grew up with?<br /><br />More from <a href="http://www.nmlab.com/blog/who-is-online-and-what-are-they-doing/">the report</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth #1: The Internet is for Teeny Boppers</span><br /><p>False! Extrapolating from the data:<br /></p> - 5% of people over age 62 create web content (blogs, podcasts, etc). That means that in a room of 20 people aged 62 or over, at least ONE posts content to the internet.<br /><br />- In a room of 17 senior citizens, at least one has joined a social network.<br /><br />- One of every nine seniors you know actually comment on blogs and post critiques and ratings. Which actually makes sense, if you think about it: Who's more opinionated than Grandpa? <span style="font-style: italic;">You</span> try adjusting the thermostat.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth #2: Tech savvy behavior is totally mainstream</span><br /><br />False again!<br /><br />- Only 30% of GenY and 19% of GenX create content.<br /><br />- No age group uses RSS readers at a rate over 18%. (Odds are YOU reading this don't quite understand RSS readers either.)<br /><br />- 19% more GenYers than Young Teens join social networks. This implies that the highest rate of social networkers is in the college category. This one will be a demo to watch closely, it WILL change over the next three years, according to NML.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">So what can we learn from this, book publicists?</span><br /><br />-Don't assume senior citizens are anti-internet. "Interwebs, is that The Google or something? You kids and your crazy machines!!" Dismiss that stereotype, and accept your grandmother's Facebook invite.<br /><br />-Do pay attention to Millenials (i.e. Gen Y). Only 30% of them are creating web content, but that number will probably grow. Pitch accordingly.<br /><br />-Do learn how to use an RSS reader (like your humble blogger did a few <strike> years</strike> weeks ago).<br /><br />To read the rest of NML's interesting report, click <a href="http://www.nmlab.com/blog/who-is-online-and-what-are-they-doing/">here</a>.Tolly Moseley - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08910014878872511116noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3873310034792180434.post-49447403020683223322009-07-14T10:21:00.005-05:002009-07-14T10:43:10.915-05:00From page to screen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo8HMcnvA9ZviXKlD7I6Vml4ijGR8lyKgPZU8Ic3jbmLyhjO0Cbk9LVID2Y67wG1EvdjxKShv7f5S0llRUEx5E_jl0hlf_v64IV4P3cb1P9V_LtACwlCO7Znl1Ia1dXUtGEyoSATov5wF/s1600-h/harry_potter_and_the_half_blood_prince_potter-_poster2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRo8HMcnvA9ZviXKlD7I6Vml4ijGR8lyKgPZU8Ic3jbmLyhjO0Cbk9LVID2Y67wG1EvdjxKShv7f5S0llRUEx5E_jl0hlf_v64IV4P3cb1P9V_LtACwlCO7Znl1Ia1dXUtGEyoSATov5wF/s320/harry_potter_and_the_half_blood_prince_potter-_poster2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358340164209527922" border="0" /></a><br />You can’t throw a stone in the blogosphere this week without hitting a post about the latest Harry Potter volume to make it to the big screen, "<a href="http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2009/07/13/harry-potter-film-no-6-how-true-to-the-book/">Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince</a>."<br /><br />From initial reviews, it looks to be an excellent translation from book to film—but this isn’t always the case. Filmmakers are charged with transforming a beloved text to something palatable for the screen, which often means taking a hatchet to many readers’ favorite parts.<br /><br />So in celebration of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and our love of books on film, I did an impromptu poll around the P&P office. Here’s what a few of our publicists had to say about their favorite—and least-favorite—book-to-movie adaptations:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tolly</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hit:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112130/">Pride and Prejudice</a>" (The six-hour BBC miniseries version, of course.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Miss:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084237/">The Last Unicorn</a>" (“It totally freaked me out as a kid! Although that probably has to do more with me being 5 than it being inherently flawed. But I loved the novel.”)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shelby</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hit:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0376994/">X-Men: The Last Stand</a>" (“I don't know if it counts, but I'm a huge comic book-to-movie fan!”)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Miss:</span> </span>"<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060390/">Fahrenheit 451</a>" (Apparently not a fan of Truffaut...but with those dated 1960s special effects, I don’t blame her.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Elizabeth</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hit:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/">The Shawshank Redemption</a>" (It’s so popular as a film, you can actually take a <a href="http://www.mansfieldtourism.com/shawshank-trail">Shawshank trail</a> that traces places featured in the movie.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Miss:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332280/">The Notebook</a>" (“It alludes that they both die together to spend eternity in heaven together - but in the book, he lives she dies and spends the next years missing her dearly.”)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Merritt</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hit:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243155/">Bridget Jones' Diary</a>" (British fans were actually upset by the <a href="http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,85166,00.html">casting of American Renée Zellweger</a> as the popular novel’s heroine—but the movie ended up a hit with audiences everywhere.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Miss:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112715/">Congo</a>" (“People walked out of ‘Congo’ because they loved the book, but hated the movie.”)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amy</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Hit:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/">The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring</a>" (Or, really, just any of the Lord of the Rings films. They stayed true to the books, while also not being afraid to take some creative license for cinematic effect.)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Miss:</span> "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0238546/">Queen of the Damned</a>" (I don’t think they could have been more off-base with this one if they tried. Just terrible.)<br /><br />Feel free to share your own picks in the comment section! Which are your favs and worst offenders?Amy Currie - Senior Publicisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12238753821971719679noreply@blogger.com2