I'm a journalist. And normally I don’t write about my job because I don’t think it's professional to do that on a personal blog. Also because it would look out of place next to my posts analyzing the merits of various BBC Jane Austen adaptation films.
But I thought this cautionary tale might be helpful to any of you doing your own PR for your books.
Yesterday my boss received an e-mail from some “PR” person who had attached a .zip file of a bunch of articles. The body of the e-mail said something like, “Hello. Here are some articles. I feel that they would be relevant to publish.”
Annnnnnd nothing else. Except in the “from” box, where it was clear the person had sent the e-mail to every newspaper in a 200-mile radius.
This story probably sounds ridiculous to, well, most normal people. But also to anyone who has spent any time on publishing blogs, because we all know how much literary agents HATE blanket e-mails. But you should know…journalists and publications hate them, too. Why?
Let’s set aside for the moment the overwhelming stack of reasons to hit ‘Delete’ on this e-mail, the most obvious being that it that told my boss absolutely nothing about what was in some file he was supposed to download, and the file’s heavy potential for being virus-y.
My boss pointed out that, aside from all of this, the sender should have at least made everyone an “undisclosed recipient,” because now my boss knows that the “articles” (*cough* virus-laden zip files *cough*) have been sent to every one of his competitors.
Local news outlets want to believe they have the scoop on some interesting piece of news. If they know you’ve sent your super-special story idea (with value-added bonus material, which you’ve included because you read this post) to everybody, they’ll be much less likely to want to cover it themselves.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t send your stuff to everybody – maybe you should. Just don’t throw in their faces that they're the 434th person to receive it.
P.S. Disguising your press release as a "Public Service Announcement" and asking me to publish your "PSA" is not going to work. I got one of those today, and here's my PSA to that person: Nobody is that dumb. And random words like "marriage" should not be capitalized when they're in the middle of a sentence. Thank you.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
How I found Betty
Today is Betty Friedan's birthday.
My undergraduate thesis was on pre-feminism in mid-20th century children’s literature. Doing research for it back in college – before then, I had only sketchy knowledge of the Second Wave feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s – was the first time I’d ever come across The Feminine Mystique. It’s a weirdly powerful book, honest and thoughtful without being annoyingly preachy or even all that angry.
I’m a product of the “you can be anything you want to be” generation, and I never gave much thought to feminism growing up. Here in the South, mostly the only self-described feminists you see (outside of a university setting) are…well, actually, you wouldn’t really see any. Before Betty Friedan, I thought of feminists as unattractive harpy creatures who needed to quit yelling at people and discover the joys of mascara. My 18-year-old self arrogantly figured maybe feminists had a job to do in the 1960s, but they’d triumphed, hooray, and I could darn well grow up to be anything a man could be.
Maybe it was a generational thing, or maybe a regional thing. Southern women - for better or worse – have their own peculiar brand of feminism. It’s hidden under a thick layer of hairspray and politeness, but it’s there. And it finds the protest-in-the-streets brand of feminists slightly unpleasant and/or tacky...bless their hearts. I could mostly sum up Southern Feminism by saying women have other ways to get what they want than loudly protesting until they get it.
For instance, if wearing makeup and listening politely while some boorish older man gives you “advice” gets you more respect in the workplace (hypothetically) or nets you a promotion, and if it doesn’t conflict with your sense of self worth, why wouldn’t you do it? If a few carefully-chosen words could accomplish the same goal as a one-woman crusade without alienating people, why not take the quieter path?
I’ll be the first to admit it’s a good thing the bra-burning protesters were doing their thing 40 years ago because Southern women as a whole wouldn’t have gotten that kind of widespread reform accomplished. Our brand of feminism is much more internal than revolutionary, focused on making our own lives and the lives of our loved ones better through very subtle means.
I’m not saying those are the best means in every situation, but, well, I’ve been watching them work for women I know my entire life.
But here in the South, even among girls of my generation, we’ve also got a lack of awareness about how some deeply-rooted traditions – getting married when you’re in your early 20s, having babies soon after – aren’t the best choices for every woman. Or even the majority of women. Reading Betty was my first step toward realizing what a complex, multi-layered idea feminism is, how it’s constantly shifting and still so very relevant to everyone – even those of us who enjoy wearing makeup and doing girly things.
To me, feminism means having the opportunity to achieve whatever you want and being able to do it with dignity and self-worth, whether it’s staying home with your kids or staying single or running a Fortune 500 company.
On a more personal level, I’ve been surprised how feminism has changed my view of the world, from the way I interact with people to the movies I watch to the characters I write. I’d call myself a feminist now – something I never thought I’d say when I was 18. You could call me a reluctant feminist, but that’s not really it. Maybe more like a quiet feminist. All women ought to be one sort of feminist or another, whether you’re the bra-burning type or the Southern type or the fight-for-better-maternity-leave type. Doesn’t matter which one – I think Betty would approve of them all.
My undergraduate thesis was on pre-feminism in mid-20th century children’s literature. Doing research for it back in college – before then, I had only sketchy knowledge of the Second Wave feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s – was the first time I’d ever come across The Feminine Mystique. It’s a weirdly powerful book, honest and thoughtful without being annoyingly preachy or even all that angry.
I’m a product of the “you can be anything you want to be” generation, and I never gave much thought to feminism growing up. Here in the South, mostly the only self-described feminists you see (outside of a university setting) are…well, actually, you wouldn’t really see any. Before Betty Friedan, I thought of feminists as unattractive harpy creatures who needed to quit yelling at people and discover the joys of mascara. My 18-year-old self arrogantly figured maybe feminists had a job to do in the 1960s, but they’d triumphed, hooray, and I could darn well grow up to be anything a man could be.
Maybe it was a generational thing, or maybe a regional thing. Southern women - for better or worse – have their own peculiar brand of feminism. It’s hidden under a thick layer of hairspray and politeness, but it’s there. And it finds the protest-in-the-streets brand of feminists slightly unpleasant and/or tacky...bless their hearts. I could mostly sum up Southern Feminism by saying women have other ways to get what they want than loudly protesting until they get it.
For instance, if wearing makeup and listening politely while some boorish older man gives you “advice” gets you more respect in the workplace (hypothetically) or nets you a promotion, and if it doesn’t conflict with your sense of self worth, why wouldn’t you do it? If a few carefully-chosen words could accomplish the same goal as a one-woman crusade without alienating people, why not take the quieter path?
I’ll be the first to admit it’s a good thing the bra-burning protesters were doing their thing 40 years ago because Southern women as a whole wouldn’t have gotten that kind of widespread reform accomplished. Our brand of feminism is much more internal than revolutionary, focused on making our own lives and the lives of our loved ones better through very subtle means.
I’m not saying those are the best means in every situation, but, well, I’ve been watching them work for women I know my entire life.
But here in the South, even among girls of my generation, we’ve also got a lack of awareness about how some deeply-rooted traditions – getting married when you’re in your early 20s, having babies soon after – aren’t the best choices for every woman. Or even the majority of women. Reading Betty was my first step toward realizing what a complex, multi-layered idea feminism is, how it’s constantly shifting and still so very relevant to everyone – even those of us who enjoy wearing makeup and doing girly things.
To me, feminism means having the opportunity to achieve whatever you want and being able to do it with dignity and self-worth, whether it’s staying home with your kids or staying single or running a Fortune 500 company.
On a more personal level, I’ve been surprised how feminism has changed my view of the world, from the way I interact with people to the movies I watch to the characters I write. I’d call myself a feminist now – something I never thought I’d say when I was 18. You could call me a reluctant feminist, but that’s not really it. Maybe more like a quiet feminist. All women ought to be one sort of feminist or another, whether you’re the bra-burning type or the Southern type or the fight-for-better-maternity-leave type. Doesn’t matter which one – I think Betty would approve of them all.
Monday, January 25, 2010
There are Only 30 British Actors in the Whole World, Part V
Masterpiece Theatre has a new adaptation of Emma. The first installment was on last night, and major props to my mom for texting (!) me about it because I would have completely missed it otherwise.
In honor of the lovely new adaptation of Emma, I'm reviving a blog series that methodically proves my highly scientific hypothesis, which I like to call "There Are Only 30 British Actors in the Whole World."
Like many people in a certain class of nerds, I love British period films. And once you've seen a few, you realize that watching them is like playing the Wal-Mart game (For those of you not from a smallish town, this is where you and your friends go to Wal-Mart and the winner is whoever sees the most people he or she knows while you're there.) Except you're spotting Michael Gambon and Dame Judi Dench instead of your friend's dad or that girl from your high school biology class.
Start thinking about it and you'll realize it's the truth. If you need more convicing, click to read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of There Are Only 30 British Actors in the Whole World.
So now I'm tackling the new Emma. If British period films bore you, please stop reading right now. You'll thank me later.
Annnnd let's get started.
The title role of Emma is played by Romola Garai, who has an awesome name. She was Briony in Atonement, Amelia Sedley in Vanity Fair, Gwendolen in Daniel Deronda, Kate in Nicholas Nickleby and the first place I ever saw her was as Cassandra in I Capture the Castle. Whew. There's more; just check out her IMDB page.
Jonny Lee Miller makes a good Mr. Knightley (though at first I had my doubts). I mostly remember him as Edmund in Mansfield Park several years ago though I really feel like I've seen him in another Austen adaptation, I just can't find it. You'd recognize him most, though, from being in the TV show Eli Stone.
Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse. Yeah. Like every British move ever. If we're going to go with British novel-based films, though, here's a sampling: he's played a beloved headmaster in this little movie franchise you may have heard of about a boy wizard, he was Lord Marchmain in Brideshead Revisited, he was Mr. Holbrook in Cranford (LOVE that series!) he was in Gosford Park, Wives and Daughters, and, well, that's just this past decade.
Blake Ritson is Mr. Elton and I almost didn't recognize him as Edmund from the more recent Mansfield Park adaptation because he's just so dang smarmy.
Rupert Evans is Frank Churchill. I almost didn't recognize him either, but he was Margaret's brother Frederick in North & South, and was in D. H. Lawrence's Sons & Lovers. Also he's the guy in love with Selma Blair in Hellboy, which I didn't remember; IMDB had to remind me. If JB had been in the room, he probably would have known, but he'd escaped to the den to watch Tivo'd episodes of The Colbert Report.
I could go on, but there's no need to belabor the point. Britain, I'm onto you and your 30 actors. This does not, however, make me love you any less.
And a question: what are your favorite British period films? I listed some of mine in Part I and I'd love to hear yours!
As far as I'm concerned, the PBS and BBC folks can continue remaking classic (especially British) novels into TV miniseries until the Second Coming.
Like many people in a certain class of nerds, I love British period films. And once you've seen a few, you realize that watching them is like playing the Wal-Mart game (For those of you not from a smallish town, this is where you and your friends go to Wal-Mart and the winner is whoever sees the most people he or she knows while you're there.) Except you're spotting Michael Gambon and Dame Judi Dench instead of your friend's dad or that girl from your high school biology class.
Start thinking about it and you'll realize it's the truth. If you need more convicing, click to read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of There Are Only 30 British Actors in the Whole World.
So now I'm tackling the new Emma. If British period films bore you, please stop reading right now. You'll thank me later.
Annnnd let's get started.
The title role of Emma is played by Romola Garai, who has an awesome name. She was Briony in Atonement, Amelia Sedley in Vanity Fair, Gwendolen in Daniel Deronda, Kate in Nicholas Nickleby and the first place I ever saw her was as Cassandra in I Capture the Castle. Whew. There's more; just check out her IMDB page.
Jonny Lee Miller makes a good Mr. Knightley (though at first I had my doubts). I mostly remember him as Edmund in Mansfield Park several years ago though I really feel like I've seen him in another Austen adaptation, I just can't find it. You'd recognize him most, though, from being in the TV show Eli Stone.
Michael Gambon as Mr. Woodhouse. Yeah. Like every British move ever. If we're going to go with British novel-based films, though, here's a sampling: he's played a beloved headmaster in this little movie franchise you may have heard of about a boy wizard, he was Lord Marchmain in Brideshead Revisited, he was Mr. Holbrook in Cranford (LOVE that series!) he was in Gosford Park, Wives and Daughters, and, well, that's just this past decade.
Blake Ritson is Mr. Elton and I almost didn't recognize him as Edmund from the more recent Mansfield Park adaptation because he's just so dang smarmy.
Rupert Evans is Frank Churchill. I almost didn't recognize him either, but he was Margaret's brother Frederick in North & South, and was in D. H. Lawrence's Sons & Lovers. Also he's the guy in love with Selma Blair in Hellboy, which I didn't remember; IMDB had to remind me. If JB had been in the room, he probably would have known, but he'd escaped to the den to watch Tivo'd episodes of The Colbert Report.
I could go on, but there's no need to belabor the point. Britain, I'm onto you and your 30 actors. This does not, however, make me love you any less.
And a question: what are your favorite British period films? I listed some of mine in Part I and I'd love to hear yours!
Friday, January 22, 2010
A note to nasty spammers...
GET OFF MY BLOG. If you leave a comment directing readers to any kind of commercial site, or to your scammy personal blog, or if you leave some kind of indecipherable comment that looks sketchy to me, I WILL DELETE IT.
I do not want your investment opportunities or homework help or "anti-virus software." And neither does anyone else who comes here.
I'm not sure how my little blog got on your skeezy radar, but take it off. You're wasting your time. GO AWAY.
P.S. You suck.
I do not want your investment opportunities or homework help or "anti-virus software." And neither does anyone else who comes here.
I'm not sure how my little blog got on your skeezy radar, but take it off. You're wasting your time. GO AWAY.
P.S. You suck.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A note on donations for Haiti
I see food/supply drives in my own area, and wonder if they're really helpful. Check out this article about right and wrong ways to help the people of Haiti. It's short and definitely an eye-opener. Particularly this paragraph:
OK, end of preachy PSA. I'll return to my regularly-scheduled programming (and hopefully on a more regular schedule) soon.
Jeff Nene, a spokesman for Convoy of Hope, a Springfield, Mo., agency that feeds 11,000 children a day in Haiti, urges cash donations that allow his group to buy in bulk from large suppliers and retailers.The article recommends checking out Charity Navigator for non-scammy charities and aid organizations. I'd also add that when in doubt, send money to organizations you know and trust, like the Red Cross, World Vision, Doctors Without Borders and similar agencies. The people of Haiti need our help, but not just the kind of "help" that makes us feel like do-gooders.
"When people give $1, it translates into $7 in the field," he said. "If they spend $5 for bottled water, that's nice and it makes them feel good, but probably it costs us more than $5 to send it [to Haiti]. If they give us $5, we can get $35 worth of water."
That's a sentiment echoed by virutally every aid agency.
OK, end of preachy PSA. I'll return to my regularly-scheduled programming (and hopefully on a more regular schedule) soon.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Comforting things...because HOLY CRAP IT IS GOING TO SNOW
I'm still getting over a nasty stomach bug contracted while visiting the extended inlaws this weekend. Blech.
You know what has helped? I mean, not a lot, but a little bit? Two of the most comforting things I can think of: Snuggies and bad reality TV.
JB and I got each other Snuggies for Christmas (his is blue and mine is pink). It's the most-used present either of us got this year.
I love my pink Snuggie. Momerath likes it, too, evidenced by the fact that she slept in my lap FOUR TIMES this week. And only while I was wearing it. This is a new record for our more standoffish cat. I would provide pics, but the Snuggie falls under the Guilty Pleasure heading and the Internet has a long memory. I don't think I'd want pics of me in all my Snuggie glory resurfacing one day when I'm 45 and running for City Council or something.
Not that I'm planning on running for City Council. Though the local elections of 2028 could be exciting...
For bad reality TV, I watched The Bachelor on Monday night. Even better would have been one of those World's Craziest Police Car Chases shows on TruTV. Man, I love those shows. Mostly because the announcer guy thrives on puns and hyperbole. And he always ends each chase (after the car thieves are inevitably caught) with something like, "On that long stretch of Atlanta highway, these crooks found out just what happens when the devil goes down to Georgia."
At any rate, it's good that I've got the comfort thing nailed down because...
OMG IT'S GOING TO SNOW TOMORROW AAAAHHHHHHH
I'm just trying to give you a general taste of the terror and excitement building around the proposed TWO INCHES we might get here in the next day or so. All of you living above the Mason-Dixon can laugh, but this is big stuff here in Alabama. (Apparently also in Tennessee, as this mom blogger from Nashville so perfectly describes the general atmosphere. I swear, she could be talking about my hometown.) I think the hysteria is mostly because the state and local governments don't have good snow-clearing vehicles and none of us know how to drive in snow.
For example: today my boss related the story of when he first started working at our publication. He was driving to work during the Great Blizzard of 93 (I remember schools were closed for a week; I think we had three or four inches) and found himself behind a city truck. He was glad, figuring he'd be driving newly-cleared roads as long as he stayed behind it.
What it actually was: a large dump truck hauling a gigantic pile of salt. Two men were in the back of the truck, kicking salt onto the road with their boots as the truck drove along. This is what passed for "salting the roads" back then in North Alabama. I've got my fingers crossed that our technology has improved.
In case I'm snowed in with no power for the next month on account of the upcoming Snow Storm 2010, I'd love to know: what are your favorite comfy things?
You know what has helped? I mean, not a lot, but a little bit? Two of the most comforting things I can think of: Snuggies and bad reality TV.
JB and I got each other Snuggies for Christmas (his is blue and mine is pink). It's the most-used present either of us got this year.
I love my pink Snuggie. Momerath likes it, too, evidenced by the fact that she slept in my lap FOUR TIMES this week. And only while I was wearing it. This is a new record for our more standoffish cat. I would provide pics, but the Snuggie falls under the Guilty Pleasure heading and the Internet has a long memory. I don't think I'd want pics of me in all my Snuggie glory resurfacing one day when I'm 45 and running for City Council or something.
Not that I'm planning on running for City Council. Though the local elections of 2028 could be exciting...
For bad reality TV, I watched The Bachelor on Monday night. Even better would have been one of those World's Craziest Police Car Chases shows on TruTV. Man, I love those shows. Mostly because the announcer guy thrives on puns and hyperbole. And he always ends each chase (after the car thieves are inevitably caught) with something like, "On that long stretch of Atlanta highway, these crooks found out just what happens when the devil goes down to Georgia."
At any rate, it's good that I've got the comfort thing nailed down because...
OMG IT'S GOING TO SNOW TOMORROW AAAAHHHHHHH
I'm just trying to give you a general taste of the terror and excitement building around the proposed TWO INCHES we might get here in the next day or so. All of you living above the Mason-Dixon can laugh, but this is big stuff here in Alabama. (Apparently also in Tennessee, as this mom blogger from Nashville so perfectly describes the general atmosphere. I swear, she could be talking about my hometown.) I think the hysteria is mostly because the state and local governments don't have good snow-clearing vehicles and none of us know how to drive in snow.
For example: today my boss related the story of when he first started working at our publication. He was driving to work during the Great Blizzard of 93 (I remember schools were closed for a week; I think we had three or four inches) and found himself behind a city truck. He was glad, figuring he'd be driving newly-cleared roads as long as he stayed behind it.
What it actually was: a large dump truck hauling a gigantic pile of salt. Two men were in the back of the truck, kicking salt onto the road with their boots as the truck drove along. This is what passed for "salting the roads" back then in North Alabama. I've got my fingers crossed that our technology has improved.
In case I'm snowed in with no power for the next month on account of the upcoming Snow Storm 2010, I'd love to know: what are your favorite comfy things?
Monday, December 28, 2009
Steampunk
I've always liked the steampunk aesthetic. I even have my very own steampunkish old-pocketwatch-locket-necklace thanks to my sis, who found one on Etsy.
But I've only just started reading steampunk (though I did read the His Dark Materials trilogy in college, which sort of counts). One of my Christmas presents from JB this year was Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. I read nearly 1/4 of it yesterday - very swashbuckling. I like it so far.
A few months ago, I gobbled up Gail Carriger's Soulless - light and fluffy, but a really fun read. I saw a review of it a while back and fell in love with, of all things, the cover:
Something about the punky 80s font juxtaposed with the gothic victorian lady with the menacing hat and umbrella is genius. Also the tagline is irrisitibly cheeky: "A novel of vampires, werewolves and parasols."
Maybe I should have prefaced all of this by saying that I'm not a big fan of paranormal. But for some reason the pseudo-historical aspect of traditional steampunk is enough to make vampires (Soulless) and zombies (Boneshaker) much more appealing to me.
Though I got lots of good books for Christmas I should be reading, I'd love to hear any other steampunk recommendations you've got.
Just for funsies, a few other links:
I've followed The Steampunk Home blog for a while - the blog author finds lots of neat design and decor pieces. Some are over the top but lots are easy to incorporate into your home. I'm in love with this creepy chandelier, BTW:
And if you like playing dress-up, try this cute game where you get to put steampunk clothes on a virtual paper doll. Fun!
But I've only just started reading steampunk (though I did read the His Dark Materials trilogy in college, which sort of counts). One of my Christmas presents from JB this year was Cherie Priest's Boneshaker. I read nearly 1/4 of it yesterday - very swashbuckling. I like it so far.
A few months ago, I gobbled up Gail Carriger's Soulless - light and fluffy, but a really fun read. I saw a review of it a while back and fell in love with, of all things, the cover:
Something about the punky 80s font juxtaposed with the gothic victorian lady with the menacing hat and umbrella is genius. Also the tagline is irrisitibly cheeky: "A novel of vampires, werewolves and parasols."
Maybe I should have prefaced all of this by saying that I'm not a big fan of paranormal. But for some reason the pseudo-historical aspect of traditional steampunk is enough to make vampires (Soulless) and zombies (Boneshaker) much more appealing to me.
Though I got lots of good books for Christmas I should be reading, I'd love to hear any other steampunk recommendations you've got.
Just for funsies, a few other links:
I've followed The Steampunk Home blog for a while - the blog author finds lots of neat design and decor pieces. Some are over the top but lots are easy to incorporate into your home. I'm in love with this creepy chandelier, BTW:
And if you like playing dress-up, try this cute game where you get to put steampunk clothes on a virtual paper doll. Fun!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Christmas, and cat links from days of yore
Like most of you, I'll be on blog hiatus for a few days (like I haven't been already) and will return soon. Meanwhile, our very fat Christmas tree...
...which JB says looks more like a Christmas bush. Weird how those things look so small at the tree farm and then get about 10 times bigger once they reach your living room. It's the magic of Christmas.
Momerath and Orion have stayed out of the tree this year, unlike in years past. Usually Momerath is the culprit, but this year Orion seems like he's been thinking about a trip up the tree.
Also no wise men were decapitated by falling trees this year. It's a season of miracles.
I hope your Christmas is merry and bright. See you in the new year.
...which JB says looks more like a Christmas bush. Weird how those things look so small at the tree farm and then get about 10 times bigger once they reach your living room. It's the magic of Christmas.
Momerath and Orion have stayed out of the tree this year, unlike in years past. Usually Momerath is the culprit, but this year Orion seems like he's been thinking about a trip up the tree.
Also no wise men were decapitated by falling trees this year. It's a season of miracles.
I hope your Christmas is merry and bright. See you in the new year.
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