The Steampunk Explorer is participating in a free virtual conference presented by The Writer’s Workout, a non-profit that provides educational resources and other support for writers.
I contributed two video presentations that can be viewed on YouTube (they’re also embedded below). The first serves as an introduction to steampunk, whereas the second provides an overview of The Steampunk Explorer along with publicity tips for writers in all genres.
I learned about the conference back in September, when I ran a news item about S.E. Reed’s steampunk novel The Darkness of Dying in the Light.
Reed, it turned out, is active in The Writer’s Workout as a community liaison, conference organizer, and producer of a Q&A series focusing on independent writers.
After I sent her a link to the news item, she offered an opportunity to contribute a 30-minute video about the steampunk aesthetic and The Steampunk Explorer. I thought that might be a bit narrow for a general-interest writers’ group, so I suggested a presentation featuring tips on media outreach for authors in general.
I ended up doing both. At first, I thought I could squeeze everything into a single video, but by the time I was finished, I had enough material for two. I recorded the videos in mid- to late January. Both are PowerPoint presentations augmented by photos and video clips.
The first video serves as a quick “Steampunk 101” course, relying heavily on the work of Mike Perschon, aka The Steampunk Scholar. He’s an English professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, and author of the 2018 book Steampunk FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the World of Goggles, Airships, and Time Travel.
The second video begins with an overview of The Steampunk Explorer, including the recent redesign. But most of it could be described as “Publicity 101 for Independent Authors,” summing up best practices for outreach to bloggers, journalists, and other media people in general. Independent creators of all stripes may find it useful.
I’ve never worked full-time as a publicist, but as a journalist, I’ve been on the receiving end of more PR pitches than I can count. In addition, I spent 15 years as the editor of a trade publication for PR professionals. Much of that job involved interviewing other journalists about their work and their interactions with PR folks.
Based on my own experience and all those interviews with colleagues, I can say with some authority that most PR people use the wrong approach when reaching out to journalists. Here, you will learn how to do it right.
