The Creative Writer's Survival Guide: Advice from an Unrepentant Novelist

Writing Book Reviews, Op-Eds, and Other Miscellanea to Promote Your Own Book

182 Writing Book Reviews, Op-​ Eds, and Other Miscellanea to Promote Your Own Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I have no evidence to back up this theory, but I suspect that if you review books for a number of newspapers, you’ll increase the odds of getting your own book reviewed in those same pages. Let’s ignore for the moment that the newspaper’s book review section is almost extinct. In fact, by the timeyou’re reading this, it’s quite possible that you’ll be thinking, “Newspapers? What are those? The word sounds familiar.” The larger point here is that when you write for a newspaper or for a website with a readership like Salon’s, what you’re doing is bringing your name to the attention of an editor. Have you ever seen a book review editor’s office? It’s cram-​ packed with new books, and every one is being touted as the Next Great American Novel. How is the editor to choose which ones to review and which ones to ignore? Obviously, Philip Roth, Louise Erdrich, and Jonathan Franzen will get reviewed. But what about that open slot for the writer who isn’t a household name? I suppose my theory may be no more sound than the superstitious gambler who has to wear a certain shirt before heading to the casino, but I would wager that if you write for enough venues, some of those venues will eventually pay out in the form of the editor assigning your book to a reviewer. There are other ways to get on an editor’s radar. Write an op-​ ed that ties into the subject matter of your novel. Remember: Op-​ eds always run a byline, and that byline will mention your new book. Pitch to magazine and newspaper editors article ideas that somehow relate to the broader subject matterof your book. After my novel America’s Report Card came out, I received an e-​ mail from an editor at a top-​ notch magazine asking if I wanted to write an essay about education in America. I probably should have taken the editor up on her offer, but I was too busy at the time, and I really didn’t have much to say beyond the obvious, but I at least now have the editor’s e-​ mail, should I ever be inclined to pitch an article that ties into another book. My novel After the Workshop grew out of my experiences as a media escort. A short nonfiction piece about the inside world of shuttling writers around would be the perfect tie-​ in article. The more ambitious among us would pitch the idea of writing a Publicity 183 column for your local paper. If your local paper is the New York Times, you’re probably out of luck. But if your local paper is the Winston-​ Salem Journal, orany numberof suburban or local arts papers, there’s a good chance an editor will giveyou a shot if you have a strong pitch and irresistible writing sample. And once you start writing a weekly column, you’re creating a platform for yourself, and a good platform, though difficult to establish and getting more difficult by the day, is an invaluable promotional tool for a writer to have. ...