To mention a few things here about persistence would be appropriate. There is a fine line between pestering and simply being professional and following up. In my experience some of the best media coverage that I have had has come about through my providing a professional and detailed media release. That’s the first step. Following up on this is crucial, even just to find out whether the editor has received the press release that you have prepared.
The whole point of attracting media interest is to get your work out there and it is really best to know that your work has been put out there by a sympathetic media, not one which has felt pressured and hassled to the point of distraction, as this will only be reflected in this style in which your article is portrayed. Don’t underestimate how much an editor can turn your information in a way that can actually be quite destructive to your original intention.
I’ll give you an example here of how editorial works in its more darker aspect. I had just won a major prize in Sydney worth $20,000. In regional New South Wales where I live this was big news. Local news people got into contact with me for an interview and during the course of this interview I was asked for how much I usually sell that particular work that I won the prize for. There were many other questions in the interview and I felt overall it was a very positive one.
The following Saturday there was a major article about the prize and the work, which was accompanied on the front page of the newspaper with a headline “Would you pay $20,000 for this work?” Headlining the actual article itself it went on to state in bold letters artist says “I could have sold it for this much anyway”…..
Needless to say I was very surprised and initially quite upset that my words had been twisted around and made to sound as though I was very conceited. I had no idea why the editor decided to do this, as I had not pestered him or done anything to my knowledge it would have caused him to be so derogatory. I just came to the conclusion that in the future I would need to be more careful with what was being said to the media, knowing that it is often in their interests to sensationalize any comments simply to catch reader’s attention.
