If you've lived in other cities, you may have noticed that Milwaukee seems to get more than its share of authors compared to some similar-sized towns in the Midwest. While it is true that a strong, event-driven independent can make a difference, and our proximity to Chicago doesn't hurt, there are other factors at play. It's my thought that one reason is our media is very good and is interested in authors and what they have to say. We are very lucky to have the Journal Sentinel Book Page, Wisconsin Public Radio (including Milwaukee's Kathleen Dunn), Morning Blend, and several other weeklies like Shepherd Express and web magazines like OnMilwaukee.com and Urban Milwaukee that regularly cover our events.But today it is my day to give a shout out to Milwaukee Public Radio, 89.7 and Lake Effect in particular. There are few public radio shows out there that give a regular voice not just to topical nonfiction, but also to novels and even kids' books, and that's on top of everything else they cover. Their plate is indeed full.
One thing we always hear from both publicists and authors alike is that when Lake Effect does an interview, they always do a great job. I was a publicist many years ago and it was not unusual for my authors to get to an interview and for the host to inadvertently let out that they really didn't know what the author's book was about. Not only do Mitch and Bonnie and company know the books and authors they interview, they've usually read the book thoroughly. It isn't unusual to hear an author say, "That's a great question, and nobody has ever asked me that before."
So today I'm going on Lake Effect to chat with Mitch and remind everyone how important the station and the show is to Milwaukee. I'm a member of WUWM and we underwrite there as well. Hope you consider the same, and not to suck up to you or anything, but it would be really great to pledge during my appearance.
(I took a blog break so I could catch up with event booking. I'm hoping to fill in the gaps today).
No comments:
Post a Comment