Here's some DALL-E-2 art from the prompt 'a man in a cabin surrounded by sharks cinematic lighting.' The resulting image neatly sums up my experience of trying to find professional services on the internet. I like the result and may attempt to evolve this image further.
Today I've been doing more research on PR agencies to help promote my books. So far I've looked at Mogul Press, MindStir Media, Manhattan Book Group, Seacoast Press, Kelley & Hall, Smith Publicity, and Written Word Media. Most of these companies seem focused on services that don't apply to me. More than anything, what I need is media placement. The few companies that offer that service charge upwards of $8,000 for it.
Initially, Mogul Press seemed like they'd be the best fit for my needs. Their prices seemed on the low end and they guaranteed exposure in popular media. So I initiated an email conversation with them a couple of months ago. The responses I received came from email addresses with a different domain than mogulpress.com. One was from a .co.uk, and when I tried to visit this domain, my browser wouldn't let me due to a security risk. So I tried calling Mogul Press on the phone at the number on their website and all I got were hang ups.
All of this seems insane to me. Mogul Press claims they can make me a 'thought leader' and their communication situation isn't even legit. And they were the best company I looked at. I mentioned my research to my dad and he told me emphatically not to give any money to any of these dubious operations. This was probably good advice.
But if the objective is publicity that's otherwise inaccessible to me, what's the alternative? I need people to hear about my books. The cost per click on social media ads begins at one dollar. Outside of direct advertising, the only way to reach wider audiences is through popular media outlets, and a regime of professional gatekeepers controls access to these outlets. Any way you slice it, media access is pricey.
Having already been considering a fundraiser to fund marketing efforts, I'm wondering now about maybe raising funds instead for a bounty system. There might be individuals out there with the connections to get me into top or mid tier publications, or on some cable talk show or whatever. If I offered bounties on my desired results, would anyone try to collect? Maybe, if the figures were high enough.
All of this leaves me feeling a bit disappointed in society. Like, we've got this amazing technology that allows us to communicate with anyone, and we put a terrible army of self-interested sharks in charge of it. Long term, the solution is the expansion of democratized decentralized networks. In the mean time, sadly, doing deals with sharks may be the only way forward.
Fortunately, progress can be made in other areas. I haven't yet systematically contacted all of the scifi bloggers I can find about my books. This task could even turn out to be fun. I can offer bloggers free books to review and possibly find a new blog to like.
Read my novels:
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