Speaking of HARO and Haiti

In my last post I praised an online service called Help a Reporter, and no sooner had I pushed the “Publish” button on that post when I was contacted by a New York reporter for my comments on the self-publishing industry who also found me — or I found her — thanks to HARO.

Naturally, I have a lot of things to say on the topic of self-publishing, and was only too happy to provide her with some publishing success stories when she asked.  Like, most recently, Mr. Craig Juntunen, author of Both Ends Burning: My Story of Adopting Three Children from Haiti. 

In the wake of the catastrophe in Haiti, Mr. Juntunen’s book has led to numerous radio and television interviews, increasing awareness of not only his book, but also his noble efforts at Chances for Children where Mr. Juntunen is the Chairman.

I called Craig yesterday to ask how Outskirts Press could help him.  We weren’t alone.  The NBA basketball team Phoenix Suns were already parterning with Craig and Chances for Children, and Craig alluded to some preliminary interest from both the Oprah and Larry King camps.

Mr. Juntunen published a book with Outskirts Press to share an inspiring message with the world.  He is well on his way and his royalties go toward his cause.   Let’s all support his efforts and the on-going relief efforts by making a donation either at the American Red Cross or through the Chances for Children website.

Help a Reporter Out

Help a Reporter Out at www.helpareporter.com is precisely the kind of site all business-people and authors should know about. Last week I had a great interview with the editor of Celebrity Parent magazine about Adventures in Publishing and Outskirts Press. This lead came entirely from HARO.  In fact, it came from a HARO request I replied to in February of 2009.  Yes,  nearly a year later the editor contacted me for an interview! And what a wonderful and gracious person she was.

What’s the moral of that story? The Internet provides you with the means to cast as many fishing lines as possible into the virtual sea.  You never know when you’re going to get a bite. But, to paraphrase Gretzky’s great quote — one of my favorites in case you can’t tell — you are guaranteed to miss 100% of the fish you don’t go after.