Inside FeatureWorld
Considering selling your true story …? I’ve been asking some of my interviewees why they sold their story to the press…
As Tracy Richardson commented to me recently – after her third photo shoot, “I could get used to this…” Tracy’s story (see Recent Stories) appeared in the Daily Mail, then women’s weekly magazine, Best and finally More, a glossy bi-monthly mag (where her photo shoot took place in a Soho bar…)
In fact, I’m finding many people, having done one feature, are asking me when they can do another… and another!
“Being pampered, having all the attention on you, it is addictive,” agrees Lynda, whose exclusive story is about to appear in a national paper, “I’ve had my hair and make-up done, met some lovely people and really gained a totally different insight into the world of the media. You do feel like a celebrity!”
Another, Julie Young, whose diet story appeared in The Sun, says: “I
always read The Sun so to find I was actually going to be in the
newspaper was like a dream come true. I went on an all-expenses paid
trip to London for a shoot in a studio. I had a great day – it was
certainly an experience and I’m so glad I took the plunge and did it.”
Interestingly, it seems for most people the motivation to be in a feature is rarely money-driven (although no-one I’ve spoken to said getting paid for telling their story wasn’t VERY nice.) So, why do people sell their stories to their press?
“Telling your story is very carthatic,” explains Lynda. “It was the first time I’d ever told my story from beginning to end and had someone just listen. I also found it a chance to tell my family how it was for me – without their interruptions or opinions.
“It was a way of putting the record straight – to tell the nosy neighbours how it really was. And I’m hoping, once this feature is done, that I’ll be able to put what happened behind me and get on with my life.”
And, what’s it like when your story is finally appears in print…?
Rachel Dupree whose story appeared in the Daily Mail and is about to come out in a leading women’s magazine, says: “The night before I hardly slept for butterflies,“ she admits, “my husband Craig was up at the crack of dawn buying up lots of papers. It very exciting.”
(To read Rachel’s story, Laptop Lothario, click here).
Meanwhile, the whole experience can be life-changing. Patricia Beaumont, whose story about how her husband fought cancer, appeared in The Daily Mirror and Real People, was so inspired she decided to write a book.
“It was fantastic to see our story printed in a newspaper and then a magazine,” she recalls. “For the first time I realised just how much Jason and I had achieved. Suddenly I was itching to write myself. The day after it appeared in print I started typing. “
Patricia promises she’ll let me know if her book is finally published. Because when it is, she says she wants to do another feature… well, I did say some interviewees discover selling their story becomes rather addictive…
Ready to sell YOUR story?
Simply contact me at alison@featureworld.co.uk or go to the sell my story form. I’m waiting to hear from you…
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