The readership of a student-run newspaper may be small compared to the potential circulation of a major-market daily newspaper. But advertisers are finding college newspapers, according to this Newsweek article. So if students are potential buyers for your book, and they may be interested in your media messages, why not pitch the appropriate beat editor (or editors) at student newspapers in the same markets as the dailies you're targeting?
You can compile a pretty good starter list of college newspapers by using Yahoo. Begin at Yahoo, then drill down to News and Media, and then to College and University, and then to Newspapers. Or just click here. You'll then be asked to click on "region" (under Top Categories), and then click on "country" and, assuming you've selected the U.S., you'll then be asked to select a "state." You can then click on "Complete List" to find hyperlinks for the college newspapers in that state. You'll then have to go to the college newspapers' Web sites, one at a time, to harvest the contact information. Send off your pitch just the same as you would if you were contacting any other editor, and conduct the same thorough follow-up.
Is it worth the time and energy? It can be, if you have the right information to share with 17- to 21-year-old college students. They're taking their newspapers seriously these days. If you're taking your book seriously, too, then perhaps there's a good match -- and it may be one publicity opportunity that other authors and publishers are overlooking.
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