Author Lauren Orsini’s new book gives aspiring geek journalists and bloggers the tools they need to get serious about reporting.
You can name every Pokémon, detail the differences between the dubbed and subbed version of Naruto, and split hairs over the chronology of The Avengers‘ roster, but how do you turn that fan passion into journalism? Released today, Lauren Orsini’s new book, Otaku Journalism: A Guide to Geek Reporting in the Digital Age, provides an instructional guide to reporting on fandom and internet pop culture. “Personalized for the geek who wants to get serious about reporting, this book covers specific topics in the field of subculture and fandom journalism,” says Orsini. “From building a beat to covering events to interviewing your heroes, Otaku Journalism is a step by step guide to achieving your dreams.”
Otaku roughly translates to “obsessive fan”, and Orsini describes her style of journalism as using your passions to create your reporting beat. Orsini has written for ReadWrite, CNN, Forbes, Kotaku, PBS, the Daily Dot, and other outlets, and has been blogging about fan journalism for four years at Otaku Journalist. Otaku Journalism: A Guide to Geek Reporting in the Digital Age began as digital journalism guides on Orsini’s blog, which have been collected, improved, and expanded for the book.
“As far as I know, Otaku Journalism is the ONLY journalism textbook for aspiring fan reporters,” says Orsini on Otaku Journalist. “Unlike my own college journalism textbook, it doesn’t just reluctantly add a section about “computer assisted reporting.” It assumes, like every modern journalist ought to, that this is the age of digital journalism, and our reporting methods and our pop culture story topics should both reflect that.” The book provides tutorials, tools for modern reporting, Orsini’s own experiences reporting on anime and fandom, and illustrative fictional stories about otaku journalists. Otaku Journalism: A Guide to Geek Reporting in the Digital Age is now available from Amazon as an ebook for $5.99, and can be read on any device with a Kindle app.
Source: Otaku Journalist
