Going Dutch
It is not unusual for a PR professional to write a book about PR. But it is unusual for a PR professional to write a book on how the Netherlands fought to preserve its Pacific
colonial holdings in the face of Japanese aggression during World War II.
The author in question is Tom Womack, vice president of media relations at Levenson & Brinker Public Relations in Dallas, and his book is "The Dutch Naval Air Force
Against Japan: The Defense of the Netherlands East Indies, 1941-1942" (published by McFarland). It is an esoteric subject, to be certain, and Womack wants to publicize
this history episode further.
"Most people aren't aware of it," says Womack. "There's not a whole lot about the subject in English; it's mostly in Dutch, obviously because of the subject matter. But Dutch
is not a widely spoken language and it makes this kind of an obscure topic."
Womack's explains his fascination with the subject began in his youth. "The idea of Holland fighting Japan is not something you normally think of," he admits.
Yet the Dutch had a significant presence in the Pacific Rim - the Netherlands East Indies is today's Indonesia - and the small European kingdom's ability to control this
colonial outpost on the other side of the world utterly fascinates Womack. "A country with seven million people ruled an empire of 100 million-plus, and this was created way back
during the age of sail," he notes.
Womack's book was written on-and-off during an 11-year period, and it took him two years to get the book picked up for release (20 publishers turned it down). The book was
originally released in February and sold out its first print run of 300 copies; a second printing recently kept up the demand.
So how does this relate to Womack's PR work? Internally and externally, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
"Reaction at the office was pretty good," he reports. "Three people here actually bought the book. My clients heard about it and they are all excited. They're all saying:
'Hey, congratulations! Way to go!'"
Womack is already working on his second book, this time focusing on the Dutch land and naval campaigns in the Pacific during World War II. He's already 80% done on that
project.
Contact:
Tom Womack, [email protected].