“Charming the Bookseller”
POSTED BY prbythebook ON November 20, 2012
Here at PR by the Book it feels like we’ve been chatting more and more about author events. This is mostly because we’re fresh off of a book tour with Nisa Burns author of Kitchenability 101, but we’ve also been talking about it’s role for authors during the information age when audiences are inundated with messages.
One of our team members recently came across a great article that shares book tour experiences from several writers and publicists. A quote in the comments section really helped drive home a point we try to make with authors about the role of these events:
“Authors should realize that there is one important purpose for any reading: Charming the bookseller. These people have far more potential influence over the success of your book than any publicity outlet.”
Dylan Tomine, author of Closer to the Ground had a positive testimony that relates to this statement. When he arrived at Diesel Bookstore for a reading he received a warm welcome and an enthusiastic introduction from the store. The event was overwhelmingly positive because the bookseller believed in Dylan and his book. On top of it all, the crowd was a great size and Dylan saw lots of book sales. At the end of it all he was able to leave some books behind with the store and has established a valuable connection for future sales.
Event experiences can be far from perfect, however. It’s important to realize all of the factors that come together to help create a successful event:
- Location – Is it a popular spot, easy to access, and where your audience is?
- Timing – Is it scheduled for a time when people are likely to be available? Will other popular events conflict?
- Promotion – Is it being shared? Are your venue and partners helping you get the word out?
- Value added – Are you giving your audience a good enough reason to come?
It is a unique balance of these things that make an event a success and the optimal combination will vary for each author. It’s also important to remember factors that are out of your control (and to keep your cool if they interfere): weather, traffic, unhelpful event hosts, etc.
Nisa prepares a quick dish while customers peruse her book. Ah, the added value of a good bite to eat.
A note on adding value – get creative! What can you do to make your event interesting; a little different; cutting edge. Take our recent tour with Kitchenability 101, a cookbook for college students, for example. A cookbook is the perfect opportunity to offer your audience a little taste of your book…literally. Nisa offered a cooking demo, but to help make her events a even more interactive, she invited volunteers to participate in the cooking demo. When she did this at her event at Cornish College of the Arts, the audience was singing her praises…literally (they were theater students after all).
“Life is what you make of it,” is a common adage and I think applies to author events as well. Do your best to make an event positive. It’s really easy to get caught up in the pressure of making as many book sales as possible, but you never know who you’ll convert into a fan or brand ambassador (hopefully it’s the bookseller).
So prep well, and turn up the charm!
Tags: authors, Book Tour, Events
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