The Art of the Book Tour
POSTED BY prbythebook ON September 2, 2011
by Emily Southard
From the extreme to the subdued, how do you tour?
The Extremes: I’ve heard rumors about Chuck Palahniuk’s book tours. The writer is well known for his novels of socially taboo characters and violent content. His most famous work, Fight Club, ends in the almost suicide of a schizophrenic protagonist while an entire city is blown to bits by anarchists. But of course, we aren’t supposed to talk about Fight Club. What is unusual or extreme about Palahniuk’s tours are the methods he uses to involve his audience.
The author has been rumored to leave putrid meat below foldout chairs in packed bookstores while reciting from his novel, Rancid. The audience is left unaware until one brave soul peers below their seat. On the tour for his novel, Snuff, blowup dolls were given to fans to be inflated and then tossed in the air.
These are simply rumors. Eyewitness accounts from friends- perhaps embellishing, who swear the tour had elements of the peculiar, to give the fans a heightened sense of connection to the work and the author’s sense of humor.
The Subdued: Fantasy, science fiction and feminist author, Margaret Atwood does not rely on gimmicks when she tours. Not to dig at the authors that do. Atwood’s calm demeanor and quickness of wit provide more than enough entertainment.
During a reading from her futuristic dystopian novel, The Year of the Flood, she gleefully told her audience to rest assured this novel will “end cheerier than Hamlet.” The only smell you catch is the espressos from bookstore cafes. And despite the lack of giveaway dolls, fans leave with a signed copy and a feeling of an afternoon well spent.
You: Add pizazz to your tour if you’re a new author with a book that has room for fantasy or humor. For instance a new YA gothic vampire novelist could suggest dimmer lights and that plastic fangs be left on the fan’s chairs. Play to your audience, while attracting new fans to join in your literary party.
Or, keep it subdued if you feel the subject matter does not call for gimmicks. Rely on your words and engage your fans in the same cordial and witty manner Margaret Atwood does. Remember, how you choose to tour is ultimately up to you. Be confident and comfortable with your words, your fans will appreciate the sincerity. After all, they came to support you!
Tags: book publicity, Book Tour, Chuck Palahniuk, Margaret Atwood
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