How to Produce a Book Tour
Absolute Necessities for Booking Events Without a Literary Agent
Jun 8, 2009
Many authors, lacking the proper training, or representation, do not possess the tools to promote their work properly.
It is for this reason, among others, that those who wish to be able to get into venues to sell their work are not able to.
For those authors who sincerely wish to get their work onto more shelves in more bookstores, the first step is ensuring an understanding of what is necessary.
Map Out a Radius of Bookstores
The first step in producing a book tour is figuring out just how far one can go. Authors must be very conscious of budgets concerning time and money.
After a radius is decided – be it 50 or 500 miles from home – the best place to start is nearby. Using a search engine of choice, authors will find themselves pleasantly surprised by the amount of independent bookstores that are within the local area.
A list should be made with phone numbers and any names that are available of managers or event coordinators. The first store on the list should be the one that is the shortest distance from the author's home.
Prepare for Phone Calls and Have Promotional Materials Ready
It is not wise to head into sales calls (or cold calls, as these are) without any type of preparation.
The first thing an author should know is who he or she is calling. When contacting an independent store, it is appropriate to ask for the manager or owner. When calling a large chain store, the manager or event coordinator should be requested.
The phone call should feel natural. Although it is true that these stores hold the distance between authors and the public, the presence of an author signing books attracts certain clientele to purchase books they would not have otherwise, namely the author's. Bookstores and authors are of mutual benefit to one another.
An author must remember this so as to be confident and comfortable on the phone with store managers when informing them that he or she is setting down dates for a book tour, and would like to know if their stores schedule author events, such as book signings or readings. Authors must be prepared to name dates they are available and times they prefer to be in the store. This is where one must be conscious of other schedules, such as that of family or work.
Call the Stores and Promote Ahead of Time
One mistake some authors make is contacting libraries. While it is true that libraries have events like this, the facts are that libraries do not sell books; bookstores sell books. An event at a library should be taken if offered, but pursuing this route as a primary basis for promotion is a big mistake.
Many store managers will need to see an author's work before being able to commit to an event. For this reason, authors should always have a personal stock of 50-100 copies of their own book on hand, both for mailing and for events where they are asked to bring their own books to sell.
Additionally, an author should have some type of artwork to send ahead of the event. A good example is a large poster for stores to hang in their window. The purpose is not only to alert consumers of the event that is coming, but for customers on the day of the event so that they are prepared to possibly meet an author that day.
A great source of free promotion is the paper local to the area of the event. All papers have a "Happenings" section. This will alert people of the event who are looking for something to do.
Sell the Book to Everyone Passing by
For many artists, it is difficult to shake hands and approach people about buying their book.
The cold hard facts about the book business is that if no one knows who an author is, they are not going to find out unless told, and who better for the introduction than the author himself?
People tend to respond in kind to how they are addressed. Knowing this, an author should be prepared to smile and say hello to everyone who passes. In addition to this, a good method of conversation is to ask 'do you like fiction?' for those selling fiction, or 'do you like biographies?' for those selling bios. Regardless of a customer's answer, a sale can always be made for their personal enjoyment, or as a gift for another.
The only other option is to sit and wait for customers to approach about a book they don't know about by an author they've never heard of.
Don't Forget to Show Gratitude to Those Who Give Opportunity
Following the event, drop a thank you card in the mail for the manager or event coordinator. This will go a long way as many authors do not use this practice. The authors who do this will stand out and may be invited back, even if they do not have a new book for the next event.
The breakdown of this business of selling books is that authors must be prepared to be like businessmen. They need to know where they are going to go as opposed to hoping the art will simply take them somewhere.
The next step is to prepare for the contacts with the bookstores, then making the contacts with confidence and professionalism. Once in the store, an author should give off an appearance of being happy to meet people to talk about his work.
These simple steps are the keys that will unlock the doors that appear to be closed in the book business. Without them, an author will find it much more difficult to accomplish any goals that involve promoting and selling his work.
Christopher Pascale produced a 25 event book tour in 2008 for his novel,Manson
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