"Life is a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all." ~Helen Keller
Since INSIDE went live last May, I’ve been living an unconventional whirlwind book tour—and loving every minute of it. My travels have taken me throughout the U.S. (including Alaska) with a smattering of stops in beautiful British Columbia. I’ve shared my stories and images in bookstores, libraries, theaters, clubhouses, colleges, brew pubs, adventure shops, indoor archery ranges and performing arts centers. One of my most memorable speaking events was held along the banks of the Hudson River in upstate New York. My hosts, a local paddling shop, had set up a makeshift outdoor theatre. A crimson sunset, sweltering heat and swarming mosquitoes were all part of the mix!
I’ve also attended a fair amount of other author’s events, trying to glean tips and tricks on how to keep listeners enthralled and interested in your book. I’ve learned that gone are the days where an author simply reads, opens the floor to Q&A, and then signs books. (Can you say YAWN FEST?) Audiences crave engagement, and, as an author I not only want them to leave with my book in their hands, but also with vivid memories in their minds.
And now I have the opportunity to share my experiences with other kindred spirits at the Chanticleer Authors Conference taking place this weekend, March 31-April 2! Therefore, the rest of this blog will speak to my author peeps.
-Is your book’s unveiling looming excitedly on the horizon?
-Or are you deep in the throes of promoting a recent release—but feel like you’re spinning your wheels?
-Or maybe you’re just curious how to get the best bang for your take-over-the-world-book tour campaign.
Just as there’s so much more to being an author than “simply writing a book,” there’s so much more to a book tour than contacting a few bookstores. Whether you are self-published or traditionally published, write fiction on non-fiction, you’ll be sure to pick up some priceless tips and tricks to launch your own kick-ass book tour.
You didn’t write your book, pour out your heart, and create interesting characters, plots and themes just to make money, right? I’m assuming you (also) wrote your book to share your passion, spread your message, and tell your story. Indubitably, the next step is about making connections and building relationships—essentially finding your TRIBE!
This session will help participants wrap their brain around who their audience truly is, where the best venues are to secure those audiences, and once that audience is all under one roof—how to invite them to come into your book. We’ll brainstorm ways to find your audience, organize and present a killer book tour (and not go broke doing it), set the mood, engage and dazzle your audience, and more. We’ll also discuss ways to generate clever promotions and land the venues you want.
I look forward to meeting all of you at CAC17 and sharing ideas on how to get a leg up on your book tour competition!
