Book Tour Adventures-Depending on the Kindness of Friends and Strangers…

As my book tour for my new novel, The Cairo Codex, began in Seattle on August 21^st, I began a rapid course in the process and rewards of the undertaking. This post will continue tomorrow with The Road to Taos. In the meantime, here is what I’ve learned so far.

Before undertaking the expense and time for a book tour, ask yourself:

-Is it a good investment of monies? If you have a host for lodging, perhaps. The jury is still out here for me—will let you know as we go along.

-Can you accumulate an assortment of loyal friends and relatives as the basis of a crowd? This is essential.

-Does the bookstore in question advertise well? (Barnes and Noble             advertises only inside the store.) Book Passage in Corte Madera, has an active on-line magazine. Books Inc., Opera Square, in San Francisco advertises in the  San Francisco Chronicle.

-Can you rely on “the kindness of strangers,” as proposed by Blanche in Streetcar Named Desire, to supplement loyal friends? After all, your loyal gathering would probably have bought your novel anyway.

-Are you leaving signed books behind that will be well displayed?

-Will you create a sincere relationship with your host who will then promote  your work?

I’m speaking at Skylight Books in Los Angeles at 7:30 tonight, so I’ll have more to report tomorrow.

Linda

This entry was posted on Monday, September 30th, 2013 at 9:39 am and is filed under Book Tour, Family, Fiction, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.