When I published my first book, Desire Path, in late 2020, we were well into the pandemic, so in-person events were rare if not non-existent. In fact, I don’t recall if I had the chance to do anything in-person. All my readings were online, which I was grateful for because I really wanted to read from my first book!
Fast forward to this past spring with a debut novel set to publish, I started to think about author visits at bookstores. I’d seen other writers do this and I wondered if this could be a path for me as well.
First a few things to set the stage. One thing that may be surprising for people who aren’t published writers is how beyond the joy and torture of writing, editing and publishing books, authors are often also their own publicists and business managers. At least that’s how it’s been for me. In fact, once you receive a contract from a publisher, there is often a document that the writer must fill out called something innocuous like “author questionaire.” In this questionaire, among many other things, are questions related to your so-called marketing platform. In this section, the questions seek to understand if you have any networks, channels or special opportunities that may help connect your books to readers.
Well, let’s just say, when I got to this section of the questionaire, I felt a sense of overwhelm and a cold dose of reality trickling over me. What became clear was that between the pandemic, having two kids, changing jobs, moving up the highway to the edge of the Lower Mainland that I was a bit…alone and without many marketing opportunities.
I was able to skirt around this fact until one day in the new year an email came from my publisher asking me for a list of the book activities I planned to do, so it was time to roll up my sleeves and get serious.
This is what I did:
#1. Set some goals for myself
Once I got over the mortification that I lacked anything near a marketing platform, I got down to work to create one. As a communications and public engagement pro by day, I knew I needed to start by creating a basic strategy for myself. I’ve found that when faced with the feeling of being overwhelmed, it’s best to think about what I do have. In this case, it was communications, engagement and marketing skills.
A central part of my strategy were my goals. What did I want from this book? What did I want to do? Once I took time to think about this, I was able to create five goals that felt authentic to me and ones that I felt driven to accomplish.
Taking the time to set goals is time well spent before diving into the strategies and tactics of how you’re going to get there.
#2. Drafted my pitch
“Author bookstore visits” was one of the tactics outlined in my marketing strategy. One of the first things I did was make a list of all the bookstores that I might like to visit, starting with my favourites first. Once I had the list, I drafted a pitch email. While most of the emails took somewhat of the same form, I personalized each of them and that ended up being a good strategy.
In my email, I introduced myself, I shared a link to my book in their catalogue, and shared that I’d love to visit their store sometime in the spring. I also attached a poster that outlined a few more highlights about the book (see a sample in this post).
I heard back from most of the bookstores I contacted and pretty much all except one was a good fit. The one I decided not to work with wanted me to consign my book in her shop, which I wasn’t into because The Very Good Best Friend is distributed by the lovely people at Literary Press Group of Canada. Oh well!
The other stores were a go…and then I was onto promotion.
#3. Promotion, promotion, promotion
Once I had the visits booked, the self-doubt sank in. What if no one came? What if people just walked by without engaging with me? I didn’t think anyone would be making a viral video of me sitting lonely in a bookstore…so it was back to work for me. Just like writing, editing and publishing, getting the visits booked was only half the job, the next thing I needed to turn my attention to was promotion.
While the bookstore will use their channels to get the word out about the event, such as the events page on their website, in-store posters, newsletters and social media, an author should extend the efforts by using their own channels as well. If you have friends or family in the community where the bookstore resides, this is a good time to reach out to them and invite them to the event.
Here’s what I did:
- Added the events to my website
- Shared them on my social media
- Visited the bookstore beforehand to capture content for an authentic promo (see video below)
- Reached out to friends and family near by inviting them to the event
#4. Prepared for the day
The bookstores I worked with would set up the table, chairs, and tablecloth. They would also have the books there–this is a big one. I checked in with both of my contacts a few days before the event to make sure we had everything in order.
When it comes to curating your table, keep in mind the size. At one of my events, the table was a luxurious 6 feet, and at another one it was a small garden table. They both had my books on them and that’s what mattered to me most.
A few things I had with me:
- Pens! I had a couple of nice pens to use to sign the books
- Water bottle, coffee, and treats for the readers and the booksellers
- Book displays to prop up the book so it’s easy to see
- Small posters with easy-to-read features about the book
- A cute “Reading Room” sign (you can see it in the very first photo in this post)
- My journal (to keep myself busy during down times)
- A plan to share Stories on my meta accounts to keep the promotion going
#5. Created speaking notes
While I wasn’t speaking from a script, it helped to have a few things in mind when people came by the table. Remember, most of them didn’t know me and didn’t know my book. I had less than 30 seconds to engage them. Having a few conversation starters really helped!
Of course one of the main things you need to rehearse is what your book is about – what’s the hook!
For The Very Good Best Friend, it was a variation of this:
The Very Good Best Friend is psychological thriller about a woman who sets out on a journey to rescue her best friend who has dropped everything to join a secret intentional community run out of an abandoned, desolate mall in the countryside. As she gets closer, the she uncovers deeper and darker secrets hidden within its decaying walls.
It worked!
#6. Enjoyed the moment
Once the visits got into full swing, I enjoyed myself. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to visit a bookstore with your very own book. I have to say, it was pretty cool!
#7. Thank you’s and wrap ups
My author visits to date have taken place in independent bookstores. This are places I love and am happy to support. I always made sure to thank the hosts and to share a few parting shots on my social as an expression of my gratitude.
A final word
I enjoyed doing this round of author visits, but I will say that they do take time. As a writer who works full time and has a young family, I had to be selective about how many I booked for myself as I had to factor in the travel, the time, and the preparation & promotional work. All in all it was a good experience.
As I get ready to promote my next book, I look forward to organizing a few more author visits then!