Do you
have a book? Then you can have a book tour! It doesn’t need to be any more
complicated than that. Some will tell you it’s a waste of time. While it is
true that most things are done online nowadays, I believe it’s more important
than ever to be out there in person, sharing your book with the world. How else
will people know you and your mission personally? The amazing conversations you
have with readers, fellow writers and the smiles are all icing on the cake.
Writing can be a lonely endeavor at times and being out there allows you put
all of your hard work into perspective. And the cherry on top: free market
research! Ask someone working at a bookstore what the hottest new books are, or
watch your target reader and see how they navigate the shelves. That is all
information you did not have before. It’s not about becoming an overnight
success, it’s each successful day along the way. The challenge: selling as many
books as you can at each stop. You might never feel like you are selling
enough, however, what you get is information and learning, more than you ever
could sitting at home or online. The most important part is progress -
momentum. Remember this in all your creative endeavours: people want to get onto
a moving train. Let me now outline some of the steps that will help you in
getting your train started. I hope it helps you take that next step!
The
Vision
The first
thing you need to do is imagine your book tour and what you want
it to be. Listen to your gut instinct and don’t rule anything out. Factor in
time for yourself and make it just long enough to leave you wanting more. For
some, this could mean taking a full year to peddle their book across the
country. For others, this could be one event a week over a period of 6 months.
For others still, maybe 10 bookstores in 10 days. Once your vision is created,
that is what will help you sell the idea. People will feel you getting excited
and will want to be on board. You’ll be the biggest party in town! Go to places
that excite you, to places you’ve never been before, and even places you don’t
want to go. Sometimes this resistance is exactly what you need to push through,
to reach to the next level.
The Call
I am not
talking about the call of the wild, but an actual phone call. Don’t think about
it, just do it. We live in a time where we readily have access to copious
amounts of information. Look up the phone number of bookstores near and far and
call them (it’s free!). Don’t take any of these things for granted. The store
managers you are calling want to say yes. They love you. They are probably as
excited as you are, about having a new author at their store. Get a few no’s!?
Good! That means you are heading in the right direction. You’ll feel even
better when the next store you call is interested. If you’re the script sort
here it is:
(smile: it comes through over the phone) “Hi I’m {name} author
of {book name}. I was wondering who I would speak to about doing a book
signing event. *gets person* “Hello there {say their name}. I’m
{name} and I’m excited to be organizing a book tour! We’re looking to book
{# of events} in {location} for the {insert tour name- makes it
sound official}. We’ve already booked {insert stores booked already-
remember moving train} and we’d love to have you on board. *wait,
listen, really focus on the person you are talking to*
Final
note: give them a date and time. If your vision is clear, you’ll know where
they fit into your schedule. You’re not doing anyone favours by giving them an
open calendar (it screams unprepared!) Also, have a backup date and time
available, and if it doesn’t work out you still have a contact person for
future tours. I always ask myself “How can I make this call fun?” before
it’s made. Maybe you want to get an iced tea and sit on the patio with your
legs up, GREAT! Life is about enjoying. Don’t just exist, THRIVE…. Oh, and at
the end of the calls you’ll have a book tour.
The
Preparation
This is
where you use your writing and creativity skills to think of unique ways to
advertise your events. I’m a bit old school when it comes to this: we put up
these posters around where my events were taking place. There’s a multitude of
ways to spread the word: internet advertising boards, local newspapers, your
own website *hint-hint, nudge-nudge*, word of mouth, social media blitz
including ‘what’s going on in {insert city}’ facebook group, book tour trailer.
Anything and everything you think of, it will get people’s attention. We did
t-shirts and colouring pages because it felt fun. Again, you have a style and a
way you like to do things. That’s what makes you who you are, and the reason
your book will sell a bazillion copies on your tour! Don’t forget to use your
contacts: do you know anyone who is a news reporter? A school teacher or
principal? Someone who advertises for their job/company? Ask for all the help
you can!
There is
also the question of whether to do paid advertising. You have to believe that
anything you put in, you will get out. Sometimes these dividends take time to
materialize. Decide on a budget. Be true to where you are at in your career and
what you can realistically afford. My challenge here for you is to take what I
call a “50-year approach”. Look at your career long-term and see how
everything you do will help your career. Without a doubt, you know you will get
where you need to go. It also allows the small mistakes and mishaps to be
learning experiences, instead of career altering events. At the end, you only
get one shot at each tour stop. Imagine yourself, sitting in that author chair
on the day of the event, with less people than you wanted walking around. Think
to yourself, “What more could have I done to advertise this event better?”
Give, give, give, it all comes back in time.
The Event
and Beyond
This is
where the fun begins! Notice the excitement, the fear, the worry, the
butterflies! These are all positive feelings. They mean growth in your career
and increasing book sales. Don’t feel anything? I challenge you to build
bigger- build something that scares you! Do the craziest thing you can think
of! Here you are, in a new bookstore and/or city. You’ve already won!
You’re a working, traveling author, you are a professional. Your only
job now is to be present, be yourself. People want to see your book succeed.
They’ll even give you feedback directly, listen and weigh it. Try talking to as
many people as you can. When you go home at the end of the tour, I guarantee
you it won’t be the number of books you sold you think about. It will be the small
moments and smiles along the way. It will be conversation that gave you your
next great idea, the motivation you got from someone else, these are the things
that will remind you why you write in the first place. And the book
recommendations 😊!
Ultimately, we’re all readers. It’s only being in the arena where you can learn
and make adjustments. It does take a lot to put yourself out there, I don’t
discount that, but it’s real. Take note of people’s names, make as many
contacts as you can. Look at who publishes your favourite books in that genre
and send them an email. Motivate people on their journey, tell people why you
think your book is the coolest and why they should buy it! (Prepare a quick
elevator pitch if you haven’t already and begin with your mission)
Also,
take personal notes: what could we have done to improve in this location? What
could we have brought? What worked? What didn’t work? Failing is not a tragedy,
but failing to learn from it is. Take note on a deeper level, is this your
thing? What part of the tour were you most excited by? Do you want to do more
of these? How many should you do? Do you prefer reading and school visits? Be
TRUE to yourself. This is all information you have now because you took the
initiative and made that phone call. When the book tour is over, be sure to Thank
everyone who was involved. They let you into their store and worked hard to
make it possible, you have nothing to be but grateful. These heroes allow you
to be an author.
At the
end of the tour, and most importantly, DON’T STOP. Ride the wave. Sit down and
plan the next one. You are one step closer to the Bestseller List (and if
you’re already there, that’s one more person you shared your work with).
In
closing, you are 100% responsible for how your book performs. 100%. Other
people can help you along your journey but you alone are responsible. A book
tour is a great way to spread your book to a larger audience and share your
gift with the world. I once read that Tom Cruise, at one time the biggest movie
star in the world, has a hand in every single movie he has ever been a part of.
And you’re no Tom Cruise….yet (but those sunglasses you have look cool). The
best way to approach your book tour, and your career in general, is that you
are making it happen. Anything done by others is simply gravy. It is a lot of
work. Seek the advice of professionals when it seems natural to do so, they
want to help. The whole endeavour is rewarding. However, at the end of the day,
you will be surprised by what you are capable of.
Let me be
the first to congratulate you on YOUR book tour. Have any questions?
E-mail me. I mean it, let me know about anything I can do to help you on your
journey. Let me leave you with the best moment of my recent book tour. I’m
teary eyed writing about it! So here goes: A young boy, of about five years,
comes to the table to do some colouring pages I’ve left out. I’m thinking he’ll
just draw some scribbles and be on his way. But instead, he focuses in and
really gets into colouring. I joke with the parents that he’s really enjoying
it. The mom says “Oh, he’ll do the whole thing” and she goes to sit down. As he
is colouring we start talking about why he thinks he’s so good at colouring and
what he wants to do when he grows up (he wanted to be an author, guys!). After
doing a great job colouring, I decide I’m going to give this kid a book. I got
to inscribe it saying “keep following your dreams - hope to work with you one
day.” And then we took a picture together as he smiled. My heart melted. The
fact I get to have moments like this that affect people’s lives is everything.
I have been afforded the chance to follow my mission, which you’ll see in all
my books: “I want to change the world one smile at a time.” What’s your
mission? I guarantee a book tour will help.
THANK YOU FOR READING ☺
Nate Friedman is the Author of
“The Coffee Monster” and “The Last Hockey Fight.” He loves to travel and craves
adventure in his free time. Along with making people smile and laugh, he is
constantly pursuing his dream of being a writer on Saturday Night Live. You can
find out more about his work at www.natetfriedman.com or www.facebook.com/natefriedmanauthor. Thanks again.