In an article in the Arts section, The New York Times featured hotels that are having authors come in and do talks related to their books. This allows road warrior business folk to take have culture brought right to their hotels instead of having to search out such things. It also brings area residents into the hotel, thereby increasing the hotel’s visibility in the community. The authors get to reach a new audience, and one presumes, make a few sales after the event. Everybody wins.

These types of things don’t just apply for non-fiction. Most fiction authors spend time researching and learning about various things as background for their books. These topics make an excellent basis for a talk or event, linked to your book. For my novel, Captain Mary, Buccaneer, a story about a woman pirate captain of the 1700s, I did extensive research on women pirates throughout history (see my webpage on them here) and on pirates in general. I’ve spoken on TV and in seminars about pirates in history many times. And then sold books out of the back of the room.

You may need to learn public speaking, if you don’t already have some training. Most writers are by nature shy. But you can’t sell a book hiding in your office!

Break out of the bookstore mindset. Go where your readers—and those who might be interested in your subject—are. Sit down and make a list of all the types of people who might be interested in your book. Then list where they might be found. On the Internet and social media sites, sure, but where do they actually congregate? And why aren’t you there?

The first step: If you haven’t yet, you should incorporate (S-Corp or LLC). [See my post about the whys and hows of this process here.] This moves your business from a sole proprietorship to a corporate structure, making the business separate from you personally. It also allows you to show the IRS and any other governing body that you are a business, and not just a hobbyist. It’s a good move from a business standpoint, and a good move to position yourself to take advantage of the new health insurance.

The second step: The new HCR bill has the following provisions that you can take advantage of:

For businesses with 10 or fewer employees whose average annual wages are less than $25,000 and whose employees pay at least 50% of their health insurance premium (and that would be most self- and small publishers), the business will receive a tax credit of 35% of their employee’s premiums. [Companies with 25 or fewer employees whose average annual wages are up to $50,000 each will also get a tax credit, but not as much.]

Insurance pools are being created, and by 2014 each state will have a Small (Business) Health Options Programs (SHOP) in which to buy effective coverage. Given that here in Nevada, the governor has already refused to set up such a structure, this will probably become a federal program. These SHOPs will allow small businesses to band together and buy insurance at a lower rate than they would otherwise be eligible for. [For a fuller explanation of the ins and outs of SHOP, see this site.]

As of the bill’s signing, pre-existing conditions are covered for all children under 18. Pre-existing illnesses will be covered for adults by 2014. (There are some conditions that may create punishments for tobacco use and geographic location. This last bears careful watching.)

Businesses that provide health insurance benefits for early retirees in the age bracket between 55-64, who are not yet eligible for Medicare, will be reimbursed for their claims from $15,000 to $90,000 at 80%. This program will continue until 2014.

Employees with dependent children up to age 26 will now have coverage for that child. That means, if you have a kid in college, or one who is currently unemployed, that child is covered.
UPDATE: There are now some limitations to this. See the post here.

All new insurance plans require the employer’s plan to cover the first dollar of preventative health services.

There is still some tweaking going on. Look for more fine-tuning of the process from Congress in the next 2 years.

The downside to the bill:

There is a really alarming section of the bill that says that by 2012, small business people must write up an IRS form 1099 for all purchases over $600. Stay tuned. Hopefully, someone will fix this – but you should write your Congressperson and Senator to help get this repealed. [Updated July 2. Thanks to Judy Gruen for pointing this out.]

The funding for the bill comes from additional payroll taxes on employees earning $200,000 or more, or families earning more than $250,000. However, the law specifically exempts from this tax increase income earned by those running small, closely- held businesses.

After 2014, employers with 50 or more employees (and there is a bill that expands this to include part-time workers) who have not provided health insurance will be assessed a fine of $750 per employee–although there is a bill in Congress raising this to $2000 per employee.

There will also be an excise tax on “Cadillac plan” insurance premiums that cost more than $10,000 per individual, or $27,500 for the family.

Summary: Overall, this is a big win for small business—which means self-publishers and small presses. I know too many in publishing who are “going naked” [have no insurance] and will greatly benefit – both personally and financially – from this coverage.

Twelve years ago, I finished writing my book, Captain Mary, Buccaneer. It’s an adult pirate adventure, about a woman pirate captain, loosely based on the real women pirates, Ann Bonney and Mary Reade. I knew there wasn’t anything like it out on the market at the time, but felt that it was a very saleable project. I started sending queries out. (It seems odd to think that, just 12 years ago, agent queries were done by snail-mail.) I got a stack of rejections. I was able to connect with one big publisher acquisitions editor through a friend. She sent the ms to an agent friend for evaluation. That women said the book was a mid-list product, and did not recommend the editor pick it up. Heck, I thought that being mid-list meant it would sell. Silly me.

I really felt that there was a market for the book. So I decided to self-publish. I worked with a company to print the book, and followed Dan Poynter’s “The Self-Publishing Manual” step-by-step. (I’ve come to call Dan’s book the “gateway drug” of publishing.) In a couple of months, I had a very large stack of books in my garage. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere in this blog, I had no clue how to market the book or get it out into the world.

My husband helped me as I learned about wholesalers, the reality of bookstores, marketing and everything else involved in being an actual publisher.

A year later, Lisa Jensen approached us with a pirate novel, The Witch from the Sea. I knew that a one-book publisher rarely succeeds—only because I’d been in business before and know that selling only 1 product limits your abilities. So we put that book out. Then 12 more. We learned a lot from each. The main thing we discovered was that novels are hard to sell. Non-fiction is much easier. So we changed our focus from novels to non-fiction for women.

Meantime, Ingram—the world’s largest book wholesaler—threw out almost every small publisher in their database. Curiously, they missed us. As distributors went under, we were approached by more and more people who knew we had access to the big wholesalers. Shazam, we were a distributor. And not just women’s interest titles.

Then, some people came to us with a book that we didn’t want to publish, but felt had merit. So we agreed to edit, typeset, do the cover design, help market and distribute. Shazam, we were a book packaging company. And we turned our attention from traditional publishing to the services side of the business.

I got a call one day from someone who wanted to start a publshing company.. They didn’t really want our services, but they did want advice and tips as they grew. Suddenly, I was a book shepherd/publishing consultant.

One day I woke up and realized I hadn’t written anything in a long time. But I was OK with that, because I was so busy and working on more projects and ideas than I knew what to do with. And I realized I’d really found my place in the world. This is my dream job, I finally figured out what I was going to do when I grew up—and it only took until I was in my 40s!

The point I’m making here is that one should be open to where paths lead. I could have been stubborn, and I might eventually have written something that some publisher would have found worth publishing. I still might. But I allowed myself to follow where various opportunities took me. I’m not saying you have to stop being an author, or whatever it is you do. That may be your path. But we don’t always know what our path is. Allow yourself to be open to unintended consequences. You may like the results!

And don’t you feel a little sorry for his speech writer, Jon Favreau? Most writer’s hearts would sink on getting their work back in a similar condition. But anyone who has ever listened to Obama’s speeches knows that they are well-crafted, thoughtful and brilliantly paced. The picture shows that the reason they succeed is not only good writing, but good editing and rewriting.

My friend, Paul Krupin, PR expert and mighty fisherman, told me, when he saw the picture, that it reminded him of his days at the Department of Energy. You see, what you are looking at are not grammar edits, but content edits. He said, “With just one word choice, you can affect the lives of literally millions of people.” That’s why speeches and government documents are gone over and over and over. Careful weighting of meaning is the crux of communication.

Words matter. Whether it’s a speech, a policy position, a fantasy or a “how to,” chose your words carefully to convey the right meaning to your reader. Rewriting is the key to effective communication!

Despite many pleas from Judy, our author, and ourselves (her publisher), Amazon refuses to remove a book entitled; “Rampaging Fuckers of Everything on the Crazy Shitting Planet of the Vomit Atmosphere.” It’s offered with her book in the “Buy X, Get Y” section, just under the cover picture and price info.

Judy’s award-winning book is very specifically clean humor. That’s because, when she isn’t being hilarious, Judy offers advice and websites on how people (and their kids) can stop swearing. Judy’s personal and religious views make this decidely disgusting title even more revolting to her.

Amazon says they cannot remove the book, because it is automatically listed when someone buys another book with The Women’s Daily Irony Supplement. Someone, somewhere, bought a copy of the icky title along with hers, and now she’s stuck with it. They won’t lift a finger to change this.

So how can you help Judy? Please buy a copy of The Women’s Daily Irony Supplement and any other title! And let us know you’ve done it via info @ beaglebay DOT com or Tweet me @jcsimonds

Click here to go to the Amazon page!

Update: Because of the constant barrage of e-mails and phone calls from myself and Ms. Gruen, the offensive title was removed from Amazon’s buy page.

Herewith are the tips:

1. Pick a hotel very close to the event. It’s so much easier to walk. Then you don’t have to worry about exact change for buses or understanding what the HECK the taxi driver just said. But if you can’t find anything close by, stay in a “package” hotel where there will be shuttle buses to the event. Also, there are more book people at these event-linked hotels – which means even more chances to meet and schmooze. Sharing a room is a great way to cut your expenses, but pick a roomy with similar sleeping habits (early to bed & you are a night owl will end in tears).

2. Plan out what you want to see. There is so much going on that you will miss stuff and then be mad at yourself for missing it. But try not to spend all of your time in the autographed books lines. The BEA event booklet will have all the speeches, seminars, meetings, press events and autographs in it. This is your bible for the event!

3. That said, don’t over-plan. The best part of BEA is just wandering around and letting serendipity happen. You’ll meet the most astounding people, or folks you really ought to know, just in the exhibit halls. Yes, even in the lines at the bathroom (women’s especially).

4. Talk to everyone. This is no time to be shy! You never know who you’ll meet. A friend of mine met an agent in line at the bathroom, and she eventually sold my friend’s book to Random House!

5. Have business cards made up – you’re a business person. VistaPrint does a nice job. Name, address, e-mail, site name, maybe area of interest, phone. A color image or logo linked to either your blog design or your area of interest are easily obtainable via places like iStock photo. Give your card to everyone you meet. Keep your cards handy; put them in the back of your event badge for easy access.

6. Take other people’s business cards, too. Don’t just snatch them and put them in your pocket. Look at them and understand who you’re talking to (it might be a VP or CEO!). After you talk and have stepped away, jot down a note on the back what you chatted about, and get back to them 2 weeks later (if appropriate). I promise you, after 3-4 days, you won’t recall who any of these people were unless you do this last step.

7. Dress professionally from the ankles up. I am a slob who dresses in t-shirt & jeans, or sweatshirt and warm-up pants on an average day. But at BEA I wear a pantsuit every day. Don’t think it matters? Twice, just to see, I showed up on the last day in t-shirt & jeans. No one would talk to me. I had a heckuva time just getting a galley. But when I was in my suit, reps and all sorts of people were only too happy to talk to me, offer me samples and food. This is an event for professionals. YOU are a professional. Look it.

8. Wear comfortable shoes! I suggest walking shoes, orthopedic sandals or other shoes with great foot support. You’ll be on your feet for 4-5 hours on concrete. Your feet will swell to unnatural size! Do not, do not, do not wear those cute strappy spike-heel sandals unless you want to be crippled for a week. Going out later? Keep them in your backpack for easy slipping on (but my bet is you won’t be able to get your feet in them).

9. About that backpack: Keep it light. After 6 hours, you’ll feel as if you are carrying a hod of bricks – and you probably will be as you pick up books. But here are some essentials:

• Phone (if you have a Bluetooth, take it. It’s very noisy & you’ll never hear your phone ring, let alone whoever’s on the phone.
• Camera (if your phone camera kinda sucks or is as broken as mine)
• Breath mints. Seriously.
• Water
• More business cards
• Pad of paper
• Six or seven pens (attach 1 to your exhibit badge. You’ll want it close to hand)
• Small wallet with ID, 1 credit card and about $100 cash
• A snack, like trail mix or something easy to eat by hand. Food on-site is pricey and then there are the lines
• Brush/comb
• Lipstick for the ladies (you never know if you’ll get invited to a little party…)
• Maybe those sandals.

Yes, that’s it. I said keep it light!

10. Scope out a quiet place to eat, go to the bathroom or just talk with someone (it’s so noisy, you’ll want to find a place to lower the sensory overload). In the Javits, there is a third floor with a food court sort of place (only open for lunch). There are meeting areas (some speeches are given up there. I saw Walter Mosely speak there), bathrooms, and an unbelievable view of the harbor. A great area to have a quiet chat with someone or just sit and read for a while.

11. Carry water at all times. If the bottled water seems too expensive, buy 1 bottle, then refill with tap water as needed. New York is justifiably proud of its drinking water.

12. Yes, there are books! And they are giving them away! Thousands of books! Whoo-hoo! Book Nirvana! It is really, really easy to go hog wild. But consider this: you have to get them home somehow. If you are flying, there is a 50 lbs max on bags before they increase the per bag fee from $20 to $35. You can only have 2 carry-ons, 1 has to fit under the seat & one has to go overhead (how bulky & heavy are those bags?). Not to mention how your arms get stretched out dragging bags full of books across the convention (2 floors!) or JFK. They do have a shipping area. You pack the books, and they will ship (for a rather high price) via UPS. Either hand-carrying or shipping, you’ll have to figure in the additional price and hassle-factor. Try to use restraint when grabbing galleys. I try not to bring any home (I get them other ways) and still manage to bring home 10-12.

13. Bloggers, take note: There are still some idiots in the publishing business who don’t understand the value of bloggers. Don’t get mad. Think of it as a teachable moment. The more calm, clear-headed and professional you look and act, the better for every blogger (and the stupider the “industry professional” looks). Most publishers DO get the importance of bloggers and will be interested to find out your tastes. Be prepared to sign up to get direct mailings from them. And hey, they are in the business; why not interview them? Bring a tape recorder, pen and paper (yes, I AM old-fashioned. Why do you ask?), use your video function on your camera, or prepare to be really fast on your netbook. And make sure you get their business card so you can send them a link to the blog they are mentioned in!

14. Keep your ear to the ground – there are loads of parties each night. You may get invited. You may be able to crash some. Not invited to anything? Make your own with the folks you meet that day. New York has food for everyone, so the only hard part is finding an affordable place where you can hear everyone. Many people party all night and then do the convention. All I can say is, you MUST be young!

15. Some believe this is the last BEA. You’ll be able to say you were there for it! Stay in the moment and enjoy what is there. Have fun!

I’m not talking about people who don’t know any better. Ignorance is 100% curable (although willful ignorance should be punishable by being locked up in a library for 30 years). Publishing ignorance can be cleared up by reading a few books and my New Self-Publisher’s FAQ Or you can hire a consultant, like myself.

But some people really set themselves up to fail, and I cannot, for the life of me, understand why.

I’ve had clients with terrific books that sold out, who refused to reprint.

I’ve had clients with a clear readership, but the publisher refused to believe that those were the buyers, and so wandered off, in search of “better prospects.”

I’ve had clients with award-winning books simply decide that they had done enough, and it was time to move on, when the market clearly was calling for more outreach to make more sales.

Publishing is HARD.

Succeeding at publishing is HARDER.

Don’t get in your own way. A few rules of the road:

Save some of the money from your sales for a new print run. If you aren’t in need of printing in a year, spend that on marketing.

If you sell through your print run within 18 months, that’s a good thing, and an indicator that with more marketing effort, you could sell twice as much. Print again.

When you stop marketing the book, the sales will stop. This isn’t rocket science.

If you do your marketing, get a case of ADOS (Attention Deficit… Oh! Shiny! (Credit: Peter Shankman)), then go back to marketing months/years later, you will have lost all marketing momentum. This is basic physics: a body at rest tends to stay at rest; a body in motion tends to stay in motion.

You can revive marketing efforts, but keep in mind it will take 3-6 months to get rolling agian.

Don’t plan to fail. Plan to succeed!

Let’s look at how the numbers work in another manufactured item business.

There used to be a great show on Food TV called ”Recipe for Success.” Mostly what they showed were folks trying to operate a restaurant and all the troubles thereto (I used to have “open a restaurant” on my Life To-Do List, but after I watched a few episodes, I scratched it off). Occasionally, they featured someone with a food product.

Once, they had some people who decided they wanted to market their frozen marinara sauce. Instead of investing money in a physical plant before they were established, they went with a commercial kitchen, a packager and a grocery wholesaler (any resemblance to a subsidy press, a printer and a distributor in the book world should be noted).

This group (all women. I think it was Grandma and a couple of daughters), spent $20,000 for the packaging alone. They showed it to their target grocery store buyer, who told them about fifteen things they thought were *terrible* about the cover—oops, I meant package—and would prevent consumers from buying it. (I couldn’t help but think of Barnes & Noble’s Small Press Department.) They spent another $15,000 creating a new package design.

Their product sold for $6.95 (It was a fair amount of sauce). Their actual ingredient cost was $.60. After they paid the kitchen, packager and wholesaler, they got $.20 profit per unit. They thuoght that was pretty good. And it was. Why? They expected to sell *volume*. That’s the key to most manufactured goods.

With the new packaging they showed it to a  major gricery store buyer He told them he rejects 80% of the products he’s shown every year. But he signed up their sauce! He said it tasted just like his Granny used to make. (Never underestimate the power of the personal in business.). They hoped to ship 50,000 units the next year. But first they had to find a loan to build up the physical plant they skipped over in the initial stage, so that they could lower their per unit cost (did anyone hear an echo of “change from POD or subsidy to offset printing” there?).

The book business is like any other manufactured-goods business. If you can sell directly to the customer at full—or near full—list price, glory halleluiah! Otherwise, there are discounts that apply and the way you sustain the company is volume. The way you get volume is marketing – that is, getting the word out to the customer (not the store). That’s so for marinara sauce just as much for books.

Many new (and even established) writers are not great self-editors. They may know that something isn’t quite right with their manuscript, but they have trouble seeing any solutions. This is a common problem. Although you can train yourself to edit in a methodical, non-emotional way, for most writers, it’s simply easier to find a developmental editor to help accomplish the task.

A developmental editor may be the crucial step to making your work succeed at getting picked by a publisher (or succeed as a self-published book).

What they do

Once hired, the editor will first read the entire manuscript to understand how the current work flows. then evaluate what is needed and construct an over-all plan to achieve it.

As with a mechanical editor, spelling, grammar and logical order are attended to. However, the most important job of a developmental editor is to retain the author’s voice. All alterations, suggestions and “fixes” are to better the story and voice – not an exercise in the editor’s ego.

Going through the manuscript, the editor will possibly reorganize the material, sometimes within chapters, sometimes from one section of the manuscript to another. Often, the first chapter should happen much later, and a middle chapter should be moved to the start. Whole sections can be moved for better clarity.

Special attention is given to the informational flow (if it’s a non-fiction) or clarifying the story arc and all the character elements (if it’s a novel). 

The editor may do some light fact-checking, simply to make sure s/he understands where some elements are coming from. A full fact-check is not done unless by arrangement – so make sure of your data before turning the ms over to the editor.

Not all editors are right for all books. Some specialize in technical subjects, others in children’s books. Ask if your book falls into an editor’s area of specialty.

What does it look like when the manuscript is edited?

Editors vary in how they manipulate the ms. Once upon a time, marks and arrows were used. However, with electronic documents, track changes and other tools, manuscripts have color to show what the editor has done.

In my own case, I’m thinking about dropping the use of red to denote deletions/changes. I’ve found it gives writers more of a feeling of being punished for wrongdoing – something that an editor does not want to imply. I use several colors to show various activities, plus comments.

How Much Should I Pay an Editor?

All of the above is a non-trivial task involving countless hours. Some editors charge by the hour, some by the project. You should expect to pay somewhere between $1000 – $5000. Or more. I know, that’s a heck of a range – but then there’s a huge range of projects, work needed and time to be used. Also, don’t expect the work to be done in a week.

Most editors will want to see 1-3 chapters to make sure your manuscript is ready for editing (it may still need work before the editor can actually be of help), if the manuscript is something they want to work on, if you are compatible together, and how much work will be involved. The editor will then return 3-5 pages to you with their edits. If you feel s/he has improved your work, that’s the editor for you! From there, the editor can tell you a price.

I once had a client tell me that working with me was like suddenly having an extra brain, and I helped him accomplish that which had been his aim (although he had not quite achieved it). That’s every editors desire – to help make a writer and his/her story better.

And yes, as it happens, I do have some spots available on my 2010 calendar. Let’s see if we can work together!

Areas of specialty
~Mature YA (readers 14 and up) novels and some non-technical subjects
~Novels (adventure, fantasy, non-technical sci-fi, non-literary)
~Biographies, history, narrative formats

Two to three months before the event, make sure the publisher and yourself are supporting publicity for the event. Some bookstores want co-op money for the PR to support the event. For many, this is effective. Talk over with the event coordinator how much this costs and what you get for the money.

Send out media releases to the local papers (don’t forget the free local arts paper!). Don’t just push the signing. Build the story around something in the book and its relevance to the location (is it a mystery tale set in that town? A “how to” beneficial to the paper’s/radio/TV station’s listeners?). Be prepared to do a guest spot on TV or radio. Mention the signing as a place where readers can connect with you.

Get in touch with that area’s book bloggers and do an interview/guest blog in advance.

Tout the signing at least once a day for the 10 days preceding the event on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media.

The month before the signing, make sure you or your publisher has a sufficient quantity of books in the wholesale system to support a bookstore buy of at least 12 books. Alternatively, you can do consignment with the bookstore (many chain bookstores won’t allow this). But always show up to the signing with at least a case of books in your car and a blank consignment agreement, just in case demand exceeds bookstore supply.

Arrive at least half an hour early. If you don’t have a clear idea how to get there, or are driving in from out of town, aim for an hour early. Just in case something goes wrong, have the event coordinator’s phone number on your phone. Call if it looks like you’ll be late.

Bring business cards and book postcards/bookmarks. Have them with you at all times – yes, even in the bathroom.

Dress professionally or in costume as befits your book. This is your business. Dress for success!

Don’t use perfume/cologne. Or if you absolutely must, be very sparing. You don’t want your odor to meet the customer first. Also, many people are allergic to perfume/cologne. Don’t make your potential buyer sick!

Create an index card with a short message the clerks can read over the PA every 15 minutes for your signing. Something like, “Looking for a great mystery? Today we have author so-and-so signing her book, The Mystery of Whatever in the front of the store until 4 o’clock.”

Don’t just sit at the table with your books. Get up, carry a copy of your book around the store (but try not to be a bother. Yes, it’s a fine line). Greet each incoming customer and ask them what kind of books they like. Your title just might fill the bill!

Don’t sit and read the paper or write (yes, I’ve seen both). No one will approach you if your body language is screaming “go away!” Many authors do this because they are actually shy, and being gregarious is difficult. Your book won’t sell if you don’t make the effort! Also, this is a self-fulfilling behavior: “See, publisher? I told you a signing wouldn’t sell books.”

If you do sit down at the table, stand up when you’re approached to let the person know you’re interested in them. Conversely, if the person is in a wheelchair or is a little person, sit down. No one likes to be towered over. For children, you might sit to the side of your table, so you can appear more approachable to the kid.

Don’t have a prolonged conversation with any one person. Remember, you’re here to work. If you have a gabfest with a friend, relative or the like, you are ignoring other people and sales! Again, remember, this is a not a social situation. This is business. I’m not saying you can only have a 4 word talk with someone. Keep all conversations on the short side. Make time for those interesting chats after your book signing.

Bring your own pens (3 or 4 in case of multiple break-downs). The bookstore is under no obligation to provide you with a writing implement. Many authors use Sharpie pens for a signing. I have no idea why this is the “in” thing to do. If the paper in the book is slick, the ink will transfer to the opposing page, making a mess. Use them if you want, but any working pen will do.

Don’t just scrawl your name as big as Sarah Palin does. No one cares about a book that is simply signed. They want personalization. Have a saying related to the book ready. For my book Captain Mary, Buccaneer I write “Yours in swashbuckling adventure reading” and then my full name. You can skip this if you’ve made some sort of connection with the person. Instead write something related to your chat: “I loved talking to you about our teacher back in grade school!” and then your name.

Bring a pad of paper. You will meet people to follow-up with, so you’ll want to write down their contact info.

Some folks will want you to sign the book to them (or a friend/relative). Ask them how to spell it, even if it’s simple (that’s B-E-N, Ben, right?). Even simple names can have odd spellings (Mylie for Millie, Dohn for Don, etc).  Write down the name on your pad before you attempt to personalize with their name. There’s nothing worse than a scratched-out mistake for a signed book – you can’t sell it!

Some bookstores will ask you to sign a number of books before you leave. Offer to come back and sign books that have been purchased instead. Once the book is signed, it’s not really salable in the book distribution system.

Always write a thank you note afterwards to the event coordinator. Thank all the clerks as you are leaving, too.

All that having been said, I am not a fan of book signings. They’re too static, too non-interactive for today’s customer. I’d rather see authors create an event around their book – a demonstration of a “how to,” a talk about the main theme of the book, even fiction writers can do talks on the research they did, the process of getting published… the sky’s the limit. I like events that use multiple authors, as this brings in more people (don’t be afraid to do gigs with authors from different publishers. Everyone wins!).

I’m also not convinced that bookstores are the only place to do these. If your book is about construction, see if you can do a talk at the local hardware store (and sell the book). I’ve advised one guy to hold poetry slams at the baggage carousel in the airport. Think outside the bookstore box!

Where have you held a successful book event that wasn’t in a bookstore? Inquiring authors and publishers want to know!