Should You Do a Book Tour?
Posted by Andie Ryan Blog at 12/5/2009 5:29 PM 
Categories: Book Tour and Road Stories
Tags: writer image event coordinators sharing information Book tour writing groups event promotion book tour financing bookseller selling books public image professionalism hand selling fiction writers national writing groups
Categories: Book Tour and Road Stories
Tags: writer image event coordinators sharing information Book tour writing groups event promotion book tour financing bookseller selling books public image professionalism hand selling fiction writers national writing groups
There seem to be mixed feelings about whether book tours are worth it. Unless you're a blockbuster or someone whose work is heavily anticipated either critically or commercially, book tours are unlikely to be financed on your behalf by your publisher. So what’s the answer?
I can't speak for non-fiction, which is generally agreed to be more commercially viable and lends itself better to promotion. But if you're writing fiction, brace yourself -- you'll very rarely make enough in book sales at any individual signing to finance your event. If your book was heavily promoted prior to publication, or reviewed in a major paper or book review, this may increase sales a bit, but be careful about expecting it.
So why sink several thousand dollars into an effort that is unlikely to pay for itself? Most fiction writers today have to be responsible for their own marketing and promotion. As with any other marketing or promotion decision, financing a book tour is an investment.
Here's the deal. It's not The Book that goes out on tour. It's not The Book that talks on the radio or meets with book clubs. It's not The Book that greets that one fan who has anticipated your arrival at their neighborhood bookstore.
It's you.
People don't come to see The Book. They come to see you. From that perspective, the purpose of a book tour is not to sell The Book. It's to sell yourself as an author.
The investment is in you.
Pre-Event Promotion
Talk with the stores about what they do to promote events, and what you can do to help promote yours. If there are writing groups or chapters of national groups (Romance Writers of America or Mystery Writers of America, others depending on your genre or book subject), approach them with an announcement of your event. No big deal to this, and no reason to be intimidated. Just be professional.
Find out how well connected the events coordinators / managers are at your prospective stores. The more influence they have with contacts in the local community and with local press, the better this is for you in terms of getting the word out about your event. Stores will usually take care of getting your event listed in local press calendars, but ask, just to be sure this is covered.
Booksellers will often say that how the event is structured is up to you. If you want a bookseller to coordinate a question and answer session, or if you want to do your own presenting, or if you need equipment to do a demonstration, make your needs and expectations clear before you arrive.
If your book is getting any kind of critical or bookseller attention, make sure the booksellers know it, especially the store managers and owners.
Be Nice
As a writer, you work in solitude most of the time, and you become accustomed to having your own way in terms of schedule and distraction. Thinking about cultivating a public image is foreign territory.
If you decide to go on tour, it helps to be polite and professional when meeting booksellers and the public. If your personality naturally leans in this direction, consider yourself lucky. I heard a lot of stories from booksellers about authors who show up and are withdrawn and unengaging, or openly resentful if the store is not packed with people. Remember that this could reflect negatively on you, and on a public image that has just begun to form. Early impressions have a way of sticking. People will readily talk about negative experiences and impressions with authors -- just as they will about positive ones. So lose the writerly curmudgeon in yourself, just for a few hours.
Be gracious is attendance is low, and don't call attention to it. This rarely has anything to do with the store, and isn't really anyone's fault. If you're unknown as an author, it takes time to build name recognition over time. Just remember that the people who do come to your events will love that you're there because they came to see you. Retain your sense of humor, and respond to them as you would to a crowd of 100.
Share Information
Be prepared to share a bit about how you write -- your routine, your experiences with revision and revision techniques, and how you prepare to start something new. If there are other writers or members of writing clubs in the room, they will want to hear about this. Some writers are very guarded about sharing this kind of information, considering it an invasion of privacy. But it needn't be. You don't have to share every detail.
If you want to set limits about what you talk about, think about it ahead of time so you can redirect the conversation -- politely -- in a direction that you choose. If you can tie your story to actual news, and offer your own insight about how your work "connects" with real life, that tends to initiate some interesting discussions.
You may wish to focus the conversation on the book itself, on the story, but keep in mind that many people who attend signings have not yet read the book because they're there to get the signed book from you. Practice discussing the book without spoiling the plot, using generic references. It's really tough!
Support Comes After the Event Too
All the bookstores were tremendously supportive, but some really got going after the event, more so than before. I think this gets back to establishing a relationship with the store, events managers, and store managers -- another reason for touring. A bookseller's experience with you in the store is important. Your behavior may have a lot to do with how extensively your book is hand sold after you go home.
Booksellers have a lot of demands on their time. They get a pile of ARCs every day, and are asked to give special treatment to a lot of books. "Big" books will get priority over yours. Be persistent. If your book is any good at all, it'll get attention.
* * *
There's nothing like making a personal connection with people who have read or are reading your book. I didn't realize how powerful an emotion this would be. It focuses the tour on reading and writing -- as it should. For me, a signing was a success if one person showed up because, to that person, a personal handshake and greeting was important. I'll always be grateful for that, and for the memories that linger long after the unpacking is done.
I can't speak for non-fiction, which is generally agreed to be more commercially viable and lends itself better to promotion. But if you're writing fiction, brace yourself -- you'll very rarely make enough in book sales at any individual signing to finance your event. If your book was heavily promoted prior to publication, or reviewed in a major paper or book review, this may increase sales a bit, but be careful about expecting it.
So why sink several thousand dollars into an effort that is unlikely to pay for itself? Most fiction writers today have to be responsible for their own marketing and promotion. As with any other marketing or promotion decision, financing a book tour is an investment.
Here's the deal. It's not The Book that goes out on tour. It's not The Book that talks on the radio or meets with book clubs. It's not The Book that greets that one fan who has anticipated your arrival at their neighborhood bookstore.
It's you.
People don't come to see The Book. They come to see you. From that perspective, the purpose of a book tour is not to sell The Book. It's to sell yourself as an author.
The investment is in you.
Pre-Event Promotion
Talk with the stores about what they do to promote events, and what you can do to help promote yours. If there are writing groups or chapters of national groups (Romance Writers of America or Mystery Writers of America, others depending on your genre or book subject), approach them with an announcement of your event. No big deal to this, and no reason to be intimidated. Just be professional.
Find out how well connected the events coordinators / managers are at your prospective stores. The more influence they have with contacts in the local community and with local press, the better this is for you in terms of getting the word out about your event. Stores will usually take care of getting your event listed in local press calendars, but ask, just to be sure this is covered.
Booksellers will often say that how the event is structured is up to you. If you want a bookseller to coordinate a question and answer session, or if you want to do your own presenting, or if you need equipment to do a demonstration, make your needs and expectations clear before you arrive.
If your book is getting any kind of critical or bookseller attention, make sure the booksellers know it, especially the store managers and owners.
Be Nice
As a writer, you work in solitude most of the time, and you become accustomed to having your own way in terms of schedule and distraction. Thinking about cultivating a public image is foreign territory.
If you decide to go on tour, it helps to be polite and professional when meeting booksellers and the public. If your personality naturally leans in this direction, consider yourself lucky. I heard a lot of stories from booksellers about authors who show up and are withdrawn and unengaging, or openly resentful if the store is not packed with people. Remember that this could reflect negatively on you, and on a public image that has just begun to form. Early impressions have a way of sticking. People will readily talk about negative experiences and impressions with authors -- just as they will about positive ones. So lose the writerly curmudgeon in yourself, just for a few hours.
Be gracious is attendance is low, and don't call attention to it. This rarely has anything to do with the store, and isn't really anyone's fault. If you're unknown as an author, it takes time to build name recognition over time. Just remember that the people who do come to your events will love that you're there because they came to see you. Retain your sense of humor, and respond to them as you would to a crowd of 100.
Share Information
Be prepared to share a bit about how you write -- your routine, your experiences with revision and revision techniques, and how you prepare to start something new. If there are other writers or members of writing clubs in the room, they will want to hear about this. Some writers are very guarded about sharing this kind of information, considering it an invasion of privacy. But it needn't be. You don't have to share every detail.
If you want to set limits about what you talk about, think about it ahead of time so you can redirect the conversation -- politely -- in a direction that you choose. If you can tie your story to actual news, and offer your own insight about how your work "connects" with real life, that tends to initiate some interesting discussions.
You may wish to focus the conversation on the book itself, on the story, but keep in mind that many people who attend signings have not yet read the book because they're there to get the signed book from you. Practice discussing the book without spoiling the plot, using generic references. It's really tough!
Support Comes After the Event Too
All the bookstores were tremendously supportive, but some really got going after the event, more so than before. I think this gets back to establishing a relationship with the store, events managers, and store managers -- another reason for touring. A bookseller's experience with you in the store is important. Your behavior may have a lot to do with how extensively your book is hand sold after you go home.
Booksellers have a lot of demands on their time. They get a pile of ARCs every day, and are asked to give special treatment to a lot of books. "Big" books will get priority over yours. Be persistent. If your book is any good at all, it'll get attention.
* * *
There's nothing like making a personal connection with people who have read or are reading your book. I didn't realize how powerful an emotion this would be. It focuses the tour on reading and writing -- as it should. For me, a signing was a success if one person showed up because, to that person, a personal handshake and greeting was important. I'll always be grateful for that, and for the memories that linger long after the unpacking is done.
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