Team Book Tour: 4 Authors on the Road

Four debut authors. Three book signings. Three states. Twenty-four hours. What a trip!

This past weekend I had an excellent opportunity to take Bumpy Landings on a summer book tour with Tamara Heiner (Perilous), Lynn Parsons (disAbilities in the Gospel), and Cheri Chesley (Peasant Queen).

Tamara and Cheri came to Dallas on Friday, where Lynn and I met them for an evening signing at Moon's LDS Bookstore. Then, bright and early Saturday morning, we drove to Hastings in Duncan, Oklahoma, where Cheri is visiting family. After our morning signing there, we zipped across the state to Springdale, Arkansas and Beehive Mercantile, which is Tamara's hometown bookstore.

The tour was fun and extremely valuable, although maybe not financially profitable. Was a trip this size worth the time, cost, and effort? I think so, if only because of the people met and lessons learned.

As we sat down to breakfast yesterday, we talked about what worked, what didn't, and what advice we would give to someone else planning a similar tour. Here are some of the things we came up with:

• Two of our stores had several months to prepare, although only one actually put together an "event". This was a much better signing.
• One of the stores was a last-minute replacement, with only a week of preparation time. This signing was good, but could have been so much better with a month or more to prepare and promote.
• Signing with other authors is awesome! When the signing is slow, there is good conversation to be had. Travel time conversations are great, and it's nice to split the gas costs.
  
• Two to four authors is a good number. It's not so many that it intimidates customers, and "unknown" authors still get some attention (unlike, perhaps, mega-signings with dozens of other writers).
• Summer is a convenient time for authors to travel, but may not be the most optimum time for bringing in customers. Check with the bookstores to find out when their busy times are.
• Traveling to multiple locations in a day is fun and would seem to be an efficient way to work. However, it forces compromise on the schedule. Our morning Oklahoma signing would have been much better in the early afternoon, but then we would not have had time to make it to the signing in Arkansas.
• This kind of signing is like a business trip, and the planning and coordination need to be professional.
  
• This kind of signing is like a vacation (or writing conference), in that (especially for 4 debut authors) the only thing you can really count on is meeting new people and getting to know the other authors really well. Most vacations don't turn a financial profit, either. The real value is time spent with others, learning and growing.
• Get the word out! Relying on walk-in traffic is courting failure. The most valuable customers are the ones the authors bring in themselves. Also, this kind of book event is an opportunity for you to crow about something. The publicity the tour itself generates may be the most valuable return you get.

Have you done a big multi-store, multi-author tour? What have you seen that works (or didn't work) and what things have you learned from taking your book on the road?

The Pickup Artist and A Captive Audience

I was never particularly good at using pickup lines as young man. I thought they were corny and transparent, so I rarely ventured much past "Hi" -- a deficiency sadly reflected in my weak social calendar .

Now, some twenty years after (successfully)(mercifully) leaving the dating scene, I find myself returning to the world of Pickup Lines, although I now call them by a more mature name: Pitches.

I recently had a book signing at our local LDS bookstore, and a few things finally clicked into place for me. I had my table set by the door, a plate of chocolate, and a stack of printed pages ready to fold into paper airplanes.

As people walked through, I would offer them chocolate. If they had kids, I would offer paper airplanes. One young family tumbled into the store, and within thirty seconds I was down four planes and ten pieces of candy--the youngest looking like a squirrel with a cheek full of nuts.

But I digress. At first, as I would offer the chocolate, half of the customers would politely refuse, and the other half would come and take a piece. A very few of those taking some candy would linger for a moment, looking at my book and handouts, and I would take a moment to tell them about my book. However, nobody was buying.

But as the signing wore on, I realized that even those who didn't take time to linger still took 5-10 seconds selecting their piece of chocolate. For those brief seconds, I had a captive audience. So I decided to try something.

As people reached for the candy plate, I said, "I'm here today letting people know about my new book." Go ahead--time yourself reading that aloud. I get 3.5 seconds. And that was it.

With that brief pitch in place, nearly every candy eater then became a lingerer, looking at my book and other materials and listening to my full-length book pitch. And a significant number those ended up buying.

All because I found a way to connect with a potential reader, and had the courage to throw a four-second pitch at a captive audience.

I've come to accept that book signings are all about connecting with customers, and actual sales are secondary. To that end, I think it's essential to come up with a strategy to rise above the noise. For me, that has been chocolate and paper airplanes.

And it seems to be working. Let me share with you a portion of an email I got a few weeks ago, showing exactly how that connection helps.

I picked up your book on Saturday...and honestly, I was a little unsure if I would like it. But, I felt I needed to be supportive of a new author putting himself out there and I wanted the paper airplane.  I didn't pick up the book again until Tuesday morning and then I struggled to put it down to work and drive. I even got up early Wednesday morning to finish it before heading off to work. What a fun read! 

All because of a folded piece of paper, and a concerted effort to connect.

Going Viral. Or Not.

A dozen years ago, I had an experience that I fear skewed my perception of normal when it comes to generating publicity. Some of you may even remember this event.

Three of my sisters were all pregnant at the same time, with due dates spread over a span of eight weeks. This was the cause of some confusion early on a winter's morning when one sister called my mom and, in a pinched, mid-contraction voice said, "My water broke and I'm on my way to the hospital."

My mom's reply was, "Who is this?" It turns out it was the oldest sister, and the one farthest from her due date. The baby came quickly.

Sister number two visited the new baby on the way to her own OB appointment in the same hospital. The OB sent her back to the maternity ward, announcing that she was significantly dilated, and within hours the second baby was born.

The excitement of two cousins being born in the same morning and at the same hospital was a lot of fun, but it was also very difficult for sister number three, as she was "the most pregnant" and the only one actually due. Exhausted, she went to bed early and cried herself to sleep, only to be awakened by contractions a few hours later. Before the night was over, the third cousin had been born.

I thought this was all pretty cool, and so the next day at work I filled in an online tip form at the Associated Press website. This one simple act set off a firestorm of interest, resulting in calls from news organizations as far away as Germany and Japan, articles in People magazine, and an appearance on Oprah.

Yes, my sisters and their babies were on Oprah. And it all started with a single email.

When Bumpy Landings was released earlier this year, I knew that it was nothing as exciting as three sisters giving birth on the same day, and I had no delusions of getting a call from Oprah. However, I will admit that, in the back of my mind, I expected a similarly smooth (albeit much less grand) path to popularity.

After all, my book had a fun hook, an exotic location, and two unique book trailers. Which I have gratuitously posted below. Because I can.

However, I'm finding the skids aren't so easily greased for a niche-market novel as they are for multiple births, and this whole book marketing thing is lot more effort than I imagined. Months after release, and despite positive reviews and concerted personal effort, many independent LDS bookstores haven't heard of me or my book. Even employees at bookstores that do carry Bumpy Landings right there on the shelf claim they have never heard of it.

The road out of obscurity is steep, and I fear it might be a long one.

Of course, I haven't ruled out the possibility that I used up all of my publicity karma back in 1998.

Perhaps it only works when somebody else fills out the form.

Or maybe, just maybe, the universe is determined to keep me from the public eye. After all had those three babies come just one day earlier, they would have been born on my 30th birthday.

And then I could have been on Oprah, too.

Aloha from Hawaii

This week I have returned home to La'ie to do some book promotion, combined with a little bit of research. While not everything went quite as planned, I had a week that was nothing short of amazing.

I ate food featured in Bumpy Landings, including banana pancakes at the Hukilau Cafe:

and pineapple delight (which is no longer served in a pineapple shell) at the Polynesian Cultural Center night show.

I did my first school presentations as an author at my old alma matters, BYU-Hawaii and Kahuku High. I was joined by fellow CFI author Susan Corpany, who lives a short hop away in Hilo.

Susan also joined me for a very successful book signing at the BYU-Hawaii bookstore.

I met with all kinds of old friends as I wandered around town, and when they asked what I was doing there, I pulled out a card and told them about my book. It wasn't the way I planned to market Bumpy Landings, but it sure seemed to work.

I also went to see my friends in the band Vaihi, who provided the background music for my book trailers.

They made me get up and dance the Shama Lama.

And I did research. I was privileged to go behind the scenes at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and watch the cast and crew put together the night show. I also went to a community fundraiser, and solved two different problems that have been plaguing my current work-in-progress.

I had a chance to attend the La'ie temple, and see how nice everything looks after its recent renovation. Afterward, I went behind and took a picture of myself in front of the giant banyan tree.

The week has flown by, and while I'm excited to get back home to my girls and a routine that will maybe allow me a bit more writing time, it's going to be hard to leave behind this wonderful place in the middle of the sea.

Aloha oe, La'ie. Until we meet again.

Marketing: Where the Rubber Hits the Runway

I love writing, and am proud to call myself a writer, yet it's been weeks and weeks since I've actually written anything. Instead, I've (temporarily) become that somewhat scary and misunderstood creature, a Marketer.

This past week I had the privilege of introducing Bumpy Landings to the world, and I've learned quite a bit in that short time. I'm by no means an expert, but I thought it would be helpful for both you and me if I shared three of the lessons I've learned.

1. Have books on hand and be prepared to sell them. My home teacher came by the day after my books arrived, and I proudly showed them to him. He asked where he could buy one, and I pointed him to Amazon and Moon's LDS bookstore in Dallas. After he left, my wife said, "I think he really wanted to buy one from you."

I answered that these were copies for me to send to reviewers, but as I thought about it I realized I could always get more for them. So I took one with me the next time we met, and he eagerly bought it. I have since schlepped a box of books with me everywhere I go, and when people ask where they can buy one, I say "Right here."

Being prepared also applies to having business cards with book info in my pocket, and preparing a smooth 30-second pitch. I'm still working on that, but it's gotten a lot better than "It's about this guy, and, um, there are airplanes..."

2. Play to your (and your book's) strengths. My book is set in Hawai'i, so I've adopted that as the theme for much of my promotion. The idea of "escaping the winter chill" features prominently in my marketing material, and people have commented that Bumpy Landings helps them do just that.

At a recent signing, I took my ukulele to fill in the quiet spots. I'm hardly a master strummer, but it was fun for both me and the people I was with. Also, notice the little paper airplane to the side of my stack of books. Since Bumpy Landings features flying as part of its central conflict, I printed up airplane patterns with the cover colors and book title, and give them out to kids. I have no idea how effective they will be as marketing tool, but they sure are fun.

3. Include your friends. I stand by my assertion that the best part of this whole writing gig has been the friends I've made in the writing community. This past Saturday, I was invited to participate with three of those friends at a signing in Logan at The Book Table. Having friends at the store made it especially fun, as we were able to talk amongst ourselves during the slow periods, and we were able to attract a broader range of readers.

(Okay, actually everyone came to see Tristi, but that worked out well for the rest of us.)

Once the signing was over, we worked our way down the Wasatch Front, stopping at bookstores and libraries to introduce ourselves and share bookmarks. I learned a ton from hanging out with Tristi and Rebecca and Daron, and I look forward to planning events with other authors in the very near future.

What are some of the marketing lessons you have to share?

Super Fantastic Book Signing THIS Saturday

Did I get your attention with that title? I hope so. I wanted to announce a Super Fantastic Book Signing. That's right, it's going to be awesome.

Tristi Pinkston, Daron Fraley, Don Carey, and I are all going to be signing books THIS Saturday. I'm celebrating the launch of my book, The Upside of Down. Both Tristi and Don have January releases as well. Bumpy Landings by Don Carey is now available as is Dearly Departed by Tristi Pinkston. Daron Fraley will be signing his book, The Thorn. Isn't that exciting? We think it is and we'd love to have you join us for our book signings. (You know, I keep wanting to type book "singings"--maybe that'd be fun, you could come and hear us sing about our books . . . . Or not.)

Here are the details:

We'll be in Logan from 11:00-1:00 at The Book Table, 29 South Main Street. Then we'll head over to Ogden and be there from 3:00-5:00 at Wisebird Bookery, 4850 Harrison Blvd # 5. If you are going to be in the Logan or Ogden area this Saturday, January 15th, please stop by to see us. And, if you can keep your fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate and allow me to travel, that'd be awesome.

Hope to see you there!!