Used to be, in music, you toured to support the album. Today it's the other way around: the album supports the tour. Most artists make their money on tour T-shirts, fragrances...anything that's about the aura of being a musician.
Many publishers question the worth of a book tour. We heard about one author, of a non-fiction title, who was almost prohibited from touring, even though he was more than willing to front the time and costs.
Perhaps publishers are forgetting to calculate other benefits beyond book sales, writes Lissa Warren (author of one of few essential guides to book publicity, The Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity). www.huffingtonpost.com/lissa-warren/have-book-will-travel_b_65547.html
Publishers can boost their odds by choosing bookstores that have some familiarity with audience recruitment:
• Event or Community Coordinator
• Regular production of newsletter available in store, and online
• Reading series
• Book clubs services
• List of media contacts for Author to chase
And though there are bookstores, remarkable ones at that, who do this, Mr. Obie Joe would prefer if the bookstore were to not charge a "booking fee."
1 comment:
Yeah, what's with bookstores charging authors a "booking fee"? The Tattered Cover in Denver wanted one of my clients to cough up $150 for the privilege of helping them sell her book. Meanwhile, they're offering a signing gratis to another client. Both books are from well-known publishers.
I've been hearing about other stores, most of them independents, that charge $150-200 upfront for "co-op advertising" before they'll let an author do an in-store event. Even when it's a local author who's a loyal customer. One little store got the money but didn't do a single thing to promote the author's signing--not even a flyer in the window. In fact, the proprietor completely forgot about the event, so no one but the author turned up for it.
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