In Store Author's Promotions, by Raleigh Pinskey

To promote or not to promote an author in your store? Ah that`s the question. Will there be outrageous fortune, or will you merely suffer from the slings and arrows of an unprofitable event? This article is for you who understands the value of author promotions, but haven`t taken the plunge because you didn`t know where to start, or because of the fear of the unknown. It`s for you who say you don`t believe in promotions but actually you wouldn`t mind the community attention they bring to you and yours. And along with you "haven`t yets," it`s for those of you who have dabbled, but because your expectations weren`t met have opted to sit on the sidelines while the competition runs away with the profits, publicity, and pedestrian traffic.

Why spend the time and effort in the first place? Webster`s Dictionary would tell you that doing author promotions is to stir up interest in an enterprise. Random House offers an expanded thought. To promote is to help, or encourage to exist or flourish. Appropriate, but we`ve all learned that dictionary definitions are not the only definition in town. That it`s in the undefinable grey area where it`s all happening. From Steelton, Pa, Divine Light`s Michael Nembroski`s thoughts on promotions revolve around providing another avenue for the information to touch another`s life. And David Davis of Syracuse`s Seven Rays feels that promotions really promote what`s behind them. In other words, they`re promoting the divine force that motivated them to start the store in the first place. Cathi Tolle of Galveston`s Rainbow Warrior Art Gallery and bookstore loves to see the smiles and attitude changes in her customers when she shares new horizons through the kinesthetic, auditory and visual combination occurrence that emanates from the promotion medium. And it`s Gaia`s Patrice Wynn who believes that, "Author promotions are part of building a community of people around the bookstore, that help to present ideas that are offered in a form that people can absorb and discuss so that they enrich their lives. And be able to sell their book so we can continue having this type of forum for the above purpose."

Traditionally there are three Avenues to promote authors. The author signing, the workshop, and the author reading. It is the consensus that signing are fast becoming the way of the dinosaur, unless it`s a big name with a big following. Christie Trudell of Passages in Bellingham, WA. described them as, "Like giving a party and having a low turn out." More than once I heard how signing are akin to passive selling, the author sitting there, sometimes smiling, sometimes yawning, but not engaged in suggestive selling. More like waiting until it`s over so they can get on with their tour obligation. And there`s the people who come into the store just to look at the celebrity, attempting to pass polite conversation so they can tell their friends that they met. And to make matters worse, not very many books are sold, let alone those from the carefully researched theme table. It takes time, effort and bottom line dollars to set up an author signing, with increasingly little appreciable return to show for that effort. This can lead to staff demoralization, which takes its toll after a string of these unrewarding events.

So why do book companies promote author signing? Volume. Quantity not quality. Maximization of the author`s time, effort and energy. Get `em in and out and move `em on to the next place. You see authors don`t get paid for going out on tour. Sure it`s promotion for their book. But only a handful ever realize any significant monies. They labor in the deficit column just to share information with the rest of the global community. Many authors have real life jobs for cash flow so the author dictates the touring time allotment. It`s then the responsibility of the book company to hustle and cover as much territory as possible within this timetable.

So which author promotion does work? My research shows that workshops do well for the majority of bookstores. They are a wonderful way to exhibit how important a stanchion bookstores are in the information relay. Workshops work because the audience is comprised of quality seekers who come to benefit from the precise topic. These people are looking to be educated, and as such, workshop participants are book buyers.

But my research also showed that workshops are starting to show signs of wear in this "trickle-less" down economy. Many would-be participants have taken weekend jobs. The cost of a single workshop is rapidly becoming prohibitive, let alone the cumulative series outlay. And then there is the aspect of people not wanting to be part of a group where they are part of someone`s unloading. And for the bookstore, the dwindling numbers has a direct correlation to the absence of anticipated book sales revenue. But if managed properly, workshops can be a viable means for invested efforts. And although cutbacks in frequency, workshops will never see extinction in the scheme of things.

I have determined that the most "user friendly" of the three author promotion traditions is the author reading. It`s usually an evening event which allows for flexibility within a worker`s schedule. Usually lasting two hours, it is a palatable time for anyone`s schedule. It is participant non-invasive and the cost, anywhere from free to $10 is a veritable bargain for most pocketbooks. My geography sensitive survey shows the average attendance for an audience-interested topic ranges from 100 to 600 people, selling from 50 to 300+ books at the event itself, not to mention healthy pre and post sales for the specific book and theme table tie-ins.

But behold, there is a contender for a fourth author promotion marketing area. Bill Trivett of New Visions Center of York (PA) offers this thought. Because his community population is the limitation here, he can go to the workshop-reading well just so often. So he`s developed a community outreach program whereby he supplies books to hospital lectures, book fairs, conferences, seminars, etc. Checking the calendar listings, he calls and offers to service the author and set up theme tables. As the on-site book store his reputation as a facilitator and provider is rapidly growing. The store`s reputation is enhanced, as is his effectiveness within the community, and he loves it.

So now that we`ve contemplated the do`s and don`ts, how do you go about getting the guest speaker? Interestingly enough, what seems to be an unsolvable mystery is easier than getting paid on time. Be aware of what books are being released. Read Publisher`s Weekly and American Book Seller, then immediately call your rep to check on who is touring. Reps are the advisors of the home office and companies encourage you to generate a personal and a store rapport with them. For reps to recommend you for the circuit and to the individual authors themselves, they need to be confident that if they put an author in a particular book store that the event will be professionally handled to insure that what should happen will all happen. They need to know that the store and the staff is effective and efficient, because it`s very scary if no one shows up. Gaia`s Patrice Wynn offers a tactical hint. "I tell the reps which authors we would love to have at GAIA, and then I follow it up with a confirmation letter to the reps and the publisher, because often times I might have forgotten an author or changed my mind." Good suggestion. It works just as well for you so they too don`t forget your request or give themselves room to change their mind.

What if you don`t have a relationship with your rep, or aren`t able to develop one? You can take your author requests to the regional director/manager. Utilize your distributor, they also know who`s touring on. But if you need assistance beyond that, don`t hesitate to call the home office. As Ani Chamichian, VP Marketing, General Books, Harper Collins, San Francisco told me, "We`re in the business of selling books, and we`ll find a way, we`ll find a way."

Take the experience that Seven Rays` Dave Davis had when he picked THE WISDOM SEEKERS for his first author promotion. He didn`t know the first thing about how to set out finding the author, so he figured he`d go to straight to the top. He called the publisher who not only loved his promotion idea he offered to do the contacting, planning, advertising and publicity. Granted that was an unusual situation, but what I want to point out here is that the publisher really is a good source for talent requests, and they are happy to help.

Did you know that Atrium lists the author`s home town in their catalogue? As Dawson Church, CEO of Atrium Publishing Group and Publisher of Aslan Publishing told me, "We see ourselves as part of a community made up of the author, publisher, wholesaler, retailer and distributor. Our policies are developed to compliment this community as a whole. It`s in our best interest to help with any request of this type." Gaia`s Patrice Wynn`s attitude is similar. She says, "I go into it with the understanding that we`re all partners in this business. We`re all engaged in getting the book in the hands of the customer. And so we`re partners in the same purpose. We have experienced many times over that they want their authors to reach as many people as possible."

But time and time again I was reminded that you must get to the powers that be as soon as the catalogue comes out, presenting your wish list BEFORE the tour is planned. Then if the author is in your radius at least you`ll be on line for when decisions are made. Ben Petrone, Director, Publicity and Public Relations for The Carol Publishing Group explained that they pick cities where they`re going to get the most for their money, which is the markets where the populations are: NY, LA, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, DC, sometimes Minneapolis, sometimes Detroit. The good ole days saw a 20-25 city book tour. Now if you have a 12 city tour that`s really a big tour he told me. And that`s even going by the wayside. What they try to get away with now is just doing national TV and radio shows where they can reach almost everyone out of two cities, NY and LA. Unfortunately in today`s business world it makes good sense. It`s cost effective, and considerate of the author`s time.

So what happens to all those people in between who want to see, hear, and absorb the author in person? Even on a limited tour, what if a bookstore wanted to punch into a leg of the tour, but the home company didn`t find it financially feasible to accommodate the request, could the bookstore offer to pay for that leg? Mr. Petrone told me that this could be an incentive, providing the author`s schedule permits it, and other variables were in place. That he would certainly consider it if the store was going to promote the appearance with advertising and publicity. What do you do if the authors you request are constantly given to larger bookstores or to your direct competition? Have you thought of negotiating with the publisher for a second night in town? They`ve already laid out the financial bulk in air fares and advertising, so it behooves them to capitalize on the situation, and more importantly, they will sell more books. The basic logic is that not everyone in the potential audience is available on that one day. But since air fares and successive cities are booked long in advance, you must remember to do this with your rep or the publisher at the outset of the tour planning.

Another suggestion is to keep on requesting, because there just might be a second time around routing that hasn`t yet been jelled.

And then Mr. Petrone opened his bag of tricks and shared the same magic thoughts that Atrium`s David Church and Harper`s Ali Chamichian offered. That they do put stores directly in touch with authors. And we`re talking phone numbers. Most authors don`t have publisher sponsored tours, but authors do go out on their own. Especially in their home state or proximity. Authors usually are eager to promote their book, and no house is going to discourage anything they want to do to promote on their own.

I know this to be true from first hand experience. I am constantly getting requests to do prosperity-right livelihood readings/lectures and workshops for my book THE ZEN OF HYPE. When I ask how the caller how they got my number, more than not it was through my publisher, Citadel/Carol Publishing.

"Anything an author does on their own is a help to me is how I look at it," said Dawson Church. They`re happy to give that information because many authors who allot limited tour time often go touring on their own time schedule and would love to come to your store to promote their book. They love to sell their books, to get the word out, and have that human contact. Your request might just be the catalyst they needed to turn it into a mini-tour, doing talk shows and print interviews along the routing. And you never know when they might have family or friends in the neighborhood, or even coming to town for a closed event. So don`t be shy! Call your rep or the publisher for that information. How do you handle fees and expenses? Don`t be put off thinking they`ll be exorbitant before you even ask. This anticipation is a big mistake amongst store owners. There are several ways to negotiate payment. Many authors do readings for a percentage of the door after expenses, or for an up-front compensation called an honorarium. There is also a door/honorarium split, and sometimes all they will ask for is the cost of a hotel room and dinner which you can barter locally. Trust me, you would be surprised. But should the costs involved be more than you can handle, get the local college or university involved in sharing the expenses, even if they are two hours away. Maybe they never would have had a chance if you didn`t co-op it with them.

John Wright of The Mandala Bookstore in Santa Monica, CA. told me that he gets calls from the author`s booking agent, and what he`s found is that if you negotiate directly with the agent you`ll end up paying more than what`s necessary because they need to take their fee out of the price. So try and get passed the agent and go directly to the author and deal with what works for the both of you, then report back to the agent on what you`ve agreed. He assured me that "That`s the way to go."

And as with all creatures great and small, treat your authors well. Remember that they cross paths on the circuit in TV studio green rooms, in hotels, in airports, and in rest rooms. And my how they do talk. Patrice Wynn shares her recipe for appropriate author treatment that works well for her. She sends flowers to their hotel, offers a massage, and presents them with a store gift certificate. With this attitude you too can be as successful and as well thought of on the circuit.

Despite the negatives and hesitations, the consensus for author promotions presented appropriate to your needs was definitely geared to all systems go attitude. If you truly assess your situation properly, think abundance without exalted expectations, and nourish the "knowledge is power" concept, I believe what ever author promotion approach you adopt will be successful. "TRY IT, YOU`LL LIKE IT!"

Raleigh Pinskey is a speaker and consultant on Viz-Ability Marketing. She is the author of 101 Ways To Promote Yourself, You Can Hype Anything, and the audio series, The Zen Of Hype, How To Do Your Own PR.