[Publib] Author Book Talks

[Kathleen Horan]

I have run author talks with some success. Aside from flooding the media with promotional materials, here are some of my suggestions:
 
If you want to highlight a local author, pair him/her with someone who has sold at least one book not self-published. I did this by choosing authors through Poets & Writers (www.pw.org), which sponsors half of the noted author's fee. (Note:  If the author isn't listed with P&W, they can get listed at no cost.)  The balance of the fee came from private funding, grants, etc. The more money you have to work with, the better the outcome. The junior/senior author pairing worked out nicely. The senior author felt the importance of the mentoring role (if only for the one event) and the junior author felt recognized. 
 
Advertise an entire series of authors on a glossy bookmark. A series seems to attract more attention than single readings.
 
If you have a book discussion group, come up with questions to ask the author(s). Ask each person to take a turn asking a question. This is great when turnout is small: dialogue really takes off.
 
Encourage the author to provide people in the audience.
 
Contact local reading groups, bookstores, AARP, women's groups, universities, etc. to advertise. Local schoolteachers might promote your event in class and encourage students to attend for extra credit. See if you can work out such a deal in your district. 
 
Don't serve the usual cookies & coffee. Try sparkling water or alcohol-free champagne, chocolates, and jarlsburg cheese & crackers. 
 
Ask local merchants for goods and services or purchase $10 gift cards to Amazon or Barnes & Noble to raffle off at the meeting. Advertise a raffle & hand out tickets (buy by the roll) to patron at circulation. Of course, "you must be present to win." 
 
Balance your expectations with the outcome. The audience was small? Okay, but was it meaningful? Then you have a success. Also, be sure to attend the event yourself and participate with a nice introduction and closing. If you decide to try a series, bring flyers with you at the event to promote the next event in the series. 
 
Finally, if the book sucked, don't let the author read (unless he or she is a much-loved former teacher or some other community luminary). 
 
  --Kathleen
 

 
________________________________

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of Tom Cooper
Sent: Tue 2/13/2007 8:51 AM
To: conrad.rader at gmail.com; annc at pascolibraries.org
Cc: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] Author Book Talks



I have had a few of the same experiences. I think the problem comes from authors trying to promote their own self-published books, or books published in small print runs by small presses that are attracting no attention. They visit your location, ask to do a reading, and you think it sounds good. But nobody in your community is interested. I have learned to only have authors visit whose work is already attracting some attention. Yes, it limits the authors who will visit, but there's nothing worse than working hard on an event that flops. You need to establish a rubric to judge whether the work is of any interest.

Is the book selling?

Has there been any media attention?

Is it a subject with a ready-made clientele (local history group, local crafters, local gardeners, etc.)

Has the author done presentations at other area libraries or bookstores, and have they been successful?

 

Preferably, most, if not all of these should apply. Otherwise, let them seek some other avenue for promoting their lackluster literary efforts.

 

Tom Cooper, Director

Webster Groves Public Library

301 E. Lockwood

Webster Groves, MO 63119

 

(314) 961-3784

tcooper at wgpl.lib.mo.us

 

________________________________

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Conrad Rader
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 3:40 PM
To: annc at pascolibraries.org
Cc: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Publib] Author Book Talks

 

That just happened to me as well.  Luckily, the author was not too bummed out.  I do all the same promotions and then life just happens.  We are going to try an all day program that will have four or five authors and author related programs, that will also incorporate our writers group, the reading discussion group and anyone else we can rope in.  We have had better success with grouping a number of programs together into a day-long format for gardening (attendance up 200% and now mostly being done by a local gardening group) and our Local History Day (attendance up 150% and still going strong).

Sometimes the single programs hit, and sometime they miss.  Don't get too discouraged, just try something else.

Conrad Rader
Adult Services Librarian
Niles District Library
Niles, MI

 
Ann Coppola wrote: 

Hi Folks,
 
I just had a program at my library where a local author came in to talk about her book and sell and sign copies of it.
 
Not one person showed up.  This isn't the first time an author talk has bombed.
 
I have flyers and posters up at the library.  I have it in the local papers.  Food doesn't seem to be enough of a draw either.  (the teens hover around and scavenge but they don't stay to hear the author).
 
Why is it that author talks don't work?  I have another one for this Saturday.  I am dreading it...
 
Any thoughts?
 
Ann
 
--
Ann Coppola
Public Services Librarian & Program Coordinator
 
Hudson Regional Library
8012 Library Road
Hudson, FL 34667
(727) 861-3040
 
Books are just the beginning...
 
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." 
Eleanor Roosevelt
--
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