Host an Author Promotion Event

Then find out what other local events are scheduled for the same weekend. A quick look in last year's entertainment guide, in your local newspaper will suggest which weekends are free. (I live between the famous Stratford Festival, St. Jacobs's market and Waterloo, home of North America's largest Oktoberfest. So, I do not hold any workshops between June 1 and Sept 30.)

Step 1:
Book your event. Book the event at least two months, and never more than four months, in advance. This gives you ample time to write and distribute press releases and articles, to pass out and post fliers, and to advertise the event. (I've found that the most cost effective method of advertising is posting fliers within a fifteen-minute drive of the event's venue.)

Step 2:
Plan the menu. Your menu will consist of coffee and donuts. Will you have the event catered or will you arrive early to set up? Will you have meeting facility provide the food and drink or will you bring it yourself?

Step 3:
Choose your topic and write your speech. Once you know the event's location and the target audience, it's time to choose the topic. The topic should relate to your book, fit the tone of the building, and be a topic you can discuss comfortably.

A romance author can talk about first love, autumn love, relationships, or "how to put romance back in a relationship." If you can't come up with a topic idea of your own, look at the headlines of national magazines, watch soap operas or talk shows. The world is full of ideas.

Just remember that this event is about having fun. Do not give your guests deep theoretical speeches, but give your guests snappy little stories, inspirational quotes, cute anecdotes, and a few laughs about life as an author - give them a peak into your life.

Step 4:
Develop your fliers. Fliers, like all advertising, can only attract one or two segments of the population. Your fliers should include a catchy title (in bold), your web address, an email address, a picture of yourself, a picture of your book's cover, and the date, time, and place of the event.

Your fliers should work hard to attract readers to your website. Your website should then sell the event, pre-sell your books, and offer methods of buying tickets to the event. Do not invest more than 20 words explaining the event.

Step 5:
Practice makes perfect. Like every venture, it takes practice to establish a professional image. The more you host these events, the better you become.

Step 6:
Be yourself. My self-promotion efforts won't work for you. We could talk on the same topic and host the same event in the same building, but attract an entirely different crowd. Your audience came to see the writer, not someone they think people wants them to be.

Step 7:
Be ready for the unexpected. These events have a way of attracting speaking opportunities, which in turn, increases writing assignments, which in turn, improves the success rate of your promotion efforts; all of which creates a momentum with the potential to turn any writing and speaking hobby into a full-time career.

Caveat: Do not host an event like this at a bookstore without a firm, legal contract. Several of my colleagues were shocked to find bookstores requiring a percentage of all book sales, a booking fee, and a bill for a portion of all advertising costs, whether the author approved the arrangement or not.