The Sorting Hat Settles at Centrum

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty, but don't judge on what you see; I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me."
—The Sorting Hat, opening lines of the 1991 Sorting Hat song, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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I live many lives.

By day, I’m a San Diego working mother of two – I run a busy freelance book publicity business and teach communications classes at a local community college. By night, I’m an active mom and wife, cooking dinners, driving kids to sporting events, overseeing homework and social activities, washing clothes, grocery shopping, etc. For each activity, I wear a different Harry Potter-style Sorting Hat: advisor, nurturer, consoler, communicator, parent, and partner.

But my other life is a more personal one; I have been a writer for almost ten years, and somehow managed to get one novel written and published despite the many other hats that find their way to my head. With the writing came some wonderful benefits: a number of lively and friendly writing groups, three artist residencies, all in beautiful places (Oregon, Hawaii, and Vermont), connections with other authors, publishers, agents, and, since my book was a Native American story, the local Pala Indian community, who welcomed me with warmth and generosity. The writing hat fits well, indeed.

But this past year has been a tough one on my writing life, as both of my kids are getting ready to leave for college – one this year, and one the year after. It’s been a hectic time of softball recruiting visits for my daughter and college visits for my older son. But both are finally settled on the schools they plan to attend, so when a friend invited me to apply for an artist residency at Centrum in Port Townsend, Washington, I agreed. The time slot that Centrum offered us fit perfectly with my teaching schedule (it was, luckily, the same time as spring break), so I left my many-sided life in San Diego and have been here in the rainy Pacific Northwest, joyfully allowing the writing hat to slip back onto my head.

The Centrum campus is located on the grounds of Fort Worden State Park, a lovely wide-open green belt, with old-style military barracks, cabins, and apartment buildings scattered across the grounds. There is a youth hostel here, along with some mansion-sized homes and tiny wooden huts. I was first housed in one of the older, two-story apartments, but the building's rickety heater pumped heat non-stop (there was no thermostat in our unit). After two nights of sweating and incessant rattling noise, I asked to be moved to one of the cabins, and that’s where I sit as I write this post.

Fort Worden Park sits on a bluff above Admiralty Bay and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center beach and pier. The views are stunning – from my former second story apartment, I could see almost all of Whidbey Island across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which glitters in the sun and turns moody and sullen when the sky is cloudy. In my new cabin, I have even more impressive views overlooking the grassy cliffs and the bay down below. The cabin is peaceful, and the heat is – blessedly – controllable and quiet.

Centrum is a beautiful place; it bustles with the comings and goings of visiting artists, writers, and musicians (we saw a magnificent choro -- Brazilian jazz -- concert performed by some of the greatest folk musicians in the world two nights ago). The park also houses families and guests who rent the buildings to explore the Victorian harbor town of Port Townsend. So, there are children here, running across the grounds with their Frisbees, footballs, scooters, and bikes. The place teems with twittering birds and a few well-fed cats, yet it also has a quiet ambience, reinforced by the stately views of the sea and the elegant deer that tiptoe across the grass in the morning to nibble at the clover blossoms. The sun sets later in the day here, bringing with it a clarity and warmth that is soothing and breath-taking at the same time.

I’m happy to be here, in this lovely, northern world. I do miss my husband, kids, clients, and students (and, of course, my own bed), but I know that all the other hats I wear will be waiting for me when I return, refreshed and eager to pick up where I left off.

Complications: A Doctor's Love Story

I have been meaning to write updates about my clients' books and have been so busy lately that my good intentions have fallen by the wayside.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I've decided to hold true to my resolutions and begin with my wonderful client, Dr. Linda Gromko, and her memoir: Complications, A Doctor's Love Story.

I'm writing with a heavy heart because Linda's husband, Steve Williams, passed away today after a long battle with kidney failure. I didn't know Steve, but I have known Linda for almost two years (we met at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference in August, 2009). After meeting Linda and working with her to promote her book at bookstores and kidney dialysis conferences, I heard all about what a smart, funny, courageous, and kind man Steve was. He and Linda were certainly well-matched, for she has the same intelligence, warmth, and tremendous wit that he is famous for. My heart is breaking for Linda and her family at his loss, and I hope that she can find some comfort in the outstanding life and wonderful memories that she and Steve created over the years.

Linda's book, Complications, is part love story and part history of Steve's struggle with kidney failure. Though realistic about the rigors of life with kidney dialysis and heart disease, Complications also offers readers a wonderful portrait of sacrifice and hope.

Dr. Gromko’s true story begins with an implausible inheritance from a former patient and her first meeting with Steve, a businessman who is “gifted at banter, irreverently funny, and loyal as a beagle.” Soon after the couple decide to wed, Steve's history of diabetes and high blood pressure leads him to fall precipitously into the abyss of kidney failure. Written from a doctor’s perspective, the book takes the reader on a tumultuous course of medical and personal trials, as Dr. Gromko exerts the most powerful advocacy of her life for the man she loves.

Joe Piscatella, author and President of The Institute for Fitness and Health, endorsed the book with these words: “Dr. Linda Gromko has written a gritty, realistic piece about true life with kidney failure and heart disease. If anything makes a case for prevention and a healthy lifestyle, this book delivers!” And best-selling author Elizabeth Lyon noted: “Dr. Gromko explains everything about the realities of kidney disease, and in a way that readers can not only easily understand, but will also feel on the edge of their seats awaiting the next diagnosis, procedure, victory, or complication. Ultimately, this memoir is a stirring account about hope, commitment, sacrifice, and love.”

I urge all of you who might be interested in kidney disease, dialysis, and modern-day love stories, to purchase a copy (softcover or Kindle) of Complications. As you read, take the time to reflect on the courageous and loving life this couple built together, and send your best thoughts and wishes to Linda Gromko and her family.

Team Truimph

I don’t have a lot of knick-knacks on my desk (I prefer a clean surface when I’m working), but there are a few treasured items that reside along the perimeter of my work area: photos of my husband and kids, my Santa Barbara Writers’ Conference mug, a banksia nut candle that Dan brought me from one of his trips to Australia, and my prized possession, a small digital clock that I won as a team competition participant in the Coors Light Biathlon.

I won the biathlon prize many years ago, when I was in my twenties and lived in Santa Barbara. An avid cyclist, I spent long hours training and competing in centuries, triathlons, and biathlons along the California coast. My team partner, Deirdre, was a co-worker and a lithe, athletic runner with great speed, who had done triathlons with me in the past. She convinced me to enter this race, arguing that we had a chance to win based mainly on the strength of her running prowess (she was right about that).

Winning this particular competition almost didn’t happen. On the last lap of the cycling portion of the race, the gear-shifting mechanism on my bicycle sheared off as I approached the runners’ transition line. No longer able to make the bike move forward, I ended up running the last few yards on foot, stumbling along in my cycling shoes to hand off the baton to Deirdre. We won the competition by seconds; I imagine that we would not have succeeded if my bicycle’s gears had failed any earlier in the race.

I treasure this particular win, not only because it was one of the few competition victories I can actually claim (I was a decent rider, but by no means a star), but because I won as part of a team. Victories are sweet when they are hard won, but I believe they’re even sweeter when they come as a result of team effort. There’s something uniquely special and uplifting about winning a challenging fight with a colleague at your side. It’s the group mentality, that feeling of connecting with another person and fighting together, that brings about a unique sense of joy that only athletes who participate in team sports can realize.

This sense of team accomplishment carries over into many areas of life, including work and career. Like the world of sports, the business world can be just as competitive (and physically and mentally grinding) as a sporting event. With an accomplished team, all of us are more likely to succeed – we bring our individual talents and strengths to the situations we encounter and, in addition, we are there to prop each other up, cheer each other on, and celebrate our victories together.

I like to think that the author who has a team working with him is damn lucky. My sense is that the most successful authors have agents, editors, designers, publishers, and publicists all working on their side. Without this kind of team, the author who tries to go it alone is like the athlete who competes by himself – success is possible, but the achievements and victories are oftentimes fewer realized and even less acknowledged.

With a good team behind her, however, an author has a much better chance of succeeding on a big stage. Some authors may manage to take the publishing world by storm on their own, but most of the successful best sellers are so because they are published and promoted by the best agents, editors, and publicity people in the business.

One can argue that going it alone has its upside: there is no one to answer to, fewer time delays, and certainly never any argument about how a work should look, what it should contain, or how it is promoted. But the person who chooses to do the writing, editing, cover designing, publishing, and promoting himself, had better be damn good at all these things. Most are not, and the staggering number of poorly written and designed self-published books bears evidence to this fact.

But the author who chooses to build a strong, professional team around him has a good chance of being a winner. Like their athletic counterparts, authors who have talent, train hard, and surround themselves with the strongest teammates in the business, have a much better chance of standing out in the brutally competitive world of publishing than those who choose to go it alone.

Be Focused, Be Prepared, Be Committed – Steps to Take Before Hiring a Publicist

Most prospective clients who approach me about publicity are new authors who have never worked with a publicist before. Whether self or traditionally published, many of them write to me with questions, the most common being: What would you charge for promoting my book?

My response is always the same: What is it you're looking for? A book tour? Media coverage? Internet exposure? All of the above? And how much do you want to spend? Without knowing what it is an author wants, it's difficult for me to put a price on how much I can do for him

It's also difficult to say how much publicity an author is likely to get without having read the author’s book or knowing a little about her platform.

So, for new authors who are thinking about hiring a publicist, I've composed the following tips on items to consider before calling or sending an inquiry email to a PR expert:

1. What kind of book have you written?
With over 288,000 new titles released each year, it's important to know where your book fits in to the overall market. Is it a young adult novel, targeted for teens, or would younger kids, say 5 -9 year olds, be more likely to read it? Does your mystery fit more in the true crime or detective category? Is your love story a traditional romance or does it fit more under the women's fiction heading? Knowing what you’ve got to sell will help you pinpoint what you have to do (and where you have to go) to sell it.

2. Is there a market for it? If so, who and where is that market?
Once you know what you've written, you need to decide who would read it. Is your audience both men and women, or are only women likely to be interested? Are there targeted niche audiences for your book? If so, where can you best reach them? Be ready to discuss with your publicist who your audience is and where you’re willing to go to get their attention.

3. What kind of experience/expertise/knowledge do you have that can be used to promote your book?
Having a platform is essential for both fiction and non-fiction writers, especially when promoting your book to media producers and reporters. Platform has to do with you (the author), your background, and the level of expertise or recognition you have in your subject area. Before you hire a publicist, ask yourself the following questions: Are you a recognized expert in your field? If not, would you be willing to educate yourself and/or work to establish yourself as such? What is it about your background and experience that makes you an interesting interview for the media? Are you willing speak, write, and blog about your book/subject area? When you speak or meet with your publicist for the first time, be ready to describe what you bring to the table in terms of background and experience.

4. How much are you willing to spend on publicity?
Before you hire a publicist, sit down with your spouse or significant other and decide how much you can afford for book promotion. Review items 1-3 above and decide what will give you the most exposure for your type of book and audience(s). Decide if you're willing to travel to speak, tour, and/or sell your book, and figure out how long you are willing to do that. Plan to create web, blog, and social media sites for your book and estimate the expenses, both time and money-wise, for those. Finally, create a budget that factors in costs for printing and shipping copies of your book, creation of promotional items (bookmarks, posters, fliers, etc.), website development and hosting, travel, hotel, and food expenses for signing and/or media tours, booth space fees, postage, advertising, etc. Also factor in the cost of hiring a publicist (see my post entitled Straight Talk on Book Publicity Costs for more on that) or other professionals (graphic reproduction, ebook formatting, legal, etc.) you might need to help with your book's promotion.

5. How committed are you to doing what your publicist recommends?
I'm always surprised at how many of my clients do the groundwork of hiring me and then, once we begin their promotional tour, panic when they achieve some level of success. As many authors realize after trying to do it themselves, it’s extremely difficult in today’s noisy and crowded publishing landscape to get attention from booksellers and the media. It can take an experienced publicist repeat contacting and hours of follow-up and pitching to get a bookseller, reporter, or producer to agree to an event or interview for a client.

But, despite their desire for exposure, there are always a few authors who balk at doing signings or radio and television interviews once they get them, which is frustrating on many levels. It can be awkward for a publicist to go back to booksellers and the media to say that a client is passing on an event after working so hard to get them to agree to it in the first place. It's also time-consuming to have to revisit plans and goals with authors, who say they want publicity and then waver on following through. Yes, it can be scary to be in front of the camera for the first time or, for some, to have to stand up in front of a group and speak. But a good publicist can provide helpful tips for overcoming those early jitters, and most authors agree that, like any other activity, they get better at it the more they do it. And successful authors know that without that kind of outreach, they would not be able to generate the essential word-of-mouth ripple effect that comes from continued audience exposure.

It's a shame to waste opportunities, especially if an author has done his footwork and has spent the time and money to get the hard-won exposure he needs to successfully promote his book. Be committed to your book’s success, and if you hire a publicist, follow through on her efforts to obtain the promotional attention you seek.

The Nuts and Bolts of Writing a Press Release

I find in my discussions with new authors that many of them are unfamiliar with what a press release is or how it can best be used. So, I thought I’d provide a brief (okay, maybe not so brief!) overview of important considerations when writing and distributing releases.

Think of your press release as a newspaper article. It should be written so that anyone you send it to can take it as is and publish it in a print publication or blog with minimal changes (and since most of the media are busy people, they will love you for making their job easier!). That means that it should be professional and succinct and should be written in a journalistic (i.e., focusing on the who, what, when, where, and why), third-person style.

Your press release should begin with the line: For Immediate Release, which tells your reader that s/he is free to use the information that follows right away. Immediately following should be the date, written out in full, with the current year included (e.g., November 28, 2010).

Next is the headline, which should always be as succinct and intriguing as possible. Center your headline and be sure to include what’s important, stating what is most exciting or unique in as few words as possible. Here’s an example from a release about my book:

San Diego Publicist Paula Margulies Weaves
A Graceful Tale of Love and Redemption
in Coyote Heart

The body of the press release should follow the headline. I like to use a five-paragraph structure for my press releases:

1) The introductory paragraph. Many PR professionals recommend starting with an intriguing lead-off or hook in the first paragraph of your release. Since I tend to make my initial pitches by phone, I usually forgo the hook and instead open with a journalistic introductory paragraph that gives the who, what, where, when and why of the release. The first paragraph should be prefaced with the city and state where the event or content of the release is taking place. Here’s an example of an introductory paragraph:

San Diego, CA – Book publicist Paula Margulies announces the release of her debut novel, Coyote Heart (ISBN 978-1-933794-16-7), a multi-cultural love story set against the backdrop of the Pala Indian Reservation in San Diego, California. Prior to publication, Coyote Heart received numerous awards, including an Editor’s Choice Award at the San Diego State University Writers’ Conference. Coyote Heart was also a finalist in the Santa Fe Writer’s Project Literary Awards Program, a worldwide competition that included over 350 entries.

2) An informational paragraph or two. In the second and third paragraphs of the release, I like to give a succinct overview of general information about the subject of the release. This should be supplemental information to what you presented in the first paragraph. An example of two informational paragraphs follows:

Coyote Heart tells the story of Carolyn Weedman, a forty-year-old librarian trapped in a troubled marriage with a disabled husband. After a chance encounter with a widowed Pala Indian professor, Carolyn finds herself drawn into an unexpected love affair. Torn by conflicting feelings, she discovers a secret about her husband’s past that forces her to confront her divided emotions and choose between the two men that she loves.

Set against the backdrop of local politics on the Pala Indian Reservation, Coyote Heart explores the intricacies of illicit love and marriage, the strength that comes from sacrifice, and the courage to forgive the injuries of the past. The novel calls on several San Diego landscapes, including the Rancho Penasquitos preserve and the Pala Indian Reservation, to give the story a unique local flavor. Written with haunting natural imagery and lyrical prose, Coyote Heart tells a compelling tale of love and modern Native American culture.

3) Include a quote. Since many in the media will, hopefully, use your press release verbatim, you want to include a quote in your release (so it looks as if you were interviewed by the publication running it). I like to keep quotes to one or two sentences. If you’re writing about your book, a good topic for a quote is what inspired you to write the book. When quoting, always use tags in the past tense (i.e. “said Margulies,” rather than “says Margulies”). Here is a sample press release quote:

“I wrote this novel, in part, because I’ve always been fascinated by what makes a marriage work,” said Margulies. “My sense is that many marriages survive not because the two individuals involved are meant for each other, but because the losses and hardships that they’ve endured forge a bond that is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to sever.”

4) Include a brief bio. The final paragraph of your release should include biographical information about you, but remember to keep it as succinct as possible. Summarize your history as a writer and include information about awards, other publications, media appearances, and any other information that positions you as an expert. I usually end the bio paragraph with a sentence about where the author resides and/or what the author is working on next. An example of a bio paragraph:

Paula Margulies is the owner of Paula Margulies Communications, a public relations firm for authors and artists. She has received numerous awards for her short stories and novels, and her essays have been published in a number of professional journals and magazines. She has been awarded artist residencies at Caldera, Red Cinder Artist Colony, Vermont Studio Center, and Centrum. Margulies resides in San Diego, California, with her husband and two teenagers.

You can also include a final line about where to find more information about you and your book:

For more information on the author or Coyote Heart, please visit www.paulamargulies.com or Kirk House Publishers at www.kirkhouse.com.

5) End with contact info. At the end of your release, be sure to tell readers who they can contact for more information about you. You should include a line that reads: For Further Information, and follow it with your (or your publicist’s) name, address, telephone numbers, email and website information:

For further information, please contact:
Paula Margulies Communications
8145 Borzoi Way
San Diego, CA 92129
T: 858-538-2047
paulamar@san.rr.com
www.paulamargulies.com

If you are sending a release yourself, you may want to include your book’s cover art in the upper left-hand corner as letterhead. Try to keep your release to one-page; if you have to use a second page, be sure to label it as such with your last name and page number.

If your publicist has written the release, be sure to ask permission before changing its content and/or distributing it yourself (if it’s written in her name, then it should come from her).

You will want to use your press release as a follow-up tool when pitching booksellers or the media. Send the release as an attachment, along with your headshot and book cover art (front cover only, in jpg format) after you have made an inquiry for a signing event or media interview.

Once you have a general press release written, you can use it as the basis for announcing new events (media and book signing appearances, awards, re-releases, etc.). You will need to change the release date, title, content paragraphs, and quote (and update your bio paragraph as information changes).

It’s easy to distribute your releases on free press release distribution websites. My favorites are http://www.free-press-release.com and www.briefingwire.com. Some of the free sites will require registration and many of them will offer fee-based advanced exposure services. Some will provide email tracking, showing the number of views your press release receives once it’s on the wire.

Finally, if you have any questions about your release or feel uncertain about writing one yourself, consider asking a publicist or PR specialist to write one for you. Many PR pros are happy to provide this service for you and should be willing to do so for a nominal fee.

How to Get Self-Published Books into Bookstores

A self-published author recently sent me the following email message:

"I conducted a book signing at my local Walden bookstore and when one of my friends tried to purchase my book a few weeks later, she was told that I was not
in their database. How can I get my self-published book stocked in a real bookstore?"

This is the dilemma for self-published authors -- most booksellers do not want to stock self-published books in their stores, for many reasons: 1) booksellers order thousands of books per year and don't want to have to order from individual publishers. Instead, they order through wholesale distributors like Baker & Taylor or Ingram, where they can place one order for all the different books they want at once; 2) booksellers don't like having to wait for POD books to ship; they would rather order from a distribution company, which has the books already there in its warehouse; and 3) many print-on-demand books are, to put it kindly, subpar -- they have not been edited and/or reviewed before they are printed, so some booksellers feel that self-published books, in general, are not high quality (whether that's true or not, they have that stigma attached to them).

So, what can be done if your book is self-published?

1) If you want to get your book into stores, it's important to have it listed with a distributor. There are a number of independent distributors, like Pathway Book Service or Greenleaf Book Group, that handle distribution for self-published authors. Some of the wholesale distributors, like Ingram, also have divisions for self-published books. If your book is listed with a distributor, you have a much better chance of getting it into independent and chain bookstores. And, in addition to warehousing and shipping your books, distributors can help with other aspects of marketing including sales promotions, negotiating with buyers, order tracking and reporting, and mailing list maintenance.

2) Some of the bigger booksellers, like Barnes & Noble and Borders, have their own distribution centers. To get into those, you have to approach their small press divisions and ask if they are willing to sell your book in their stores. Both of these companies require that you send a marketing plan for your book, along with one or more copies of the book and a cover letter, to the small press division. You’ll typically receive an answer within a few weeks.

3). Even if Barnes & Noble and Borders won't accept your book through their small press divisions, individual store managers can still order from you directly, if they choose to do so. That's why it's so important that you still try to do signings in as many bookstores as possible. If you hold a successful signing in a store, the bookseller may be willing to order copies (although Borders assigns its own numbers, called "BINC" numbers, to books that it carries, so if your book is not in the Borders system, a store manager may not be able to order it).

If you don't do signings, it's difficult for individual booksellers to know about you or your book -- that's why making appearances at bookstores (even with a low turnout) is so important, especially the first six-eight months after a book is released. Booksellers are willing to have self-published authors in their stores, but only if there is a perceived demand for the book and the author is willing to promote the signing and help draw customers to the event. A good publicist can help convince bookstore managers that your book is worthy of a signing appearance and can be instrumental in booking you for print, radio, and television spots that will drive traffic to your event.

If you do land a signing event, many bookstore managers will ask you to bring copies of the book with you and will purchase an agreed-upon number of those books from you the day of your signing. In some cases, you will have to wait to be paid, since the checks come from corporate offices, rather than the individual stores.

4) Consider offering your books on a consignment arrangement with independent bookstores. Most indie booksellers will take a few copies (usually about 5-10) and will want to keep a percentage of the sales (the typical consignment arrangement is 40-60). If your books sell well, you may be able to convince the store manager to stock them on a regular basis.

5) Finally, don't forget that as a self-published author, you have the advantage of being able to control how your book is marketed. In addition to selling in bookstores, you'll want to explore making your book available in as many ebook formats as possible and consider other venues beside bookstores for sales opportunities.

Some Thoughts on Thinking (and Selling) Outside the Bookstore Box by Carol Newman Cronin

Note: This guest post is by Olympic sailor and author, Carol Newman Cronin, who sailed for the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic games in Athens and has written two fabulous young adult novels: Oliver's Surprise and Cape Cod Surprise. Read what Carol has to say about selling books in places other than a bookstore, and then vist her website: www.carolnewmancronin.com and her blog: Where Books Meet Boats. -PM

Boats Meet Books in Newport:
Five tips for selling books in non-traditional venues

“Author’s Corner - what’s that?”
“You wrote these books yourself?”
“What age group are they meant for?”
“Where do I find a bathroom?”

Those are just a random sampling of the many questions I answered this past weekend at the Newport International Boat Show. Probably not the first place you would think of for book selling, but it turned out to be a great venue for my two Surprises www.carolnewmancronin.com/books.htm. With abundant sunshine and temps in the 70’s, the weather was perfect for boat gawking out on the docks. And once they’d overcome their own Surprise at seeing books - real books - on a boat show booth table, many of the people pouring down the aisles of Tent C were eager to buy some nautical fiction.

The Author’s Corner is a booth provided for those lucky few who are asked to give seminars during the four day event. My seminar (entitled “Where Books Meet Olympic Spirit”) took place before lunch every day, and whether it was because people weren’t yet ready for a sit-down break from boat gawking or due to the vague title, attendance was, well – poor. But sales in the booth were brisk, making the entire effort well worth it.

I had been dreading sitting inside a tent over a beautiful September weekend, and I certainly took several breaks on Thursday and Friday to wander the show and catch up with all my marine industry buddies. But over the weekend, I was simply too busy to get antsy. Handing out bookmarks to anyone who looked like a reader (and US Sailing Team Alphagraphics stickers to all the kids), talking about writing and sailing with those interested enough to stop and chat, and – best of all – signing the books once I’d made the sale; I enjoyed it all more than I expected.

After four days of refining my pitch, I can definitely pass on a few pointers about non-traditional bookselling.

1. Find something in common with the person, and talk about that.
It’s pretty safe to assume that anyone who walks in the door of a bookstore is a reader. I couldn’t make the same assumption about the people walking down the aisle of Tent C, but I could make a different assumption: they were most likely interested in boats (or at least, interested in SOMEONE who was interested in boats). That gave us something to talk about besides the books for sale.

I quickly learned to watch darting eyes, to see if they were caught by the sight of books piled up on a table. Readers notice books; flagging down everyone else by waving a bookmark (or tripping them up) probably wasn’t going to lead to a sale.

2. Create a visually appealing booth that makes it clear what you’re selling.
Since I don’t do many trade shows, I don’t have a lot of big banners that draw in customers. Most people didn’t quite understand what an “Author’s Corner” was right away; it would’ve been very helpful to have a background display that clarified our bookselling/author roles.

Saturday and Sunday our table’s visual appeal was greatly helped by the addition of a large hardback called Steam Coffin.

Author John Lawrence Busch eagerly told anyone who even glanced at his beautiful cover about the first transatlantic steamship. His enthusiasm was infectious, and some of his listeners also bought copies of my books.

Our other booth mate was Captain Graybeard, a boat show veteran who was hawking a wide variety of books, electronics, and weather information – and giving away a free catalog on CD. The world famous cruiser Don Street also made appearances, in between seminars and his visits to the beer tent. So we had something for everyone - softcover fiction, hardcover history, electronic self-help, and nautical legend all represented in the same booth. But many thought we were all selling all of our wares together, rather than independently.

3. Have something to give away that’s easy to carry.
For me, bookmarks work very well as a way to engage people – and I ran through my entire supply. Frequently someone would glance at our table but wouldn’t actually stop until I offered a bookmark. Some just said “thanks” and kept walking, but most would come back to the table and take a second look at what I had to offer. And many of those eventually turned into sales.

4. Have a “special.”
People love to feel like they’re getting a deal when buying at a show, so it’s important to have a special offer. For me it was “Boat show special - two books for twenty bucks.” Only a few people realized they could also buy one for ten bucks…

5. Avoid the hard sell.
There is a well-known parable about the wind and the sun, each trying to get a man to remove his coat. The wind blows hard and then harder, but all that happens is the man clutches the coat tighter to his body. Then the sun comes out, and once the man is warm and happy he gladly takes off his coat.

We’ve all been verbally assaulted walking through a trade show, the human equivalent of the wind blowing harder and harder. After four days of watching my booth mates and the other booth operators around me, I tried to be more like the sun and make people happy. Once I got someone’s attention with a bookmark and had given a very short overview about the books, I asked a question about their boat or where they lived. I haven’t met a boat owner yet who doesn’t like to talk about his or her vessel, and I also enjoyed hearing about all the different ways people work and play on the water.

Selling doesn’t have to be hard. And boat shows, as it turns out, don’t have to be awful – they can be a great chance to find yet another link between boats and books.