Guide to Building a Book Tour
Part 1: Hello? Is Anyone Out There? Finding Venues for Gigs
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➡️ What worked:
Focusing my attention on locations where my friends live
➡️ What didn't work:
Targeting open mics
➡️TL;DR
Too long; didn’t read
My first full-length poetry collection Survived By: A Memoir in Verse + Other Poems recently debuted with Curious Corvid Publishing, and I knew even before I submitted it to publishers that I wanted to go on tour with this book. I pictured myself bouncing around place to place reading, signing, maybe frolicking through fields of wildflowers. I didn't realize what a challenge organizing a tour was going to be. Here are the lessons that I learned on what worked and what didn't.
What worked:
Focusing my attention on locations where my friends live
I admit that I have an advantage in that in my adult life I have lived in numerous different places and have, therefore, developed friendships with folks all over the country. Since I left grad school, I have lived in Connecticut, Wyoming, Detroit, Minneapolis, Colorado, Florida, Los Angeles, and now D.C. I am also lucky that many of my friends from those locations have moved themselves, creating potential allies for me in locales I've never been to.
Knowing I would be traveling from D.C. to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in order to spend a good chunk of the summer with my long-distance partner, I based my itinerary mostly in the mountain west. By focusing on locations where I have allies, I recruited them in helping me reach out to potential venues and locales, which gave me the illusion of a FoLLoWiNg. (I was also focusing on locations where I would potentially have free lodging, where I wouldn't have to invest my revenue of book sales and honoraria into hotel stays.)
What didn't work:
Targeting indie bookstores
I learned really quickly that most indie bookstores did not give a hoot about me or my book if I wasn't local. They need to make a buck too, and if I don't know anyone other than my one friend, they're not going to fill their store with potential buyers. That being said, a couple of bookstores were very keen on hosting me, buying copies of my book, and promoting my event. Some bookstores I contacted were keen to host me, but then replied, "Our hourly rental rate is $75/hour." Uh no… that's not what I was asking. I reached out to 21 different bookstores across the mid- and mountain west, and only one responded with a "yes." (And only because I teamed up with a local poet who has her books on their shelves already.)
Important to Note! Most indie bookstores believe Amazon is the devil, or worse! (At least the devil can maybe be kind of fun!). If your book is only print-on-demand through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon's e-book publishing platform), they're not likely to purchase copies for their store. If you are published with an indie publisher who has their own printing company, you need to make sure they have a bookstore discount for buying bulk copies. In my experience corresponding with indie bookstores, they varied in requiring between a 40% discount and a 60% discount before they would purchase copies.
What did work:
Targeting public libraries
I had far greater success targeting public libraries, particularly ones in more rural areas who may not have a lot of programming happening and who are eager to put on a program for the public. Nearly half of my programming this summer is happening at a public library. Not only do libraries not charge for their venue space, but many were willing to pay me an honorarium. I asked for a modest $250/program, which I based on what The Poetry Lab compensates their visiting teaching artists. Aside from one library who could only offer me $200, all of the other libraries agreed to my pricing. One library had a separate budget that provided me lodging for an overnight stay. None of the libraries were willing to purchase bulk copies of my book, however, I am allowed to sell copies of my book during these events.
What didn't work:
Targeting open mics
My friend and fellow collaborator at The Poetry Lab, Christian "Soul Stuf" Perfas, built his book tour based on performance venues for his spoken word poetry. He was able to line up dozens of "features" at open mics all over the west and in New York City where he could promote his book, Play: A Reclamation of Soul. Perhaps it was because the locations I reached out to throughout the mountain west were far less populous, but out of the many dozens of open mics I contacted, only one booked me as a feature.
What did work:
Pitching a workshop in addition to a reading
Having a creative writing workshop attached to my book, I believe, became the asset that allowed me to book so gigs in libraries. I wasn't just offering a reading and signing of my book, but I was offering patrons a service in the form of a creative writing workshop. My book Survived By chronicles my experience learning of my father's terminal cancer diagnosis, his death, and my subsequent grief. My generative writing workshop explores the concept of grief, uses other poets' poems about loss in addition to my own, and provides writing prompts to help participants process their own grief journeys. Soul Stuf also developed a writing workshop that coincides with his book. His workshop focuses on his "principles of play, its importance, and how to find 'play' in everyday circumstances, within the framework of poetic writing." Pitching a "two for one" may be advantageous for you too.
What did work:
Reaching out three to four months in advance
The average response time to my cold emails was 2-3 weeks, then further coordination between me and an entity took even longer. If I had waited until even just a month before I was supposed to tour, many of these entities would have had their summer schedules already booked up. In fact, a few libraries DID already have their summer schedules booked up. However, a few others told me they weren't coordinating for summer yet and would reach back out when they were. Most entities who booked me were grateful to have had the plans settled well in advance.
TL;DR
Too long; didn’t read
I have 11 total programs booked for this summer so far: one with a writing group, one at a bookstore, one at an open mic, one at a cafe, one with The Poetry Lab, and the rest at public libraries. I focused my attention on locales where I already had allies – both for promotional purposes and for free lodging. I had the most luck booking gigs 2-3 months in advance with public libraries and pitching a creative writing workshop alongside a reading/signing.
Stay tuned for the next two parts of my three-part series on building a book tour. And in the meantime, get the Building a Book Tour Checklist. Inside the Checklist we’ve created a Quick Start Guide, Book Marketing Plan, and outlined some Advanced Tour Strategies for you to use. The Checklist is free! Access it here ➡️
In my next article, I will update you on how it's going and what I’m learning about the book tour while I'm in the eye of the storm. When it's all done and dusted, I'll reflect back on my experience, making note of what I wish I had done differently, if anything, and what I learned for the next time!
This article was posted on June 5, 2023. Written by:
