I have a memoir/regional history book coming out with significant Canadian publisher in April. I haven't had a lengthy exchange with the publicist yet as he's getting the Autumn titles out the door for the Christmas market. I've seen a few mentions here and there that on book tours that some authors not only read from their books, but make actual speeches or presentation. So how does that work? Will I have to explain why I wrote the book and describe what's in it and give everything away that I want people to read or do I talk about other related things and try to make myself and the book sound really really interesting? I'm sure the publicist will have suggestions too, but I'd like to hear from you.
Hi, I have not been in the position to do a book tour so simply do not know. But Markus Zuzak author of The Book Thief - used death (the hooded scythe character) as the narrator to 'tell' the reader what was about to happen which made me only want to read the next section more. I think anybody that read the book would agree as it was a huge success. It seems to be the way you tell em.
I would say your publisher has pretty much missed the Xmas market if he's still trying to get titles out. We are well passed Autumn at this point. I don't think book tours are what they used to be and I'm not sure how popular they are with consumers these days. I think that could depend on how popular the writer is or how much anticipation and popularity there is for the book. But basically it's just like doing a reading and signing, only with a book tour you would be taking the show on the road. I would suggest going to a few book readings and signings to get a feel for what other authors are doing. The way I've seen these go is that someone will induce the author and their book. The author will then say a few words before reading a section. Then there will be a Q&A portion. And then people can line up to get copies signed. Check with your local bookstores to see when they have some upcoming events like this. In the past, I went to quite a few of them. In more recent times, I've gone to more of these types of things visually like over zoom. They have still been conducted the same way minus the signing. But in reality they probably have a larger reach and are much more cost effective probably. I mean, typically the publisher would cover the costs for a book tour. Flights, hotels, food, that sort of thing. I have no idea what the return on investment is, but, again, I think this comes down how popular the writer is. I do know that sometimes a book tour is worked into the contract and the funding for such trips is added into an advance. But please be aware that if you are working with a good publisher, this is a cost they should be covering one way or another.
