Tips from a Pro on Planning Book Events

Kathi Macias here, checking in to introduce you to a friend of mine, fellow author and book event planner for the stars (and for just plain folks like the rest of us authors too!), Carol Hoenig. Whether you're already a bestselling author or you're just beginning to put your words on paper and dream a little, Carol's advice, taken from her award-winning book The Author's Guide to Planning Book Events, will be a great source of encouragement and direction for you. So let me introduce you to this savvy lady.

Q: Carol, there are so many books on the market about how to write or find a publisher. What makes your book unique?

A: The Author's Guide to Planning Book Events is exactly what the title says it is. Rarely do authors think about book events until they have found a publisher. However, part of being able to snag a publisher is knowing your market. Researching ahead of time for successful event venues will help both the author and the publisher get a better idea of the book's strengths, which will in turn help sales.

Q: But you say that bookstores are not always the best place to do an event. That doesn't seem to make sense since that's where the books are.

A: Yes, but it's not necessarily where the author's audience is. The store could have books up to the rafters, but if no one comes to the event, it doesn't matter. The author must learn to go to his or her audience, instead of trying to get the crowd to come to them.

Q: Wouldn't that thinking offend booksellers, since they want to drive traffic into the store?

A: It shouldn't. I actually put much of the responsibility on the author in order to work with the bookstores to get an audience for their event. Often, authors depend on the store to bring in an audience for their event, but bookstores are quite frequently understaffed and overworked, so any help an author can give to bring in customers will not only be welcomed, but will give the author leverage in acquiring an event with that store.

Q: You were a national event specialist for Borders in Manhattan. You must have had many successful events due to the location.

A: Yes and no. New authors were eager to do events in the midtown setting with that very reasoning in mind. However, Manhattan offers many opportunities on any given day or night, so we would be competing against all sorts of entertainment, including other bookstores hosting author events. That said, celebrity signings did much better in our store, but not always. In the book, I write about one particular celebrity who wouldn't show up after hearing only a handful of people were waiting to meet him.

Q: You write about another bad experience you had with an author's wife, where the event was abysmal since no one showed up.

A: LOL! Oh, goodness, yes! Let's just say this wife had little idea of what made an event successful and refused to listen to her husband's publicist and my advice. She ended up wearing us down, and we finally agreed to schedule the event during a time she insisted. We warned it would not be successful for a number of reasons, and we were right. Instead of apologizing, she screamed at me in front of customers and staff. Some things you just have to shrug off.

Q: As a multi-award winning author for your novel Without Grace, did you take any of the lessons you learned from having been on the other side of the business?

A: Absolutely! It's actually why Susan Driscoll, CEO of iUniverse, approached me to write The Author's Guide to Planning Book Events. She saw that I was using what I learned and made it work for a book that was not only a print-on-demand title, but also a novel, which is very difficult to promote.

Q: It looks like it's worked for you.

A: Yes, but it has to start first with good writing and a marketing plan.

***Carol Hoenig is a successful freelance writer, a multi-award winning author, and a publishing consultant. To learn more about Carol, go to www.carolhoenig.com.