By
Douglas Wells
Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million,
and even your local independent store won’t host a signing for you? Instead, try some or all of the following
venues. You’ll be surprised by the exposure and following you will gain.
1.
Mud Wrestling
Events: To take full advantage of this venue, bribe
the bartender to let you sign from behind the bar where you’re protected. For a
promotional incentive, every time someone buys your book, you sign it and buy
the person a beer. When one of the wrestlers pins the other, give a free book
and beer to the first three people to reach you. An additional benefit here is
the material you can gather for your next book by observing the fascinating
culture of mud wrestling.
2.
Monster Truck
Jams: This one is a gold mine. A winning strategy
is to make contact with a driver and offer to sponsor him. Set up your table at
the Pit Party, which occurs before the Jam. Drape a large flag of your book
cover over the front of your table. At the bottom of the flag you should emboss,
“Proud Sponsor of Maniacal Masher!”
Once the jam begins move your table next to the concessions. Purchase several
miniature Matchbox style Monster Trucks. Kids love these things, so give these
out to them. Their parents will feel obligated to buy your book. You should
also make sure Maniacal Masher is flying your flag from the truck roof or bed.
3.
Gospel Tent
Revivals: There’s a hard and fast rule regarding this
one: Don’t sign in the summer. Position your table at the opposite end of the
tent from the pulpit. Everyone leaving the revival will pass your table, and
you’ll be well out of range of the preacher’s spittle. It will be helpful if
your book has some sort of spiritual theme or tie-in. If not, stretch it a bit.
Say, for example, your book is a mystery with a couple of gruesome murders in
it. Not a problem. When discussing the book with revival goers focus on the
idea of the victims’ reward in Heaven. If
the revival involves “call and response,” definitely jump to your feet and join
in on the response. It may go like this: “Do you believe?” The proper response
is, of course, “I believe!” but you should wave copies of your book in both
hands over your head when you do it. For this venue, it’s a good idea to bring
bookmarks with Bible verses on them.
4. Traveling
Carnivals:
Insist on having your signing table positioned in front of the YO YO ride. When
riders get off, they’ll be so disoriented you’ll be able to sell and sign two
or three books apiece to them. Make sure, however, to put enough distance
between your table and the exit gate to allow for “upheavals” before the riders
reach you. An effective promotional incentive is to hand out free tickets to
the Shoot-A-Duck.
Bonus: If none of the four venues pay off,
you can always become a carney.
_____________________________________________________________
Douglas Wells was born in Seattle,
Washington. His father was an officer in the U.S. Army, and by the time Douglas
finished high school he had lived in Hawaii, North Carolina, Texas, Okinawa,
South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in English
from the University of South Florida and has taught English and Literature at several
colleges. Douglas has a unique interest in
and perspective on the comical and absurd foibles of the human race, which
inspires his writing. The imaginative pillar of his novel, The Secrets of All Secrets, released by TouchPoint Press on May 12,
2017, is built on Groucho Marx’s line, “Humor is reason gone mad” and the Roman
poet Juvenal’s declaration that “It is difficult not to write satire.” Douglas
is a Professor of English at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida.
He is the father of two grown sons, and he lives with his wife and cat in
Panama City Beach.
Contact Douglas at Facebook: https://facebook.com/DouglasWellsAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wellsdadouglas
and Website:
www.douglaswellsauthor.com
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