My Fiction Day: Book Tours

I'm trying to decide whether to do a book tour. I'm weighing all the options, costs and time expenditure. I've about come to the conclusion that they aren't worth the trouble.

Now, that's not to say I won't go to a conference and promote at the same time. That's not to say I won't do an event that happens to fit into my already packed agenda. It's just to say that if an event is going to drain my pocketbook and impede my writing time, I might just have to let it go.

These days, readers choose books via word-of-mouth and online connections. Some still like to peruse bookstores. However, few watch for book signings and show up to make a determination whether to buy a book based upon the author's presentation. Per a Wall Street Journal post, partially copied at the blog Passive Voice, bookstores don't even want writers who just read from their book or sit behind a table, waiting for interested parties. They want an event . . . something that attracts people who crave active entertainment.

The world today throws too much competition at people. Competition for leisure time, in which book reading falls. If someone has five hours after work to fill with eating, errands and reading a book, what will an author offer on the premises of a bookstore to entice that individual to deter from an already heavy schedule? Like I said . . . it has to be an EVENT. Add music. Have hors doeurves. Give away items (more than a book). Have dancers, actors. Present an app for a phone or computer. Animals. Who knows?

Therefore, I lean toward conferences and online. Yes, I have somewhat of a platform that gives me an edge, but that platform was developed for this purpose - to reach readers, via computer, who don't want to go to the bookstore to find me. It's what every writer should be trying to do. It's how book sales work these days.

More and more people are writing books. More and more people are competing for the reader's hour in bed, in the study, on the bus, during lunch. Therefore, you have to decide what works best for you in terms of reaching those readers, convincing them that YOUR book is better than others. Analyze your book, your reader, your mobility, your online expertise, your network . . . then decide how best to distribute your book and connect with readers.

Frankly, I love smaller groups. So once my book is out, and my conference schedule is in place, I want to hear from you guys. If you live in a city enroute, I'd be interested in dropping by your writer's group, church or library meeting place, and visiting. Let's have coffee. Let's talk like it's not a formal event. Let's just talk books and have a grand old good time.