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Hi Everyone

I will be doing a promotional event at my local library and am suppose to come up with some ideas.

Can anyone help me as I am stumped?

www.freewebs.com/cindyjost

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Hi Cindy! It would help if you could find out from the library oganizer who the target audience will be and roughly how many people they expect and how long do they want you to do something. Depending on this information we may be able to give you some specific ideas. Great opportunity. Trust it goes well.

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Hi

They are not sure how many people will be showing...it is more of an open house and advertising will be done in the local papers promoting the month of October as being book month...the intended target is anyone who loves to read...

thanks for your help

www.freewebs.com/cindyjost
Hi, Cindy -

It sounds like they're looking for an unpaid event coordinator. You'd better clarify exactly what they expect from you. Do they want you to organize a discussion panel including other area authors? Do they want you to do a reading from your book? Will you be the only author present?

Lots of less-than-famous authors command between $100 and $250 for an appearance of this kind. For this, you will be expected to face the audience, give a short presentation on the subject of writing, perhaps do a reading from your book and then answer audience questions.

If there will be a discussion panel, a good topic might be "How Do You Get Started as a Writer" (of course we all know this requires a genetic link to Don Quixote as well as a good pair of rose colored glasses - but don't actually say that). Another topic of general interest is the decline in the number of readers and there's been lots about that recently. If you get stuck organizing this, get ready for a bunch of work, cause somebody's got to moderate and provide the provocative questions for the panel or else everybody ends up yawning.

If it's a book fair kind of event, you will probably be expected to sell and sign your book, but librarys don't usuall permit the shameless commerce end of the business to tarnish their hallowed halls, so this is probably not what they have in mind.

The other possibility is they could just want you as "star power", in which case you only have to BE there, make a showing, and it'll be their responsibility to organize discussion panels or whatever.

Whatever it will be, I'm sure you'll have lots of fun. After all, who doesn't like talking about themself? Reminds me of the old joke. This guy has just met a new gal. He's been talking about himself for half an hour. Then he says, "but enough about me. Let's talk about you. What do YOU think of me?"
Hello Cindy,

Reading the information about your book, it seems you could try to field a panel that relates in various ways to the subject. The panel might include only fellow authors but with the subject of your book as a guide, it could very easily include professionals in related areas. It would also be wise to seek out a helper. We will take it for granted you will be on the panel. As such, you will need someone to serve as moderator who can provide brief introductions of the panelists and be an announcer.

Not that you would want to steal ideas from others, but... take a look at BookTV which airs all weekend long on C-SPAN2. They cover events of the type you seem to need to coordinate. See what others have done and then model your plan of attack based up what you learn.

This weekend passed, our county library hosted me in a "Meet the Author" event. The president of the Friends of the Library serverd as the host and then the "floor" was turned over to me. I presented a plaque to the female police captain to whom my book was dedicated, did a brief reading from two pages, gave away two stuffed animals to two children in the audience, then signed books for the next hour and a half. The whole thing was pretty much "off-the-cuff" with very little detailed planning in advance. I had a pretty good idea of what should happen and then played it by ear. Not the best way to do things.

Lastly, you might want to look into trying to communicate with C-SPAN. I've seen them cover events with as many as several thousand attendees and as few as a dozen; in venues from huge auditoriums to small libraries and store-front book stores. Basically, no event is too large or too small to warrant their coverage.

Best of luck to you,
William
Thank you Art, Charlotte and William for your imput. Everything is helpful...I think they might just want to Promote me as a local author...so I think I will take a little from each of you and put it all together. Thank you all so much

www.freewebs.com/cindyjost
I've done several appearances at libraries. Best: read from your book sections that you think will interst the audience. Tell something about the book, how you c ame to write it, etc.
Tell something about yourself.
Thank you Joseph, that is very helpfu.

www.freewebs.com/cindyjost
William had some great leads for getting some inspiration and Art had the wise hard facts. Both good. Joseph gave the standard format for such an event but sometimes you can do more than just talk with the adults and be on a panel. If they give you the leadway-be creative. Also if there is a children's hour try to talk with them at their level and give them a little activity on writing. We do this in schools alot and for libraries, it is very popular. Your little audience will be all fired up at meeting you-an author. They will tell their parents and the parents learn about you as a writer and appreciate the fact that you were interested in the children. I would not worry about being paid at the library event. If you can get them to carry your book-great! Also libraries have a large mailing list about their special events and it is free publicity. Best wishes !
Hi

I think I will have some bookmarkers made for the library event. At least my book will be promoted and I think I will discuss the concept of my book "changing the way you treat yourself and others"

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