My own version of a Book Tour

Last week it was a public speaking gig all about “Online Marketing: Creating a Buzz” and this week it was an in-store opportunity to lay out my books for sale and offer customers a sample of one of Eating Clean‘s recipes. Remember my summertime job as “Artist in Residence” at the garden center, making up pots of flowers? The same garden center is open year-round and this past Thursday they put on a Ladies’ Night and invited me to participate as a vendor.

When I first wrote Eating Clean–100 Appetizing Solutions Wheat-free & Dairy free, and told people that the idea had come from doing a liver detox with a naturopath, there were some who thought ‘detox’ meant I was coming out of drug or alcohol rehab. Not! The idea of whole foods rather than processed is now more commonplace. And since the Hollywood royalty has put concepts such as organic and detoxing on the health map it has made my job of explaining that much easier.

If someone were to ask me for advice on how to market their own self-published book, events like this are exactly what I would recommend. Taking one’s own advice can be the hardest of all and I have to laugh at myself that it’s taken me this long to get with the program! There are many other venues besides bookstores for marketing a book and this past Thursday night was a perfect example.

The size of the table was perfect (right off the showroom floor) for a single product and so much more appealing than your standard exhibition 6-footer. Passersby enjoyed tasty samples of the Fruit and Nut Spread on one of the 1″ rice crackers (turn to page 108!). Pleasantly surprised by the not-too-sweet and spicy flavor, many stopped to browse the book, make a purchase and took a promotional post card to share with a friend.

So now that I’m getting more comfortable with being out in the public eye I think it’s time to take my own advice to heart. Looking for and being open to more opportunities like this are in order.