I suppose it isn’t too grandiose a statement to say that Connie Brooks and I are setting out to chance the face of publishing, to adjust to the new marketing realities of the digital age, and fly in the face of conventional wisdom about books stores and authors and the way books are sold. It sounds like a lot and I suppose it is. I might fall on my face, or I might make some publishing history, or I might do both. This year, I decided to break away from the conventional book tours that are expensive and increasingly inefficient and use my blog and social media and other technological outlets as a platform and basically sell my new book, “Second Chance Dog: A Love Story“, myself.
Since the recession and the rise of e-books, sales and revenues from paper books – my primary source of income for 30 years – have plunged, the economic lives of writers have changed. I’ve responded by creating my blog, now the foundation of my creative work, beginning a subscription program to get paid for the work I do here and building up a number of outlets to connect with my readers, who are now mostly online. These include podcasts, videos, special topics and promotions on Facebook.
My new ideas have also included forging a different relationship with my bookstore, Battenkill Books of Cambridge, N.Y. Connie Brooks and I are neck-deep in a surprisingly successful experiment in which I promote my books through the blog and Facebook, readers order them through Battenkill, and I sign and personalize them. Maria has also graciously agreed to sign copies of this book, and everyone seems to want that.
We also give things away to people who order through Battenkill – free bags of dog food, photos, free books, even potholders from Maria. Over time Connie has expanded her ability to process books – digital labeling system, her blog, mailing and packaging systems. She is, in some ways, a national bookstore now, many of the people who buy my books love dealing with her and her staff and buy their other books from her as well. This experiment permits her to expand her audience beyond our small town, and permits me to widen my personal connection to my readers, I often take calls from them while I am signing books. You can buy my books from Connie online, or by calling the store at 518 677-2515. People see to love talking to Connie, Marilyn, Cate and Colleen, they often ask them to sign the books as well. It is a good Christmas gift, I am told, for people who love dogs and people who love animals. The last chapter of the book is called the “Christmas Miracle.”
You can check out some of the early reviews.
Together, Connie and I have sold thousands of books and other local authors have joined in this experiment. The book tour for “Second Chance Dog” is new, Connie selling a lot of books – nearly 800 so far, we are shooting for 1,000, I am not sure how successful my book tour will be or how far I can take this myself. My editors would like me to get to work and finish the Simon book, but I’m pushing this book tour through Christmas, I am not going to quit on my book after a few weeks, as publishers usually do. We’ll see how much my new platform and I can do. Connie is becoming popular in her own right. I interviewed her the other day and asked her to talk about our experiment with “Second Chance Dog” from the personal perspective of one hard-working and innovative bookstore owner, so come and hear her speak for herself about what it’s been like: