By Dana Kaye
Last night, I hosted the Chicago Literati Networking Event. My goal was to bring published authors, aspiring writers, booksellers, and publishing professionals together for a meet and greet. There were dozens of writers in attendance who came to learn about the publishing process, there was a small group of readers that came for the book bags, and there were plenty of published authors there to pass down their wisdom (and of course connect with new readers).
But the attendees weren’t the only ones learning about the industry. Last night’s event was a perfect case study of publicity: what works and what doesn’t.
TV News Appearance: I had gone on WGN News two days before to promote the event. About a dozen people approached me and told me they saw me on TV and registered right away. I’ve booked plenty of authors on local news stations, but it’s hard to gauge if those appearances lead to book sales. If the number of people who came to last night’s event are any indication, TV news appearances reach a key demographic.
Radio Show Appearance: I had also gone on Rick Kogan’s show, Sunday Papers, to discuss the event. Same thing as the news appearance, as soon as I left the studio, the registrations began rolling in.
The key element for both of these appearances was the audience. Both shows have an audience of readers and writers, so I reached my target demographic.
Mailing List: Only a small percentage of attendees came from my mailing list. I attribute this to the fact that 80% of my mailing list doesn’t reside in Chicago. That being said, I think it’s more effective to send out small group emails rather than e-blasts when promoting local events.
Online Listings: The event was listed on dozens of websites, but I don’t think anyone came because they saw the event listing. They do add to google-ability, so I’m not ready to dismiss event listings quite yet, but it’s clear that posting the events online isn’t enough to draw a crowd.
I hope this small case study helps authors when publicizing novels and events. Readers, are there other media outlets go to when looking for new books or events?
Also, I want to extend a big thank you for Jane Steen for attending. It was great to meet a Hey Dead Guy reader in person!
