The Author Expo at Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City was the first “author road show” for 46th Star Press and we quickly learned that we needed a couple of things. Most important was having an easel to display the large poster designed by our publicist. Other, larger posters towered over different author tables. Ours kept getting knocked over. It did, however, serve as a way to call attention to us.
“Oh, I’m sorry our poster tripped you! Have an atomic fireball. And take a gander at our new book, while your mouth is in flames and you can’t speak.”
Other things we learned:
1. Have a 30 second “sound bite” handy that captures the essence of what the book is about
2. Many authors are now designing a “book trailer” that can be posted on YouTube
3. A very young author recommended MySpace as a good marketing tool since it is open to users who are under the age of 18, unlike FaceBook
4. Visiting with other authors opens up interesting network possibilities
5. Atomic fireballs may be too hot for the ordinary book shopper
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