Book Promotion Truly Starts Anywhere

Dear readers,

I’ll admit it. Having spent most of my life in the relatively small town of Naples, FL, on the Gulf of Mexico, just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the Miami metro area, I’m relatively inexperienced in the ways of the “big city.” Except for brief stints in D.C. and Atlanta, you might call me a novice.

As a result of this upbringing, I’m used to the more small-town, traditional means of book promotion—primarily giving talks or seminars, doing book signings at bookstores or libraries, and using the Internet to reach readers around the world. In the course of writing Get Between the Covers, I came across many creative means that have been employed by authors to sell copies of their books, such as individuals selling shares of their book (as if it were a stock) or driving hundreds of thousands of miles on self-funded book tours. But I had yet to witness the creative spirit in action firsthand as it applied to book promotion.

I recently moved to New York City to become the CFO of a hedge fund out of New York and Santa Monica. On one of my first subway rides as a new Manhattan resident, what should I witness, but perhaps one of the most creative grassroots book promotion methods…a man simply walking around with a backpack of his books, talking about his different titles, and even reciting poetry from one edition. All of this to a hundred complete strangers in the 2-3 minutes between subway stops on the 6 train.

I must admit that he was quite convincing and a born salesman. Ironically, one woman walked all the way from the other end of the subway car, announced that she had bought one of his books on a similar subway ride in a different part of the city 6 months ago, raved at what a great writer he is, and then purchased two of his latest titles on the spot.

Unfortunately, he hopped off at the 34th St. stop, ready to sell on the subway platform, before I could catch his name to include in this post. But, readers, rest assured, I will find out who this mysterious “subway promoter” is and will even grab a copy of one of his books because I applaud his bravery in promotion.


Best,

Eric