How to Stage a Book Event That’s Entertaining and Draws a Crowd

 

by Anne R. Allen

How do you plan an in-person book event that people actually want to attend? That is — people who are not your family, friends, or coerced co-workers?

Should you sign books, maybe while offering coffee and cookies? Or should you offer a reading, where you read aloud from your book? And maybe tempt them with wine and cheese?

Or what about something different? Something that provides more entertainment than watching one author signing books or reading aloud?

Here’s an idea for staging a multi-author book event as part of your hometown marketing.

The Readers’ Theater Joint Book Reading

A few years ago, at a local book event, I got chatting with Mara Purl, TV actress and author of the award-winning Milford-Haven novels. She admired my audiobook narration and suggested we work together.

We didn’t find a way for me to do studio work with her, but a few months later, she suggested we get together to do a book event to launch our latest books. She suggested inviting several other authors to join us.

We then had the great idea of staging a dramatic reading of scenes from each of our books — turning bits of chapters into short scenes. Several of the authors had theater backgrounds, so we thought we’d cast different authors in each role and present the series of scenes as readers’ theater.

Mara also knew some professional voice actors in the area, so we invited them to join us as well. But you don’t need professional actors to make this kind of reading work. You just need a few rehearsals.

Our Book Event was a Smashing Success!

We’re lucky to have a bookstore in Morro Bay with a courtyard and small chapel that’s used for book signings, weddings, and musical events. Coalesce Bookstore made a perfect venue for our afternoon’s entertainment.

Some of the authors came from out of town, so we only had one night for rehearsal of our scenes, but we were able to help each other to understand the characters we were portraying and know what tone to use. Several authors even brought props and costume bits to add to the drama.

On the day of the event, we had standing room only, and the audience streamed out into the courtyard. Our dramatic readings were a great success, and we all ended up selling out of most of our books. (The charcuterie board, homemade cookies, and other treats were popular, too. 😊 )

A Joint Book Event Brings More Customers

Besides the obvious benefit of presenting entertaining scenes instead of a static signing or monologue, a joint book event like ours brings the fans of all the presenters together. Mara’s fans were introduced to my work, and my fans got a taste of Sue’s, and Sue’s people heard Tony’s, etc.

Also, different authors can work on different aspects of publicity. A few can offer an interview to a local radio or TV show. Others can reach out to local papers where they might have contacts, etc. Use this event to get the word out about all your books.

The energy and enthusiasm of a larger audience was definitely responsible for a lot of our book sales — and it created momentum. Several weeks later, local bookstores wanted more of my series because people who bought the first at the reading wanted more.

Bookstores are Ideal for a Book Event, but Other Venues are Good, Too.

As I said, we’re amazingly lucky to have the Coalesce bookstore with its chapel for our book event venue. This is a dreamy local bookstore, and the model for Camilla’s “Morro Bay Bookshop” in the Camilla mysteries. But many bookstores will turn you down because they simply don’t have room for an audience. Don’t take it personally. Most indie bookstores are happy to promote local authors in other ways.

If you do use a bookstore venue, it’s best if your books are available through Ingram. It makes it much easier for the bookstore to do the paperwork. They can order your books themselves and sell them like regular stock. But most bookstores will sell books you bring in yourself as well.

But you don’t need a bookstore for a book event like this. An author friend recently launched her book from a local physical therapy gym during off hours. A restaurant or café might host you, too, if they can sell food and drink to the attendees. Be creative!

How to Prepare Your Scripts.

When we’ve done these events, we’ve usually presented two short scenes from each author. The scenes can be from different books, or if you’re launching a new book, you might want to showcase that book in both scenes.

Choose scenes that are mostly dialogue, and plan to use about 1200-2000 words for a scene. Then remove some of the “stage directions” from your narrative. For instance, if the book says “Greta broke out in that tinkling giggle of hers that sounded like a delighted child,” cut it and put the direction in parentheses: (Greta giggles.)

You’ll want to set up the scene so the audience knows who these characters are and what they’re trying to do. You can have the protagonist play the narrator as well, or use a separate actor for the narrator role. You want to be careful not to rely too much on narration. Just keep what’s needed for that particular scene to work. Then let the dialogue tell the story.

Here’s an Example

This is a scene from my upcoming Camilla Novel #9, The Hour of the Moth

When I got back to the desk, Felicity was on the store’s landline phone.

“It’s for you.” She handed me the receiver. “Some lady with a phony English accent. Sounds pretty crazy.” She sauntered off to the back room, carrying a pair of sunglasses that had been sitting on the remainder table since yesterday. Another addition to her “lost and found department.”

The person on the phone was Vera, office manager at Sherwood Ltd, the British company that published my etiquette books. Vera’s Midlands accent didn’t sound exactly like BBC English, which is why it might have sounded “phony” to Felicity.

“Pradeep wants you to know he’s been in touch with Seattle and had a proper chin wag.” Vera did sound a bit agitated. “He’s going to get it sorted.”

“Seattle? Pradeep is coming to Seattle?” Pradeep Balasubramarian had taken over as the director of the company while the owner, Peter Sherwood, was off adventuring.

“Oh my, no. He’s simply been on the blower with some people at Amazon headquarters. About your dodgy book reviews.”

“Reviews say my etiquette books are dodgy?”

I hadn’t looked at any of my book pages on Amazon for months. I had so few sales these days.

The new ones. Yes. They’re ridiculous. Nobody who’s read Good Manners for Bad Times would call you an ignorant slut or a gangster’s hoe, whatever that means. I can’t imagine a gangster using a gardening implement.” Vera gave an audible sigh. “I certainly hope they’ll take them down immediately. If your books don’t sell, Amazon doesn’t make money either.”

“An ignorant slut? A gangster’s ho? Somebody wrote that about me in an Amazon review?” I’d swear a little creature with a hammer was inside my head, pounding away. This made even less sense than Irene’s Tarot reading.

“Oh, yes. They’ve written those things in a lot of Amazon reviews — and worse. At least fifty of them, last count. New ones keep coming in. Pradeep’s a wreck. And now Peter’s weighing in. He’s alive and well in New Zealand, by the way. He thinks this nonsense is coming from one of his enemies in Australian organized crime. But I don’t think this slander is aimed at Sherwood. I find it obvious that you’re the target.  I don’t suppose you’ve got the foggiest who wrote them?”

“How long has this been going on?”

I had to sit down. My head wouldn’t stop spinning. Anonymous hate was so upsetting. Could this be one of Ronzo’s enemies? Something triggered by Dan Fiedler’s investigations? Maybe it was the crazed anti-vaxxers, who knew I was a friend of Lupe’s.

“The first ones appeared a few weeks ago on Amazon’s US site. Just some unpleasant one-stars. And now Amazon shows them on the UK site as well. They keep coming every few days — each one barmier than the last.”

“So this is an American who’s after me?” I looked around for Felicity. I needed to take a break to process this. But she seemed to be taking her time in the lost and found department.

“I’d say so. But Peter believes otherwise. Thank goodness you haven’t seen them. Don’t. Just stay off Amazon, and Pradeep should have them taken down in a day or two.”

“Can he do that? I thought Amazon never took down reviews.” My coffee was cold. I needed a fresh cup. Or even better, a glass of wine.

“If he can’t, Peter will. And cause an international incident, I shouldn’t wonder. You know how he is.”

Yes, I knew how Peter Sherwood was. He believed laws didn’t apply to him. I had to hope Pradeep had the power to convince the people in Seattle. I assured Vera that I’d be in touch if I discovered where the reviews were coming from.

But I didn’t have a clue. This was all so mysterious. I felt frozen, as if I were in a nightmare, unable to wake up.  I really was the man in Irene’s Tarot card picture, with a bunch of swords stuck in my back.

And Here’s the Script Version:

Narrator/Camilla

Camilla Randall owns a bookstore in Morro Bay, rather like this one. She’s the author of the “Manners Doctor’ series of etiquette books, which haven’t been selling well. And right now, she’s dealing with more difficulties than usual, beginning with the mysterious murder of a famous storyteller at a “Moth” storytelling evening a few weeks before. Then Camilla’s boyfriend Ronzo disappears when he’s named a “person of interest” in the murder.

A few weeks later, an elderly bookstore customer disappears off his yacht and his body is found naked at Pirate’s Cove. Camilla also has to deal with a less than helpful assistant, Felicity. Just now, Camilla has had a terrifying reading from Irene, a local Tarot reader.

Camilla

When I got back to the store, Felicity was on the store’s landline phone.

Felicity

“It’s for you. Some lady with a phony English accent. Sounds pretty crazy.”

Camilla

The person on the phone was Vera, office manager at Sherwood Ltd, the British company that published my etiquette books. Vera’s Midlands accent didn’t sound exactly like BBC English, which is why it might have sounded “phony” to Felicity.

Vera

“Don’t panic. Pradeep wants you to know he’s been in touch with Seattle and had a proper chin wag. He’s going to get it sorted.”

Camilla

“Seattle? Pradeep is coming to Seattle?” Pradeep Balasubramarian had taken over as the director of the company while the owner, Peter Sherwood, was off adventuring.

Vera

“Oh my, no. He’s simply been on the blower with some people at Amazon headquarters. About your dodgy book reviews.”

Camilla

“Reviews say my etiquette books are dodgy?” I hadn’t looked at any of my book pages on Amazon for months. I had few online sales these days, and the reviews were all from years ago.

Vera

“The new ones. Yes. They’re ridiculous. Nobody who’s read Good Manners for Bad Times would call you an ignorant slut or a gangster’s hoe, whatever that means. I can’t imagine a gangster using a gardening implement.” (Vera sighs) “I certainly hope they’ll take them down immediately. If your books don’t sell, Amazon doesn’t make money either.”

Camilla

“An ignorant slut? A gangster’s ho? Somebody wrote that about me in an Amazon review?” I’d swear a little creature with a hammer was inside my head, pounding away. This made even less sense than Irene’s Tarot reading.

Vera

“Oh, yes. They’ve written those things in a lot of Amazon reviews — and worse. At least fifty of them, last count. New ones keep coming in. Pradeep’s a wreck. And now Peter’s weighing in. He’s alive and well in New Zealand, by the way. He thinks this nonsense is coming from one of his enemies in Australian organized crime. But I don’t think this slander is aimed at Sherwood. I find it obvious that you’re personally the target of these so-called reviews.  I don’t suppose you’ve got the foggiest who wrote them?”

Camilla

“How long has this been going on?” I had to sit down. My head wouldn’t stop spinning. Anonymous hate was so upsetting. Could this be one of Ronzo’s enemies? Something triggered by Dan Fiedler’s investigations into the murders?

Vera

“The first ones appeared a few weeks ago on Amazon’s US site. Just some unpleasant one-stars. And now Amazon shows them on the UK site as well. They keep coming every few days — each one barmier than the last.”

Camilla

“So this is an American who’s after me?” I looked around for Felicity. I needed to take a break to process this. But she seemed to be taking another break.

Vera

“I’d say so. But Peter believes otherwise. Thank goodness you haven’t seen them. Don’t. Just stay off Amazon, and Pradeep should have them taken down in a day or two.”

Camilla

“Can he do that? I thought Amazon never took down reviews.” My coffee was cold. I needed a fresh cup. Or even better, a glass of wine.

Vera

“If he can’t, Peter will. And cause an international incident, I shouldn’t wonder. You know how he is.”

Camilla

Yes, I knew how Peter Sherwood was. He believed laws didn’t apply to him. I had to hope Pradeep had the power to convince the people in Seattle. I assured Vera that I’d be in touch if I discovered where the reviews were coming from. But I didn’t have a clue. I really was the man in Irene’s Tarot card, with a bunch of swords stuck in my back.

***

It’s fun and easy to stage your own dramatic reading event. Planning an event with several authors lightens the load as well. Try it for your next book launch!

By Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) June 2^nd, 2024

What about you, scriveners? Have you ever held a dramatic reading from one of your books? What works for you as a live event to launch a book? Do you find readings draw more buyers than a simple signing?

Here’s the poster for our book event today at Coalesce bookstore in Morro Bay California. If you’re in the area, do stop by. It’s free and there will be excellent snacks!