An Author and the RV

The year 2010 brought a world of change to my life after retiring as an administrative assistant at a rural county community mental health organization.  My husband and I traveled to promote my first novel, but now it was different.  Now we would live full time in our RV and become nomads in our retirement.  Where would the oasis be to promote my writing?

I tried the traditional route of looking for libraries and book stores in the areas where we would be staying and found while being asked to appear for a presentation/signing that the attendance was minimal in an area where I did not know anyone.  Facebook, Twitter, Google, email blasts were not effective since there was no targeted population known to receive the information where we were staying.  A few might attend from an RV park that became friends, but the larger audience became elusive. 

Local festivals are another route that can be an avenue toward sales but first one must be able to obtain the information regarding the event in time to reserve a booth.  Dollars must be spent to reserve a booth and appear on the festival’s schedule of vendors and press releases appear the week of the event in the local papers.  Finding the name of that local paper even with the internet can be more difficult than finding the festival date in many towns.  The research needs to be done months in advance to appear at one of these events.

My next idea is to hire a publicist to see what the result of this partnership might bring.  Being a novice at this endeavor will mean taking a “leap of faith” that the person hired will bring results beyond a few email blasts and a Facebook connection. 

In the meantime I will continue to look for other ways to market my work while working on the next novel.  My third novel, a sequel to the first, is submitted to my publisher and a contract is being negotiated at this time.  Right now it is time to work on marketing the first and second book to prepare for the third to come on the market.

Until the next time – I wish you successful writing that fulfill you as the author of an unfolding story.