It's hard to believe that it's been nearly four months since Gemini Divided was published - it feels like it's been both a lot more and a lot less. Since then, I've been doing my best to find places to promote it. I had a book signing in March (postponed from February because my youngest came down with COVID) at a local Barnes & Noble, but for the most part, I felt like I was emailing into the void trying to set up more signings at the other local branches. No one was responding.
I mean, I understood it. Between some places still having COVID restrictions on events and my being an unknown author of a book published by a very small press, the odds were not in my favor.
I'd pretty much given up on hearing back from all those bookstores I'd emailed. Since there wasn't much I could do about them, I had to rethink things. Where else could I potentially sign books?
I have no idea where the idea came from (other than possibly a frustrating day when I was looking forward to a glass of wine that evening?), but all of a sudden one afternoon a couple weeks ago, "wineries" popped into my head. I knew there were wineries in Northern Virginia, so I pulled up a list. Wow! I hadn't known there were so many of them! I sent out emails to about half the list before real life pulled me under again.
Fast forward a week or two: I was just trying to make it through one day at a time when all of a sudden, people started getting back to me: wineries AND bookstores. All of a sudden, my Saturdays are looking busy for late spring and early summer!
Can five events be considered a book tour if you never leave the area where you live? I vote yes.
Of course, I'm not planning to stop there. This weekend I finally finished emailing Northern Virginia wineries, so now I'm ready to find my next set of businesses to target.
Question of the day: Where else might an author sign books? All suggestions are welcome!