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Hi Carmen,
Just following up on the email I sent on Sunday afternoon (below). If I could get a little guidance on the questions I originally sent, I can get started on printing some promotional items (postcards, poster, etc.).
Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
John
John C. BrueningPhone: 216-789-1854 Email: jcbruening@yahoo.com
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: John Bruening <jcbruening@yahoo.com>
To: "carmen@logan.com" <carmen@logan.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 4, 2017 5:39 PM
Subject: Re: Author Alley Acceptance
Hi Carmen,
Sounds like you're already in the right track with the marketing. Just wondering: I know Loganberry Books has a Facebook page, but is there one specifically for Author Alley? If not, would it make sense to create one? Content volume might be lower during the fall and winter, but the run-up in the spring and early summer months prior to the event could be very active. And in the slow months, you could post stuff about the bookstore that may not be specific to Author Alley, but it would still be relevant. Just a thought.
As far as table materials and event etiquette, I want to make sure I understand what's considered appropriate -- and just as importantly, what's considered inappropriate. To that end, I have some questions. Bear with me, as some of these might sound painfully basic and obvious, but there's much that I don't know:
= How big is the table itself? Do I need some sort of tablecloth or other covering, or is that provided? I assume a chair is provided?
= Is some kind of identifying sign or name plaque provided at each table, or do the authors usually provide that themselves?
= Do authors keep their inventory of books at their tables during the event, or is that held somewhere else in the store (such as near the checkout, etc.)?
= You mentioned small promotional giveaway items like postcards or bookmarks. Is it acceptable for such items to reference the fact that the book is available on Amazon.com, or is such verbage considered the Valdemort (he-who-shall-not-be-named) of independent bookstores.
= In addition to the giveaway items mentioned above, you also mentioned posters as acceptable promotional materials. I could use some clarification here. By posters, are we talking about something that would be mounted on a wall at or near the author's table, or perhaps something on a foam board that would sit on an easel on the table? I'm thinking of perhaps a reproduction of the book cover (not enormous, but somewhat larger than original size). Does this make sense?
A little bit of guidance on these questions will help me know what to order and print in the way of promotional items. Whatever insight you can provide would be helpful. If speaking in real time would be easier than answering these questions in an email, fee free to call me at the number below.
Thanks in advance for your help.
John
John C. BrueningPhone: 216-789-1854 Email: jcbruening@yahoo.com
From: "carmen@logan.com" <carmen@logan.com>
To: John Bruening <jcbruening@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2017 2:18 PM
Subject: RE: Author Alley Acceptance
Hi John,
Glad to hear you’ll be joining us. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, as it can be a bit overwhelming if it’s your first time attending this event. It’s literally my job to help. J
We certainly do encourage you to share on social media far and wide. We also have some postcards at the shop if you want go over and above and distribute those. We do an email blast and some circle of influence marketing in coordination with the Larchmere Merchants Association, but if you have any professional tips or tricks, we encourage you to market the event to your heart’s content. Official info can be found on our website here: http://w1.loganberrybooks.com/events/author-alley.htm Take care,
Carmen Loganberry Books 13015 Larchmere Blvd. Shaker Hts., OH 44120 216.795.9800 From: John Bruening [mailto:jcbruening@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2017 10:16 PM
To: carmen@logan.com
Subject: Re: Author Alley Acceptance Thank you for the wonderful news! I will drop off a box of books as soon as possible (sometime in the next seven to ten days). I'm new to this event, so I'm likely to have a few questions in the weeks ahead. I'll do my best not to be a nuisance. Per the participation agreement, I'll be sharing information about the event on my social media channels and promoting it as much as possible. If there's any way my 15+ years of professional marketing experience might be helpful to the cause, please let me know. Thanks again for the good news! I'll be in soon with some books. John,
Thank you for choosing to participate in Author Alley 2017 at Loganberry Books on Saturday, July 1, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Your receipt of this email means you are registered and that we are looking forward to seeing you! Author Alley is part of the annual Larchmere Festival, a community street festival which brings around 5,000 people to our neighborhood, and includes special sales by Larchmere merchants, friends, and residential neighbors. If you wish to take a short break any time in the course of the afternoon to experience the rest of this exciting event, we encourage you to do so. We ask that you please drop your books off at Loganberry Books at your earliest convenience, no later than June 20th. We ask that you supply between 15 and 20 copies. If you have any questions or concerns, you can send an e-mail to carmen@logan.com and we will do our very best to assist you. Load-in of additional supplies (bookmarks, posters, pamphlets, etc.) in Loganberry’s Author Alley next door to the shop should begin at 11 a.m., so everyone can be well-established by start time at noon. However, please do not arrive prior to 11, as staff will be occupied with festival logistics and set-up. After unloading, you will need to park vehicles elsewhere. We will update you with parking current information as soon as it becomes available. You will not need to bring additional books on the day of the event. We are very excited about this chance for the community to meet and support local authors, and hope the Festival proves enjoyable for you as well. It is a great opportunity to meet and network with your fellow authors and your readers. We truly appreciate our local talent, so thank you again for your participation. Sincerely, Carmen Tracey, Local Author Liaison Loganberry Books 13015 Larchmere Blvd. Shaker Hts., OH 44120 216.795.9800
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