Here’s a tip for authors who travel. Whether your trip is for pleasure or you’re traveling to speak at a conference, make it a habit to schedule additional engagements.
When I arrange to speak at a writers conference out of state, for example, I might contact writers’ groups in the area to ask if I can be a guest speaker for a meeting that week. I might work with a local librarian or booksellers to set up a workshop or other presentation in a neighboring city. And if I’m able to do so, I will call a local radio show host and ask to be interviewed just prior to my arrival.
Depending on the genre or theme of your book, you might contact a school, college or university and schedule a visit to a classroom or two. Perhaps your audience attends church association meetings, gather once a month at a local hobby shop or meet in a downtown coffee house, for example. If you have an interesting presentation or some valuable resources and information you can pass along related to the interests of these people, they would undoubtedly find a way to accommodate you—and you would sell books.
Pages 50 through 54 in my book, Talk Up Your Book, walk you through the process of setting up out-of-town speaking engagements. Order your print, Kindle or audio copy at Amazon.com.