Next Stop: Wal-Mart
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 7/11/2007 7:00:00 AM
Traveling by bus through the midwest in August may not sound like every writer's dream. But factor in a chance to crack the mother of all mass merchandisers, Wal-Mart, and the trip starts to sound a lot more appealing.
Next month Levy Home Entertainment will bring together 20 African-American authors, put them on a bus and shuttle them around to eight Wal-Mart stores in two states over the course of four days for its Soul Expressions Author Tour. The authors from at least 10 publishing houses will board the luxury coach bus and meet readers at stores between Indianapolis and Chicago. Levy has taken this "more is more" approach in promoting writers for seven years now, creating cruise ship vacations wherein authors kick back with readers, and loading authors onto tour buses to visit a string of the mass merchandisers Levy distributes books to, which also includes Kmart. But this is the first time it's uniting African-American authors. Heather Foy, senior public relations manager at Harlequin, which is sending four authors on the Soul Expressions tour, explained the appeal: "These tours are a great alternative to sending a single author out on the road because the group of authors is a powerful draw for large numbers of readers."
The authors on the Soul Expressions tour are almost all women, and most write romantic fiction, though a memoir and a young adult novel are among the books being promoted. Sarah Donaldson, sales promotions coordinator at Levy, said publishers send authors who are "riding on the cusp of a certain level of success" who they are "trying to build." These include Francis Ray, Teri Woods and Donna Hill. Among the publishing houses represented are Avon, Baker Publishing Group, Ballantine, Grand Central, Harlem Moon, Harlequin, Kensington, Pocket Books, St. Martin’s and Strebor Books. Pam Nelson, Levy's director of advertising and sales promotions, said Levy chose to organize an African-American author tour because the genre is growing so quickly. She also said the cluster of Wal-Mart stores in the Indianapolis and Chicago areas influenced Levy's decision to hold the tour there, despite the fact that so many African-American authors tour to the South. "Geographically, it made sense," Nelson said.
Foy, of Harlequin, said she and her colleagues chose a range of authors that will appeal to the crowds attending the events along the tour. The Harlequin authors—Brenda Jackson, Donna Hill, Rochelle Alers and Earl Sewell—write books in both the contemporary romance and YA genres. "These tours are a tremendous way for our authors to meet legions of new fans," Foy said. "The authors who have attended Levy tours in the past have always raved about the experience." Pam Spengler-Jaffee, director of publicity for paperbacks at Avon/Morrow, which has three authors on the tour, has also had her authors participate in previous Levy author tours. "The added exposure at the Levy accounts really does help," she said.
As it has for past events, Levy will promote the Soul Expressions tour heavily in Wal-Mart stores and in local media, including signage in all the stores as well as print coverage and radio advertising. Donaldson, of Levy, would not discuss the financial arrangements of the tour, although Foy said that in Harlequin’s case, at least, the publisher covers the cost of authors traveling to and from the tour, and their accommodations along the tour. The publisher pays a fee to Levy per author to defray the cost of author’s meals, the bus transportation while on route, and all the promotion of the tour.
The Soul Expressions tour will begin in Indianapolis on August 9 and end in Chicago on August 12.
