Eldredge Embarks on First Book Tour

by Lynn Garrett, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 4/9/2008

It may come as a surprise, since his books have been fixtures on the bestseller lists since 2001, but John Eldredge—Wild at Heart; Captivating (with Stasi Eldredge)—has never done a book tour. That will change this month, as he sets out on an eight-city tour to promote his newest title, Walking With God: Talk to Him. Hear From Him. Really. (Thomas Nelson, April 15).

Why no tour until now? Said Rob Birkhead, v-p of marketing at Nelson, "Because he had success early in his career and didn't tour, he hadn't felt the need to do it. That hasn't changed; however, he's motivated now because the message of the new book isn't gender specific, which is what he has been known for. He's just really excited about talking to people directly about this message and changing the perception of his 'brand'." Birkhead added that Eldredge is "a real devoted family man" who doesn't want to be away from home any more than necessary. "And he's done these Bootcamp seminars in the Rockies four or five times a year, and has waiting lists for those. So people have been willing to come to him." 

The tour kicks off in Nashville this coming Sunday (April 13) with a sold-out (free ticket) event at Fellowship Bible Church in the suburb of Brentwood, Tenn., that will be both simulcast to churches around the country and Webcast on www.walkingwithgod.net. After that come stops in Spartanburg, S.C.; Atlanta; Dallas; Houston; Denver; Seattle; and Los Angeles, with two events a day in some cities (those events require that tickets be purchased for $10). Local booksellers will sell his books at each event; the venues will seat an average of 1,500. The complete tour schedule is available on the site, as are study guides, video clips, an event-in-a-box kit for those who want to host friends to watch the Webcast, and other interactive features, including social networking and a place for readers to post comments.