In my last article, I discussed the promotional as well as sales opportunities provided by trips beyond our home area. Regardless of whether speaking engagements are included, travel can offer multiple chances to introduce ourselves to the general public and professionals who may work in fields related to ours.
By planning our journeys with care, we should be able to enjoy each phase of our travel experiences. There’s no way of knowing who or what we may encounter along the way, but I can state positively that I have established new readers and organizational contacts, with whom I have remained in touch beyond our initial meeting, at events or at points along my journey.
SEASONAL OPPORTUNITIES
As we move into the third quarter of the year, the majority of us are facing a considerable increase in the heat we will experience on many days. Therefore, when deciding to embark on a trip for personal and/or professional purposes, I urge you to choose aspects of travel that can serve multiple purposes. Despite the challenges of the season, are there variations in the potential pleasure of the very mode(s) of travel you choose? Which mode may provide the greatest likelihood of meeting people with whom you will enjoy conversing, and who may prove useful in enhancing your journey and even future life experiences?
WHERE WILL YOU CHOOSE TO JOURNEY… HOW MIGHT YOU PARTICIPATE IN EVENTS ALONG THE WAY?
At this time of year, there are a multitude of literary events in which authors and readers of their books can partake. Some are one, two, or more days in length. Even if you are unable to participate personally, you may be able to schedule someone from an organizing body to man a booth for you—or at least a slot of time within the event. If you are a member of the organization, you may not need to pay for such services. Conversely, depending on your circumstances and schedule, you may want to hire someone to represent you for one or more occasions. If so, you may need to sign books in advance that will be offered for sale, or provide book plates with your signature.
Because people often take vacations at this time of year, families (that believe the perils of COVID have abated sufficiently) may choose to schedule a large gathering. Even when such an assembly may seem wholly personal, there will be opportunities to announce one’s latest project and/or upcoming events featuring our books or other artistic creations. At this time, two members of my husband’s family are regular readers of my Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian mysteries. With their expressed disappointment that there has not been a new offering since COVID, I have been pleased to announce the forthcoming release of Yen for Murder, the fourth volume in the series.
Companies and community organizations also use this time of freedom from schooling and/or work to plan teambuilding events that may include their employees’ family members. In addition to participation as an organizational member, you may find such events ideal for your complete or partial sponsorship. Perhaps there will be an event flier, ad, or brochure in which you can place promotional images or text. You might have images of yourself or one of your creative projects printed on T-shirts for members of something like a little league soft-ball team.
YOUR APPEARANCE WHILE TRAVELING
In several articles, I touch upon the importance of one’s appearance in our interactions with the public. Often, authors and artists feel there is no reason to be concerned about the look they project. In fact, many feel that projection of a casual (or even lackadaisical) look is an indication of their artistic professionalism. To this perspective I ask, “How does such a choice leave a positively impressive memory of you...and the potential quality of your work?” An opposite argument can be that the elegance of one’s dress and coiffure might indicate that one’s work is not equal to one’s appearance.
Admittedly, there are times when a less-than professional appearance is appropriate to our activity, such as hanging an art exhibit, or dashing to a printer to finalize materials required for a public showing of our work. However, one’s preparations for an event are not complete until we are prepared to greet other professionals and attendees of the event.
I recall an instance when the director of a large metropolitan event completed technical preparations for the annual occasion almost single-handedly. Unfortunately, he subsequently appeared on television disheveled, wearing the same attire in which he had moved sets and furniture throughout the day. While the focus of the evening was admittedly on its participants, it would surely have helped the image of, and support for, its sponsoring organization for him to look professional.
Beyond toiletries, cosmetics, and emergency items of clothing, I suggest that we carefully plan how we will look throughout a journey—and at the events in which we may participate. Since it is possible that our luggage may not make it through every phase of a trip, try to carry essential items for maintaining the quality of your “look” on your person or in a handbag and/or carry-on pieces. If you are using a vehicle to transport clothing and promotional materials, you will need to check that the items on which you will rely are available at each point at which you stop. Men may often find it useful to pack multiple ties, handkerchiefs, and cufflinks. Beyond the packing of items for our toilette, dressing, and promotion, it is also useful to carry materials for cleaning stains as well as a small sewing/repair kit.
GREETING CONTACTS ALONG OUR PATHWAY
While business cards are the traditional staple for greeting people one may meet, authors and artists have more visually stimulating pieces to distribute during our travels. I have found it particularly useful to wear a jacket with pockets. During the warm seasons of the year, this means wearing one that is not heavy, or even lined. One friend, who is an artist, always makes a point of wearing a scarf or jacket that offers one or more images of her work.
For me, the ideal choice is wearing something that offers an image suggestive of Hawai`i. In my pockets I carry folding business cards and bookmarks with images of my mysteries. In my handbag I usually have fliers describing the mysteries and/or special events or releases of new work. Sometimes I even carry small packages of candy or nuts from the islands. But because one cannot know who may have allergies to such items, they must be packaged and kept away from other objects I might distribute.
Wishing you the best in your creative adventures,
Jeanne Burrows-Johnson is an author, narrator, consultant, and motivational speaker who writes works of fiction and nonfiction. She is the author of the award-winning Natalie Seachrist Hawaiian Mysteries, featuring pan-Pacific multiculturalism and history in a classic literary form that is educational as well as entertaining. She was art director, indexer, and a co-author of the anthology Under Sonoran Skies: Prose and Poetry from the High Desert. Drawing on her interdisciplinary experience in the performing arts, education, and marketing, her authored and co-authored articles have appeared in literary, professional, and general readership publications such as Newport This Week, Broker World, the Hawai`i Medical Journal, and The Rotarian.
