POLICIES & PROCEDURES : SUBMIT EVENT

Borderlands has a very active author appearance and special events program that includes both the traditional author signings and readings as well as a number of other types of events.  We have hosted release parties for magazines, anniversary parties for publishers, ghost story readings, interactive open studios with fine artists and performance of original musical works.

Typically we like to have events on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, although Thursday evenings are a possible second choice.   To have adequate lead time for publicity we prefer to have six weeks' notice before an event and more time doesn't hurt.  The practical minimum to allow us to promote the event is one month.  When promoting events we use a number of methods, but the primary ones are:  listings in our email newsletter, postings and handouts in our store, submission to the calendar listings in all the local papers, posting on a number of special interest list-serves and web sites, and Tweets to our more than 6000 Twitter followers.  Attendance ranges from lows of three to five people to highs of  fifty or more.  We do not charge for events and we do not require book purchases at signings.  Attendees are welcome to bring their own books to be signed, but of course we appreciate it if they purchase something at the event.

Below are a few guidelines and suggestions for a successful reading.  Some of them may not be important for best-selling and well-established authors but most are pertinent for all events.

1)    Please arrive ten to fifteen minutes early if possible.

2)    Remember that events are a cooperative effort, especially for authors who are just starting out.  We will do our best to bring in a good crowd but you should also work to get people to come.  Let all your friends, fans, and other social contacts know about the event and urge them to attend.

3)    If you are going to be reading your work, pick a section that is reasonably short (i.e. fifteen minutes or less).  Be ready to put it in context of the larger work before you start reading.  Practice reading the section aloud to a friend and get your delivery down pat.  When you start reading remember to project your voice so the people at the back of the room can hear.

4)    Let us know in advance of any special needs you might have.  Also, let us know if you would prefer to read from a chair, a stool, or standing.

5)    Finally, remember that turnout for events is subject to all kinds of factors beyond our or your control.  Bad weather, good weather, football games, and so on can have remarkable effects.  In all our years in this business the one common quality of all "successful" events has not been the turnout, it's been how much fun was had by the attendees.

If you would be interested in having us host an event for your work, please feel free to get in touch with us to discuss the possibility, or have your publisher contact us.  Jude Feldman is our event and publicity person and she can be reached at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com.  However, please understand that as much as we would like to, we cannot host events for every book and/or situation.  We are limited by both time and staffing constraints and may not be able to accommodate you.