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When a publisher with limited funds wanted to publish Mother Teresa, Called to Love. I did a pre-publication book tour. With flyers describing the book I went to churches and bookstores in Ohio, Hawaii, New York and California, places I have lived and still have many friends. I. talked about working with Mother Teresa and we sold 700 copies of the book before it was printed.
The week the book came out I went to Waverly, Ohio, the little town where I was born. I was on all the local tv stations and spoke to many church groups.
When I spoke to the Friendship Club at St. Mary’s Catholic Church every member bought a copy of the book and the club used its dues to purchase a copy for every library in town. We had a Presentation Book Party in each library with the President of the Club and me presenting the copy. The local newspaper covered the story.
Before I left town, the main local newscaster announced "Mother Teresa, Called to Love, by local author Maryanne Patterson Raphael is now the number one best selling book in Waverly Ohio" (population 5000, named for Sir Walter Scott’s Waverly Novels.)
My sister had a friend in Peru, Indiana who was opening a huge bookstore and coffee house. She invited me to speak at the Two Day opening. Peru was a town a little larger than Waverly. The editor of the only newspaper interviewed me as soon as I arrived and my photo with a large story was on the front page the day the Bookstore opened and people lined up for blocks to buy my autographed books and speak with me.
I planned book tours to the places where I had good friends. On the Big Island of Hawaii I sold books at the Catholic Churches after Mass. Two churches sold my books as a fund raiser sharing the profits with me.
Back home in California, I was invited to my friend Sandy Ceren’s book signing at Barnes & Nobles. She introduced me to the woman in charge of Customer Relations who arranged Book Signings. Sandy told her I was a good writer and my book Mother Teresa, Called to Love was popular.. The woman made me promise to come into the store and set up a date next week.
I was a Co-Worker of Mother Teresa and the other Co-Workers helped me publicize the event. We went from church to church with flyers, messages for the bulletin about how a local Catholic author had worked with Mother Teresa and with her permission written a book. The night of the Book Event we had one of the largest crowds they had ever had, even though they often have famous authors.
My friend Jeni Wolf arranged for me to do a book tour in her hometown New York City (where I had lived for ten years and still had wonderful friends.) She spoke with Barnes & Noble at Astor Place and with The Pauline bookstore, the largest catholic bookstore in NYC right next to St. Patrick’s. I gave Jeni my New York City telephone book and she called all my friends and made sure we had a large turnout and almost everyone of them bought more than one book. it was November and people were buying Christmas gifts.
My friends in Seattle had a wonderful idea, instead of going to Barnes & Noble or some one the small bookstores they would have some “Tupplewear Book Parties. Each one of my friends had a party at her home. I met a new friend there, Lucretia who was the head of a large school for adults. When I spoke to her students I sold all the books I had with me and had to send for more.
Every time I go to Seattle she invites me to speak at her school and I always earn enough to pay the expenses of the trip.
Next door to my California home was a Tourists shop that sold artistic souvenirs and was very busy. They did not sell books but when I took mine over, they wanted to have a book signing and to keep the books there. When they had a bus load of people interested in my books, the owner would phone me and if I could I would step next door and meet the people and personalize the autographs.
Good Books a neighborhood bookstore had book signings for several of my books and when the store stopped having book signings, Boutique de Village, an artistic Clothing shop began carrying my books, the only books they sold and they had openings for every book I published after that.
My friend Patricia Walden and I had a book signing at a Senior Housing complex with 95 apartments and did very well.
When I went to a new foot doctor, his receptionist heard me talking about my book and asked if I would like to have a book signing at her daughter’s hair styling salon. We had a very successful book event and she began carrying my books.
One morning I got a phone call from the Optimist Club asking if I could replace their speaker that night. I brought my books and sold quite a few. It also gave me a chance to pass out flyers for Solano Beach Library where I was speaking with my friend Helen Kolodny on Creative Women and signing my Anais Nin book.
When it was announced that Mother Teresa was to be canonzied I went to Rome My friend Marcella Roth took copies of my book to Rome, gave one to the Holy Father
Back in California I telephoned Barnes & Nobel asking if they would like me to have another Book Event discussing Mother Teresa's Beatification. We had another grand night and the woman in charge of Customer Relations has asked me to notify her of my future book events.
My promotion suggestion is to be flexible and take advantage of the many opportunities Life offers and Network and let your friends and acquaintances help you.
Maryanne's first book Runaways, America's Lost Youth (co-author Jenifer Wolf) (Preface Anais Nin) was republished by Authors Guild Backinprint. Then her book Mother Teresa, Called To Love was published. Soon afterwards she published The Man Who Loved Funerals, Alexandria (co-author Patricia Walden), Along Came A Spider, A Personal Look At Madness and Anais Nin, The Voyage Within. Maryanne's latest project is Touching The Face Of God, What Mother Teresa Taught Me. www.authorsden.com/maryanneraphael
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