Josh Cook, author and bookseller at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Mass., has launched a new author coaching service called Better Book Tour. Aimed at helping authors perform better at bookstore events, the service offers one-on-one, in-person workshops with Cook (whose An Exaggerated Murder was published by Melville House), video workshops and a 37-page PDF guide to handling events. The in-person workshop is $75, and the video workshop is $50. The guide, meanwhile, can be downloaded separately for $8, and can be licensed for distribution to others.
"This coaching service has been in my head for years," recalled Cook, who has seen hundreds of author events at Porter Square Books since starting to work there in 2004. Some of the most frustrating events, he added, were those in which a "brilliant author read from their brilliant book in a boring, monotonous voice," and it occurred to him that with some coaching, best practices and encouragement, many authors could greatly improve their performances. He was on the verge of starting the service a few years ago but had to put the project on the back-burner after his novel was picked up for publication.
Said Cook: "There is an element of talent in performance, but I truly believe that a small investment in time and education will help make any author an engaging performer who makes the most of their bookstore events." --Alex Mutter
