So, in just sixteen days, I’ll be on the other side of the United States, and the very first promotional tour I’ve ever gone on will have started. The Intensity in Ten Cities Tour will visit ten cities in the US and Canada, and I’m already overwhelmed at the response.
That means it’s time to keep doing this.
I want to start planning now, even though I don’t think I’ll be on the road again until at least late March or early April. The head start will allow me to secure meet-up spaces and venues earlier so that I can then just work on promoting the events instead of freaking out about where to hold them.
I would like to involve this wonderful community in the process! So, before I book a single date, I’d like to know where you would want me to come! Here’s how this is going to work:
1) Leave a comment with the name of the city and state/province you would like me to come to. Here’s the fun part: This is not US-only. Have fun with that.
2) Tell me why I should come there. Obviously to hang out with YOU is one of those reasons, but are there other Mark Reads or Mark Watches fans there? Do you have connections to a venue or a bookstore? Is it possible to rent/reserve a room or a space at your school or university? Do you run a Harry Potter or Nerdfighters group and would like me to present and do a live reading? Sell it to me!
Things that will make your case stronger:
- You have access to a venue.
- Venues that are either free to rent or relatively inexpensive. I am not opposed to putting down a couple hundred dollars to rent a space, but then that means I might have to have a door fee. It will usually be very low, around $5 if it is mandatory, or it will be a Pay As You Like event where you pay whatever you think the event is worth to you.
- There are a ton of fans in that city.
- You can promise delicious vegan food in your fine city.
- You have connections to a venue that you can put me in touch with.
What counts as a venue? Well, any space where a group of us can meet! Some of the smaller dates on the Intensity in Ten Cities Tour are just meet-ups, and we’re all using a coffee shop, a restaurant, or some public establishment as our point to coalesce! Some dates, I am doing live readings in a library or a bookstore! Others, I’m in classrooms, coffee shops, a hotel meeting room…you get the idea! I will seriously come pretty much anywhere as long as people show up. Be creative! The more creative the better.
3)Â If someone else posts your city before you, upvote their comment. Leave replies. The larger the thread, the more inclined I will be to visit that city. Seriously, it’s that easy! The reason I want to visit cities with more people willing to come is that it’s easy for me to book a venue if more than 30 folks have RSVP’d to come, and then I also have the chance to possibly earn money to keep me from being hungry and having places to stay.
Ideally, I’d like the second leg of this tour to start a month after the end of the first one, and I’d also like it to last much longer than just ten dates. So I want to hear from you! Where would you like a Mark Does Stuff event?
I can’t say what the items are, but I would also advise those who live in cities where my first tour is going to show up to the events because I will have things to sell. I can’t say anything other than that. TEE HEE.
LET’S DO IT.
