I had a great conversation with a friend and supporter in the DC area this past weekend. He helped me to brainstorm local venues at which I might talk about my forthcoming book, Gun Curious, as well as people/organizations nationally who might need or want to know about my work.
I had high hopes of doing a local and national tour of bookstores in support of Gun Curious this summer. I have since learned that the way my publisher has priced the book with the main US book distributor means almost no local bookstore will stock the book. A bookstore that doesn’t stock a book doesn’t want to do an event around that book, for obvious reasons.
(If you want to see what this looks like in practice, compare the price of the book at the big boxes like Amazon and B&N.com to what it costs through IndieBound/Bookshop.org, which represents local bookstores.)
So, I have to get creative.
Since you all know your local communities better than I ever could, please help me by letting me know who and what you know:
- Are there local talk radio shows in your area that talk about issues like guns?
- Are there good local news reporters in your area that might want to write about this?
- What blogs/Substacks do you read and what podcasts do you listen to? These do not have to be gun-specific.
- Who are the thought-leaders and influencers you respect? Again, I’m thinking beyond guns here.
- Does your local public library do educational/author events? Are there other civic organizations you know in your area?
- What conferences/events might want to hear from me?
For me, this goes beyond selling books. I am looking for opportunities to talk about the issues my book addresses. If you’re unsure of what that is, there’s a bunch of information on my Gun Curious book website.
Please leave your suggestions in the comments here, on my Gun Curious contact page, or on any of my other social media.
Thanks in advance for your input and support.
Gun Culture 2.0 
Hi David,
There is a local independent book store in Tulsa, OK called Magic City Books. They often have author speaking events and I would suggest reaching out to them.
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Thanks for this note. For reasons I explained in the post, local bookstores like Magic City which is an amazing store will not touch my book.
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Sorry, I failed mention that they have done virtual author speaking events, too. Which doesn’t make any difference, I have learned that you are absolutely correct when it comes to what they choose as far as books and authors to host. They have a clear policy about not taking any outside input for choosing authors to host at book events, they have an internal team that decides. I might not be the only person with a favorite new author.
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Book stores are a tough venue. As I have over the years when running into obstacles, I’m pivoting!
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I would suggest doing a podcast circuit. That seems to have become the “new” book tour. Pods that may be a good fit are Robert Wright non zero, Ezra Klein (probably tough to get that), Glen Loury glen show, Josh Szeps uncomfortable conversations, and the fifth column podcast.
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Yes! These are the kinds of recommendations I need. Thank you!
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I concur that podcasts are the way to go. Here are a few suggestions: Modern Wisdom, Art of Manliness, Jordan Harbinger, EconTalk, Gun Lawyer.
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Thank you Tom. These are helpful leads!
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Hi David, Check out Gun Freedom Radio and Cheryl Todd in Phoenix, AZ. I think a conversation with Cheryl would be of value. Separately, I had suggested The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ. Hope they are/were receptive. Between Phoenix and Tucson you’ll likely find gun shows and/or other 2A events almost every weekend if you can make it out West.
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Hi, Tom. Thanks for the suggestions. I am scheduled on Gun Freedom Radio in May. Book tour is sort of on hiatus due to the way my publisher has priced the book to independents as well as the extraordinary amount of time it takes to query the stores for very little return.
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