By Sherrie Wilkolaski
Recently, I was traveling in the Adirondack Mountains and found myself at the historic Fort Edward Train Station. It was built in 1900 and is home to a charming little gift shop for Amtrak passengers to peruse while waiting for their next train. My train was running 40 minutes late, so I took the time to look through all of the nick-knacks and artwork that were available for sale to pass the time. There was a woman playing violin to a crowd of six people waiting along with me and she played beautifully. It was a little piece of unexpected Heaven.
I’m always on a quest for books and I discovered in the back of the store, near the café seating and in the front window, a bookshelf stacked with books written by local Adirondack authors. Dozens of books written about the region, others included stories of fiction, poetry and cookbooks. The kind of books that most anyone could enjoy, and in the setting of the railway gift shop, they all seemed to make such a great choice for a souvenir for a loved one, or a something to keep for oneself.
Where should authors look for opportunities?
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Tourism Associations
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Transportation outlets (i.e. train stations, cruise line docks, etc.)
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Gift shops
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Bed and breakfasts
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Popular tourist destinations
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Local writers groups
Authors everywhere should take note from those Adirondack authors, and find their local and regional book selling opportunities. If you have a book that is specific to a local area or region, be sure to call it out on your cover. Make sure your cover has a coffee table appeal, even if it is not a coffee table-type book, if you are targeting the tourist market. You want your cover design to catch the eye of the wayward traveler, looking for a good read or just a local keepsake to remember their trip.
Rodger Potocki, Infinity Publishing author of From the Inside, tells his story that spans 40 years in the Rome-Utica, NY area. A history of political issues and characters from a unique perspective. A must read to understand what happened to a once prosperous, vibrant slice of upstate New York. His book was featured on the Adirondack Express website and is carried in local bookstores and online.
Are you marketing your book to your local tourist market? Please tell us about it in the comments below.
