The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association is the place for booksellers, book lovers, and the book industry as a whole. This Thursday, October 6th thru October 8th, they kick of their Fall Discovery Show for 2016 at The Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel by welcoming 250 booksellers, 150 publishers, and 75 authors, including writers published by Outskirts Press.
For instance, Diane M. Bassett, the EVVY-Award winning author of 17 Hours will be in attendance, and she took a moment from successfully marketing her book to speak with us:
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Can you tell us a little bit about your award-winning book, 17 Hours. What is it about?
17 Hours: Tracking Down Our Runaway is the hour-by-hour true story of how we located and rescued our runaway daughter from sex traffickers that were going to sell her.
This is obviously an emotional book, and one that must have been difficult to write. Why did you decide to write about this incident?
I knew while it was going on that it was a major event and one that I should keep notes on. Throughout the process the officials I interacted with continuously told me finding Sam would take me months. However, when your child is being sold, nothing short of immediate results will do. When I saw how quickly we found her, I asked her if she would be comfortable with me sharing the experience in the hopes it could help another family in a similar situation. Samantha immediately agreed and added her notes throughout the book to give the readers an insiders peek at her thought process during this time.
What types of readers do you feel would be interested in reading 17 Hours? And why?
Any parent with a young daughter, or who knows someone with a young daughter, would benefit from reading 17 Hours. I was so blindsided by the new techniques used by sex traffickers and how they get to our girls; I wish I had had this kind of information before she jumped out of her window. Had I known no local park was safe anymore, or that a guy loaning her a jacket could be used a recruiting technique-I might have been more aware of what path she was on.
What do you hope your readers take away from 17 Hours?
I hope they walk away with an increase in knowledge about what to do if their child runs away. Answering that immediate question, “What do I do?” after a child goes missing is crippling. 17 Hours has a Quick Tip Guide in the back to aid anyone searching for a runaway. Today’s technology makes it easier than ever to find them- if you know where to look and how to get around their privacy techniques.
What steps are you planning to take in order to market 17 Hours to those potential readers?
I started with entering it in the EVVY’s, which went very well as I placed third. I’ve also entered it in the USA Best Book Awards, and plan to enter it in the National Indie Excellence Awards as well. I’m a member of CIPA and have arranged to have the book at the Mountain & Plains Fall Showcase. I manage my own website, which is heavily linked to the book. I’m working on the submission process for Hudson News booksellers as I believe it would make an excellent airport book. I have been in contact with the managing editor of Pursuitmag.com, a magazine for professional private investigators, and they are running a full page author highlight on the book. I’ve contacted all major libraries across the United States and many are adding it to their collection list for the new fiscal year. I received a lovely letter from Linda Smith, the CEO of Shared Hope International thanking me for the book and the information it gives, and have been invited to do a vendor event alongside their organization so the book is featured. Plus, I obviously read and follow the Marketing COACH emails as closely as possible!
Have you published any other books? Do you plan to publish more?
17 Hours was my first book. I am currently writing my next book and plan to do an early 2017 release, with more to follow. I have a lot to say!
Thank you for chatting with us, Diane, and for sharing your courageous story to help other families. And congratulations on your success!
very interesting
Thank you!