Dave Larsen: Planning a successful author event encourages ‘a healthy national conversation’
OAK FOREST, Illinois—When I first met the team at Front Edge Publishing, they talked about how a good book can become part of “a healthy national conversation”—and, now, I’m seeing first hand what that means.
My historical novel, Green Street in Black and White, already has sparked individual conversations with readers nationwide in many forms from emails to phone calls. The book also is proving to be a great opportunity for public events to talk about the novel’s timely themes of family, faith, community—and the potentially destructive social forces that can so easily divide us.
I was joined for this evening by two important colleagues: First, the well-known educator, activist and media professional Dr. Ted Williams III—and, second, the founder of Reformed Journal Books Jeffrey Munroe, who had worked with me in editing this novel.
We welcomed more than 100 attendees to Hope Christian Reformed Church in Oak Forest, Illinois. It helped that many had responded to Eventbrite invitations sent several weeks before the event.
The night began as a dialogue with Dr. Ted Williams III, Political Science Professor and Chair of the Social Sciences Department at Kennedy-King College in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, and adjunct Professor at Wheaton College. Earlier, Dr. Williams had endorsed for the novel. That evening, he interviewed me, raising probing questions.
For example, he asked: How did you deal with the evil nature of some of the characters in the novel? How did you get into their skin? Dr. Williams reminded the audience of countless African American families who had been burned out of their homes at the hands of white neighbors up through the 1960s.
In responding, I said that racism continues to be a problem. In the whole process of researching, writing and editing this novel, I had to look at my own family and into my heart—and be honest about my own racist attitudes and actions.
He also asked: Are there signs of hope in the novel? I responded that the novel is hopeful in the sense that one wonders how the main character, Eric Pedersen, may have reflected on his experience later in life as an adult.
Following our interview, I read some of the novel’s endorsements, the acknowledgment section, and Chapter 8 about Eric’s ride in his uncle’s Chicago police patrol car.
After the formal program portion of the evening, I encouraged the crowd to purchase the book—”before it becomes banned”—and we all adjourned to the Fellowship Hall of the church for cake and coffee and book sales and signing.
Approximately 80 copies of the book were sold that night!
Care to learn more about author outreach?
For more on the nuts and bolts of author outreach, read our earlier column, headlined: Dave Larsen investing in sales of ‘Green Street in Black and White’
For more on an outgoing author’s enjoyment of this process, read Rusty Rosman’s ‘This is the How to Have the Best Time of Your Life Publishing House’
And for a look at the global sweep of such outreach, read Howard Brown’s As My Author’s Journey Circles the Globe, I’m Finding Collaborators who Amplify Our Message
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