Authors hit the best sellers list even in the time of social distancing. How? They got creative by using technology to connect with their tribes! One of our new author's creative spark to offer autographed copies of his book to fans in a certain time frame, broke his website. Now that's a good problem to have!

So, with everyone's inability to plan a book tour and meet your readers face-to-face, the next best thing is virtually, Virtual. Seriously, start learning how to use your Wordeee Author Lounge to centralize and build your tribe. Either way, the abundance of free video conferencing tools makes reaching out to readers possible. Think book promotion without boundaries.

Being prepared for your "personal production" can make all the difference in the world and make the experience more rewarding.

Here are a few tips for a successful virtual event:

Host a Virtual Book Club
Invite people to join you in your Wordeee Author Lounge and do a Facebook Live session or use their new video conferencing. Zoom, FreeConferenceCall, Google Meet, GoToMeeting are all popular conferencing programs that let you create a virtual program that allows screen-sharing, questions and answers, photo sharing, and break out rooms. Many are free and some charge a monthly fee. Be sure to check the length of the video conferencing time allowed. Some free services have time limits that can be enhanced by upgrading your pay service.

Nominated a Host or Facilitator for Your Meeting
Most Book Clubs have a host, so continue the regular practice. Your meeting will be more organized and the host can take charge of the agenda and stick to it, start the meeting, pose discussion questions, and keep everyone on track should the discussion stray.

Here are a few script points you may want to follow:
1.    Check-in the attendees.
2.    Give an overview, bio of the author, and impression of the content of the book.
3.    Engage the group by asking open-ended discussion questions.
4.    Polls and quizzes can further engage your audience.
5.    Remember this is social! Food and drinks allow people to be relaxed as if they were meeting in person. Virtual cocktail (or mock-tail) hours have been a lifeline during social distancing.
6.    Have a link to your book on screen and ask for your guests' support.