Battenkill Books shipped more than 700 copies of “Second Chance Dog: A Love Story” as of Sunday afternoon, we are poised to sell 1,000 books this week, I would have thought it unlikely a couple of weeks ago, I see now it is just the beginning. The new book tour is taking shape in a number of different ways, I want to share my strategy with you, it is far from over, and far from clear whether my blog and I can replace a conventional book tour using new technologies like social media, the blog, videos, podcasts and other sharing tools. I am sticking my neck out on the proposition that it can.

My strategy for this book tour is ever-evolving. At first, we hoped for 400 copies of the book to be sold via Battenkill (this is my local bookstore, Maria and I sign and personalize all books purchased there, you can buy the book on the store’s website or call Connie, Marilyn or Kate – they are becoming rock stars with their own following – at 518 677-2515 and you could win a free bag of dog food, books, photos.) Then we thought a figure of 600 would work, but the orders are still coming in, and we will get to 1,000 this week. I intend to keep going beyond that.

My first goal of the new book tour – writers empowering themselves to survive and evolve – was to call attention to the book, to make people in my online community aware of it. I have about 200,000 people a month coming through bedlamfarm.com, the laws of Internet Marketing suggest a small fraction of those will actually buy a hard-cover book, although the percentage can grow rapidly if the book catches on. I wanted animal lovers to know about the book, but the book is broader than that, and it’s ultimate success depends up on it spreading beyond people who love dogs and into the wider market of people who want to read about love, family, life.

The blog sparked sales of hundreds of books at Battenkill the first week of publication, more on Amazon and other online sites (I don’t have the precise numbers). This drove the book to a second printing before publication. So the first phase was successful.

The second phase is longer and more complex, but also goal centered. I am concentrating on three elements right now – Battenkill, which is drawing a huge and loyal following, not only for my books but for the very idea of a community-centered bookstore with wonderful service. Secondly, my book is a perfect match with Plaid Friday, the burgeoning grass-roots movement to respond to the corporate holiday “Black Friday,” buying a book about love and dogs from an independent bookstore fits in. Theoretically, I could sell thousands more books for Plaid Friday, thought Battenkill and elswhere. I am using my Facebook Page in a new way, posting daily topics relating to the book and enabling video and photo-sharing technology to make the book a truly interactive experience, not only about me, but about you and your own experience with second chances, finding love, healing  and community. So far, so good, we have had more than 1,000 photo and video posts on the topics, I’m giving away a book a day there.

Beyond that, there is Christmas, the greatest opportunity I have to break out with my book and make this tour truly successful. I see “Second Chance Dog: A Love Story” as a strong Christmas gift, as some of the early reviews have pointed out. The book ends on a Christmas Eve, and it is a book of new beginnings, second chances and happy endings, a natural gift for animal lovers and people who care about love in their lives.

I am also going to deploy some of the new tools I have been developing – in the coming weeks I’ll do podcast readings from the book, videos about Frieda, topics every day that promote and discuss the themes of the book. I am discovering that Battenkill Books is no longer just my local bookstore but a focal point for national and global sales of my book. Using the Internet, Connie can sell books anywhere – and is. She takes Paypal and ships anywhere in the world. She is offering free dog food, photos, books, and Maria is throwing in a Frieda potholder. Incentives are expected in Internet marketing – they are new to book tours – and I can see that they work. They create engagement and excitement.

Today, Maria and I will be back at Battenkill in the afternoon to sign books – tomorrow afternoon also – and I hope for many more days after that. My most important strategy is to keep this going, this is about me, my blog and you, there is nothing else pushing the book. Pretty wild so far, I will continue to keep you posted. We seem to have come up with a book tour that everyone can join, not just a handful of people in a handful of bookstores. That was my idea in scrapping the conventional tour – reach more people more effectively and economically.

I think this new kind of tour has great promise for writers and for books. In the age of digital publishing, we are selling a lot of e-books but a ton of paper books as well. Clearly, the idea of buying paper books from bookstores is not dead. Just as clearly, a huge percentage of my readers are acquiring the book on reading devices. The tour is about reaching both audiences. The challenge for me is to keep it going in a creative and effective way.

So this week is about reaching my goal of 1,000 books sold at Battenkill, I will keep you posted and thanks for looking in and  joining in. This tour is just getting underway.