Archive for the ‘Book Signings’ Category

“Love Him Anyway” Book Fair to Benefit Shriners

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Are you local to the Greenville area? We’d love to have you at our signing and discussion event with “Love Him Anyway” author Abby Banks! Join us at the Barnes and Noble on Woodruff Road on April 22, at 10am! Read more about Wyatt’s incredible story here, and find out more about the event on our Facebook page. Hope to see you there!1937145_149031518202_2464565_n

Love Him Anyway

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Love Him Anyway Blog Tour Day 1

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LHA-BlogTour

 

As the Chief Operating Office of Ambassador International, I don’t get to decide which books we publish, instead I have the joy of helping our authors and their books as they make their way through the publishing process. One of my favorite parts of my job, though, is the proofreading that I get to do. It helps me keep up with what we’re publishing.

I am honored to be opening the blog tour of Love Him Anyway by Abby Banks and to share with you my heart on this book. Here’s where I have to fully confess first. When I first started the {proof}reading of Love Him Anyway, I found myself thinking, Why are we publishing this book!?!? {Sorry, Abby.} The second thought that trailed not too far behind was, How am I supposed to get people to buy this book?!?! {Again, super sorry about that, Abby}. You should have seen me. Here I was trying to work, and instead I was a sobbing basket case. I couldn’t read through the tears pouring down my face! But as sad as I was, I had been “sucked in” to the story, and I couldn’t stop reading. Abby’s writing was so raw and real, she hooked me in. I am fairly certain I finished this proofreading in record time! And I can honestly tell you, I’m glad I did finish it and it’s a story that I now highly recommend.

I don’t want to give too many spoilers, but as you can find in the book description, Abby’s son, Wyatt, was paralyzed at 7-months old. {I am sure this book was especially hard for me to read because I’m “Mom” to a seven-month old son}. But this story isn’t just about Wyatt—it’s about the entire Banks family, and for me, it was a story about Abby, a fellow mom. As I read Love Him Anyway, I kept picturing the face of my baby and thinking, What if that had been me? What if MY son had become paralyzed? And this point here is what I’d like to focus on. What if it had been my son? Or, what if, instead of watching the livestream of a 5-month-old’s funeral from my living room {like I did yesterday}, I was the mom that had to stand there in the church, brokenhearted at my loss. I’m fortunate to still have my healthy, happy little 7-month old boy with me today, but I’m not guaranteed that, not even for the next five minutes. My boy belongs to Jesus first and foremost, and what Abby taught me through her story is to trust the Lord through the good times and the bad. It’s easy to say this from this side of the mountain, but my prayer is that if I ever face a trial like the Banks family, that I’ll respond as they did and cling to the Lord and “find hope in the hardest places.”

I was moved by Abby’s strength amidst the turmoil, and while she calls Wyatt her hero, I call her mine. She admits that their lives aren’t always easy and that she doesn’t always respond as she should, but that’s just a part of being human, and the overall theme you’ll find in Love Him Anyway is that the Banks family loves and trusts the Lord, despite of and through the trials they face.

You need to know in advance that Love Him Anyway is a hard read, especially if you’re a mom, but it’s such an encouragement and I highly recommend it—not because I’m the Chief Operating Officer of the company that published it—but because I believe you’ll get the same lesson from it that I did: Life may be hard sometimes, but God is good all the time and you can always find hope in those hard places. And sometimes, we need that reminder.

Love Him Anyway releases February 21, 2017 in paperback at all major retailers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbook.com. You can also purchase Love Him Anyway through Ambassador International’s online store and use the coupon code “LoveHim” for a 10% discount. Lastly, you can enter to win a free signed copy below.

And if you’re local, you can join the Banks family at the Barnes and Noble at The Shops at Greenridge on March 18th from 10am-12pm for a book signing. We’d love to have you there!

Win a signed copy of Love Him Anyway!

 

No matter where you get Love Him Anyway, just make sure you have tissues handy!

 

And stay tuned for Day 2 of the blog tour at rebelbookreviews.blogspot.com.

Dr. Ben Carson Visits Ambassador Book Signing

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Our sincere thanks to Presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson for taking the time to visit with Ambassador author Chuck Doan recently during his book signing of his newly released memoir Sand in Their Eyes. In his official statement released this week Dr. Carson said, “We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.

Ben CarsonAs a refugee from Vietnam Chuck Doan came to America because it truly was a place that offered a freedom he couldn’t experience in Vietnam. As a teenager in the 1980s Doan embarked on a two-year journey to escape communist Vietnam. Facing imprisonment, starvation and extreme poverty, Chuck and his family must escape communist Vietnam or die in the attempt. His new book “Sand in Their Eyes” is the incredible true story of his search for freedom.

Packed in a tiny boat, hoping to escape Vietnam Chuck and his family battled starvation, dehydration and crippling fear night after night. “No food. No water. Just salt. That’s all we had left: Sand in Their Eyesthe breath in our lungs and the salt on our skin,” writes Chuck.

Finally they encountered some fishermen who gave them food and water, but would not take them to the safety of Thailand because the country was no longer welcoming refugees. Even after their tiny boat made it to the shore of Thailand, armed officers forced them back out into the water leaving them with only one option: sink their boat and swim back to shore in the dead of night.

Incredible Turnout at Barnes and Noble Signing

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Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Grace in the Middle book signing, held at Barnes and Noble in Greenville, South Carolina last weekend. Author Wendy Duke was joined by her daughter Savannah to share her heart behind the book and to sign copies for dozens of people who turned out to meet the pair. In an effort to offer support to other families facing similar struggles at Shriners Hospital, Wendy encouraged shoppers to ‘buy one, give one.’ Readers would keep a copy of the book and also purchase another for a family who may find encouragement in the Duke Family’s story by reading a donated copy of Grace in the Middle. “Many, many thanks for the support and generosity from those who came and those who called in to donate,” Wendy wrote on Facebook. “The store sold out of books, and FIFTY BOOKS were donated to families at Shriners Hospital. Fifty families we’ll be able to encourage. I’m entirely overwhelmed.”

If you’d like your own copy of Grace in the Middle, CLICK HERE.

Grace in the Middle Signing 2 Grace in the Middle Signing 3 Grace in the Middle Signing

Johanna’s Journey Author Cindy Hamblen in the News

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Johanna's JourneyOur kids are facing big issues daily, Johanna’s Journey weaves current day issues like bullying, prejudice and friendship into the historical backdrop of Bible time Egypt.This past weekend Johanna’s Journey author Cindy Hamblen had the opportunity of promoting her new YA fiction title on NBC WYFF4 — with the Christmas holiday season in full swing Johanna’s Journey would make a great gift for any tween girl that you know.

Watch the interview HERE

 

Meet the author at Greenville Holiday Fair Dec 5-7

 

About the book:
Johanna’s Israelite people are slaves in Egypt. She dreams of two things—freedom from slavery and having a best friend. Her wish for a friend comes in the form of a servant girl, Kenyeh, who lives in the household of an Egyptian nobleman. Their friendship grows over the years as the girls enjoy the ruins of a great house, a secret hideout all their own, the wonders of a great Egyptian estate, and as they deal with bullying, prejudice, and other life trials.
Suddenly, their world is turned upside down when Moses returns to Egypt to lead the Israelites to freedom. Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal to allow this results in many plagues afflicting the Egyptian people. Kenyeh gives colorful reports of what happens at the estate.
Johanna’s people prepare to leave the land and journey into the unknown. With a hasty goodbye, the two friends part with determination to send word to each other. The Israelites set out on a journey of unexpected trials and also magnificent miracles from the LORD. Johanna’s faith in the LORD grows. Readers will never look at the Exodus story quite the same and will be encouraged to trust the LORD as Johanna did.

Beyond the Manuscript: How to organize a successful signing (week 5)

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Beyond the ManuscriptOver the span of six weeks Ambassador COO Tim Lowry will be sharing a series he calls “Beyond the Manuscript.” Whether you’re a new or seasoned author we hope you’ll find this material helpful:

 

For many authors a book signing is high moment in their career as a writer, they get to interact with family, friends and supporters and see the excitement and response first hand from those buying their book. With this in mind you want your signing event to be great!

Signing events are a big deal. If you have a good event managers will want you back and short list you for future events. The work you put in is invaluable.

Select a Time and Location

The first step is obvious, you will want to select a popular local retail store, preferably working with the manager and retail partner you’ve already connected with. When selecting dates keep your area in mind. Certain nights in certain regions or during certain times of year are not good. Think mid-week meetings, football season, local high school games. These are small details that can have a great impact on turnout.

 

Start Promoting

When a date is selected you want to start event promotion, there are many steps you can take to make your signing a success. Being strategic and paying attention to the detail are a big part of it.

  1. You will want to use the tools you have established. Create a Facebook event, invite all your followers. Make it open to public and encourage fans to share.
  2. Email your contact list, perhaps you already have a eNewsletter you send out, use this list and notify them of your event. If you don’t have an eNewsletter look into signing up for a service like MailChimp.This is a great service that allows you to professionally send and manage your email marketing and will avoid you’re email from being blacklisted or becoming associated with spam. Your eNewsletter is a great way to keep you front and center with your fans.
  3. Go old school and produce flyers or handouts, a good publisher will coordinate with you on this. Distribute them at church, among friends, leave copies at the bookstore. Some stores are open to using a quality flyer as a bag stuffer. Create an event poster, put them up at the store (with the manager’s permission), at coffee houses, church, give copies to friends and ask them to further distribute at the places they frequent.
  4. Reach out to your media list, see if the local paper will interview you and promote the event or perhaps you can get on a local breakfast show the day of your event. Use your well-developed pitch. Alternatively coordinate with your publisher to assist you in your media outreach efforts.
  5. While preparing the ground locally add your event to local event calendars. Many newspapers, cities and local news stations will have event calendars for free on their websites.

 

The Key to Success

We have put each of these elements into play for many events. As a case study lets take the title Healing Hearts. Earlier this year we had a major launch, we reached out to key regional magazines months in advance, we got an interview and it was circulated to 300,000 readers in a Dallas based publication. We held interviews with local affiliates of national stations. We created a Facebook event inviting hundred of followers. The author sent out emails and mailings to 500+ contacts and announced it among his contacts and at his church. Barnes and Noble advertised the signing on their website and in-store with posters. Our publicist was on the ground in Dallas to assist with media and sales. The event came around and we sold several hundred books and the event ran seven hours making it one of the largest events in this history of this specific Barnes and Noble store. Much work was put into this. The author worked extremely hard coordinating his personal promotional elements and we as a publishing house worked to tie the event and media together. Our efforts combine to make a great event. The volume of sales for this event may have been the exception rather than the rule however we have seen strong sales over and over when the above steps are put into action.

I share this to encourage you. Put in the hard work.

Also, don’t be afraid to be creative with your promotions.

 

Getting Creative with Promotion

Consider having a blog tour running up to the big event. Each blogger can post a review, link to the title and announce the event through their blog posts. You can then share each post daily through your social media in the run up to the event.

Ask the store (if an indie) to host a Google+ Hangout with you. This can be used to promote the event and store. For an indie store this can be a great way for them to get followers to their social media, they may even be willing to offer a gift card as a prize. Remember that stores are also looking for ways to get attention and if you show you care about getting them exposure they will appreciate it. A lead into a signing such as this also provides you with a media angel.

You also can be thinking of what kind of giveaway you can offer. It could be something as simple as giving away a handful of signed copies through your site in the run up to the signing or a free ebook for the first 10-25 sales at your event. This can be something to partner with your publisher on. Have the buyers email their book receipt from the event to the publisher and eReader type. The publisher could provide a download code.

 

Final Prep

With the big event about 10 days out, you’ll want to ensure stock is on hand. This seems like something you shouldn’t need to worry about however even the best stores can make a slip up and we find ourselves overnighting books. Avoid surprises, check up on the stock or have your publisher do this. It is also worthwhile having a plan in place seeing extra stock accessible should you sell out.

Finally, this is the one party you don’t want to be late for arrive 10-15 minutes early.

I’d love to hear about your first signing, what did you learn from it?

Facebook Giveaway: Win the Water Baby Prize Pack

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WBLTS_ENTER_Square_612X612Have a little one that loves the water? Enter a photo of your baby enjoying the pool, lake, or beach into the Facebook Water Baby Photo Contest for the chance to win a Water Baby Prize Pack valued over fifty dollars from Ambassador International!

To enter the contest, go to the Ambassador International Facebook page and submit a photo of your baby. We can’t wait to see your favorite photo.

With the warm weather and cool waters of summer, what better way is there to spend an afternoon than hitting the waves? Perhaps you can even take inspiration from Water Baby Learns to Ski by Barbara Collins and bring your baby out on the boat!

Water Baby Learns to Ski is the true story of a baby who grew up to be the national ski champion. With beautiful illustrations and a delightful story, this book will be sure to be one of your favorites!

The Water Baby Prize Pack is full of great prizes that will make the water even more fun than it already is! Here are all the awesome things you’ll get if you win:

  • Aqua Sphere Kids Seal Mask
  • Munchkin Bath Fun Bubble Blower
  • Munchkin Marine Adventure Foam Playset
  • Munchkin Gone Fishin’ Bath Toy
  • Autographed copy of Water Baby Learns to Ski by Barbara Collins

Check out author Barbara Collins on Carolina Now!

Book Signing Event for Declutter Now

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delcutter nowLindon Gareis and Sherry Gareis will hold a book signing event at the Spokane, Washington Lifeway store to promote their new book Declutter Now!. Lindon and Sherry Gareis, founders of Action Plan Ministries, debut their writing career with Declutter Now!, a book for REAL people dealing with REAL life! Discover the tremendous joy possible when living a decluttered life for Christ.

Who: Lindon and Sherry Gareis

What: A Declutter Now! Book Signing

Where: Lifeway, Heritage Village, 9310 N Division St, Spokane, WA, 99218

When: 12/15/2012, 1 pm. – 3 pm

 

Holiday Book Signing Events for The Christmas Donkey

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Christmas Donkey Cover‘Tis the season for The Christmas Donkey! Author Donna Thornton will hold book signing events in four different cities to promote her children’s book The Christmas Donkey.

 

Greenville, SC

Where: Mast General Store, 111 N. Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601

When: 12/9/2012, 12 pm. – 4 pm

12/22/2012, 11 am. – 4 pm

 

Columbia, SC

Where: Mast General, 1601 Main St, Columbia, SC 29201

When: 12/8/2012, 12 pm. – 4 pm

 

Asheville, NC

Where: Mast General, 15 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

When: 12/1/2012, 12 pm. – 4 pm

 

Hendersonville, NC

Where: Mast General, 527 North Main Street, Hendersonville, NC

When: 12/23/2012, 12 pm. – 4 pm.