AUTHOR PROGRAM PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS
Thank you for considering Brain Food Books (BFB), in partnership with The King's English (TKE), to host your event for your independently published book. Because we want to ensure a successful event for you and BFB, and because events require considerable labor, a formal proposal is required. Please know that we receive far more event requests than we're able to host, so a proposal allows us to determine if an event will be mutually beneficial and fit with our mission of providing a valuable experience for our readers. TItles that fall under our Rewriting the West initiative, fiction and non-fiction titles that disrupt the colonial settler narrative will be given priority.
Proposals are due three months before the requested month for your event. For example, proposals for an event any day in February are due by the last day in November. All proposals for February events are reviewed and all authors contacted the two weeks in December.
Note:
To be considered for an event, your book must be available via Ingram, fully returnable, with a (REG) 40%+ bookstore discount, or via a publisher from whom we regularly purchase books. A consignment arrangement may be possible, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We typically order 30 to 40 copies of the featured book for an event. We must be able to return unsold books.
There is also an industry-standard cooperative fee (co-op) of $175 which is covered by the publisher or author. This fee supports staffing, venue costs, setup and breakdown, inclusion in some of our marketing materials, and more.
Your event proposal must include:
If you have any questions regarding hosting an event with us, please reach out to [email protected].
Proposals are due three months before the requested month for your event. For example, proposals for an event any day in February are due by the last day in November. All proposals for February events are reviewed and all authors contacted the two weeks in December.
Note:
- Events for BFB are typically hosted at The King’s English Bookshop (TKE) and share all income and costs.
- 5% of books sold at the event directly benefit BFB.
- A brief (2-4 minute) introduction to BFB will be presented at the beginning of the event and donation jar and envelopes will be on hand for attendees who opt to donate.
- BFB does not hold events during the “holiday” period, November 15 - January 15, with rare exceptions, due to staff capacity.
- We promote new books only; books must be published within three months of the event.
- All our events are ticketed. We do not require people to pay for a ticket to attend events, but free registration is required for safety reasons and to help us know how many books to have on-hand for purchasing.
- We ask that we are the only event in Salt Lake County within a 60 day period.
To be considered for an event, your book must be available via Ingram, fully returnable, with a (REG) 40%+ bookstore discount, or via a publisher from whom we regularly purchase books. A consignment arrangement may be possible, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. We typically order 30 to 40 copies of the featured book for an event. We must be able to return unsold books.
There is also an industry-standard cooperative fee (co-op) of $175 which is covered by the publisher or author. This fee supports staffing, venue costs, setup and breakdown, inclusion in some of our marketing materials, and more.
Your event proposal must include:
- Title, ISBN, and a physical copy of your book.
- 75- to 100-word draft of customer-facing copy for our event calendar. (We reserve the right to edit copy for brevity and clarity.)
- Brief author bio.
- Why is BFB/TKE the ideal location for your event?
- Have you attended author events at BFB/TKE in the past? If so, which events? (If you're from out of town, feel free to substitute events at another independent bookstore.)
- What is the planned publicity and outreach for your event, apart from BFB/TKE marketing?
- Which media outlets have you reached out to or already secured?
- How many email subscribers and social media followers do you have?
- In our experience, audiences for local, non-traditionally published authors are largely made up of the author's friends, family, and colleagues. How many people in your network will attend? (Please note: a minimum of 20 attendees makes for a good event.)
- BFB/TKE logo and brief mission statement included in all of your promotions.
- If your event is confirmed, we’ll need a high resolution author photo and image of the book cover.
- Use of our event space for a one-hour book talk and signing for up to three authors.
- Setup and breakdown of chairs, tables, etc.
- One of our experienced event hosts to provide an introduction and monitor your event.
- AV equipment (if required).
- Placement on our in-store event book display.
- Inclusion in our media calendar, which reaches contacts in local radio, print, and television.
- Inclusion on our website, and our email newsletter (25,000 subscribers).
- Book sales reported to The New York Times, Nielson BookScan, and IndieBound.org
If you have any questions regarding hosting an event with us, please reach out to [email protected].
