PIRATE TALKT E R E S E S V O D O B AA N A R R A T I V E P I T C H

T HE NARRATI VEOn September 7th, 2010, two hundred people gathered at the Boston

Harbor for a book release party aboard (and on the dock in front of)

La Juin, a thirty-foot sail boat captained by Peter Rakoff of Waltham,

Mass. Terese Svodoba , whose novel Pirate Talk Dzanc Books

released Wednesday, was the guest of honor. From the mast, where

the boat’s white sail would normally have flown, hung an enormous

cover of the novel, printed on canvas. “It’s a functional sail,” Rakoff

said, “and it’s going to carry us to Philadelphia.”

La Juin debarked for New York City this morning and will arrive Saturday the 10th. She will dock in

Brooklyn for a reading and nautically-themed cocktail party, co-hosted by Electric Literature, and spon-

sored by Pirate Bay Rum. Svodoba will read from her latest work, as will Jonathan Lethem and Paul

Auster. Tickets for the event, which run $10 for general admittance and $35 for admittance and a

signed copy of Svodoba’s novel, can be purchased via BrownPaperTickets.com.

When asked why she’d decided to embark on a sailing book tour Svodoba said, “It seemed thematically

relevant. The book takes place on the water, so I figured the tour should, too.”

On Sunday, La Juin will depart for Philadelphia, and on Wednesday the 14th, weather permitting, Svodo-

ba, Rakoff, and the other members of the crew will make landfall at the Port of Philadelphia. Drinks, again,

will be served.

By capitalizing on Pirate Talk’s nautical theme -- sailing the

book down the East Coast -- we add a narrative on top of

the novel that gives press outlets an easy way to cover the

story. They aren’t just reviewing the book; they also get to

tell their readers about an adventure.

In that sense, the book is more than just what you

find printed between the pages. It ’s a physical object,

but it ’s also a journey. From a financial standpoint,

the tour is a potential revenue generator. By holding

an event at each of the ports of call, we give people in

cities up and down the coast a reason to come out and

purchase copies of the book, drinks, food, etc.

Also, by developing an event that attracts press and par-

T H E E V E N T

ticipants, we open up the tour to potential sponsors. Since Pirate Talk is in part about pirates, we could

secure a rum manufacturer as an alcohol sponsor and get food provided by local restaurants, thus reduc-

ing event costs drastically. And because Dzanc is a non-profit, any ancillary event is a fundraiser whose

tickets are tax-deductable.

W E BThe success of marketing Pirate Talk

will hinge on an active web presence.

PirateTalk.com wil allow visitors to

purchase Terese’s novel and participate

in her book tour voyage. The site will

also let visitors follow the project on

Twitter and Facebook, and give media

outlets access to press releases and

pre-written narratives for articles and

reviews. In-depth coverage of the tour

and book will stem from journalists’

ability to acquire accurate information

simply, and PirateTalk.com will be the

one-stop destination for content.

The web presence also gives readers myriad ways to interact with the novel itself. At PirateTalk.com

we can publish excerpts, audio, and video content pertaining to the novel and tour. Terese her-

self can operate a blog on the site where she could discuss her preparation for the sailing tour, and

where she can interact with her readers and fans.

OUTREACHLauren Cerand, Terese Svodoba’s PR agent,

has major press connections on both coasts (as

well as in the middle of the country). Working

in congress with Dzanc Books and Moonstreet,

Lauren will spread the word to major press

outlets throughout the United States.

But her job will be easier this go round. Usually

a PR agent has to convince a website, maga-

zine, or newspaper to look at a book, and the

best case scenario is a major publication gives

the title a positive review. In this case, though,

atypical media outlets have a perfect reason to

cover the story. Pirate Talk isn’t just a new book: it’s an adventure. An author is sailing her book

down the coast, giving readings at each port of call. During a major sea-change in the publish-

ing world, when most everyone is talking about the impending shift to digi-centric reading, a story

about an author taking to the seas should garner major column inches.