Slow Going, College Booking

I met with SB yesterday who was recovering from strep thoat, just as I was getting over a cold. Things have been delayed, due to these pesky illnesses and schedules... and misinformation. Yes, regardless of the obstacles presented by a busy New York autumn that has finally seen its first cold front, SB and I would have been behind schedule on the spring tour plan anyway, for not having discovered the best way to go about booking until it's probably too late.

We were going to send press kits to a bahundred schools, include the cd, follow up with calls, and hope for the best. Then we stumbled upon a smart article by Derek Sivers about the best way to book college gigs. He emphatically states that fancy press kits, unsolicited, will not catch people's eyes as much as a simple one-page flyer will (perhaps sent about three or four times before it finally compells them to call for more information, or to request a CD). Persistent - but not annoying - repetition is key. He also says that colleges typically do spring booking in the fall, and fall booking in the spring. It's already November 18. My chances for booking a February or March tour may have slipped through my fingers even 6 weeks ago. But I'm not discouraged. The flyer method is a real money-saver, and it's worth a shot, even if I don't drum up a tour-sized number of gigs until NEXT fall. In the meantime, it would be good experience for me to play even a few isolated college shows in the next half a year. If that's all that came of this first round of promo, I would be really pleased.