Tattered Cover Launches Authors on Tour Podcast

This week, Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, Colorado, in partnership with BurstMarketing, launched a free, weekly podcast show, Authors on Tour -- Live, on the web at www.authorsontourlive.com. The podcasts feature recently published authors reading from and discussing their books at events at one of Tattered Cover's three locations. Each show is approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

"We are proud to be part of Authors on Tour -- Live," said Heather Duncan, marketing director for Tattered Cover. "Podcasting is an exciting new way to connect writers with readers. Podcasting allows anyone anywhere in the world to hear great authors talk about their books -- anytime they want."

Podcasts of the events at Tattered Cover are audio files that can be easily downloaded to a computer, an i-Pod, or an MP3 player. They can then be played anytime. A listener can subscribe to a podcast and have new shows downloaded automatically to the computer or portable player using one of the many free "podcatching" software programs available via the web.

Duncan told BTW that Authors on Tour is the brainchild of BurstMarketing's Rob Simon. "[He] is a local author and entrepreneur who came [to Tattered Cover] for an event and taped it because he wanted to do a podcast," she explained. Afterwards, Simon broached the subject of recording other author events and providing them for download via the Internet. Tattered Cover's response was a resounding "yes."

This week, Authors on Tour debuted with a podcast of J.R. Moehringer reading from and discussing his bestselling book, The Tender Bar (Hyperion). The premiere podcast also featured an introduction by Tattered Cover Book Store owner Joyce Meskis and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. In the coming weeks, featured podcasts will include authors Al Franken, Joan Didion, Susanna Clarke, Robert Hicks, Neil Gaiman, and Michael Connelly, among others.

"Rob is the driving force behind [the show]," said Duncan. "He's paying for it and looking for sponsors. I think he's done a really good job, and we're hoping to have it up on our website [www.tatteredcover.com] this week."

One of the unique features of Authors on Tour, Duncan said, will be "The Unheard Of," a podcast feed promoting first-time authors and up-and-coming, yet-to-be-published writers. The site also will feature "ReviewCasts," providing listeners with the ability to create one-minute podcast reviews of the books they have read.

Ultimately, Duncan said she hopes that Authors on Tour might become a virtual event room that broadcasts author events at other independent bookstores around the country. "I think it's a really unique opportunity," she noted. --David Grogan