A Return to BrewTown and a Local Gala
I confess my marketing skills for my first literary work have been less than stellar. From what my colleagues tell me, this is quite common. If I were a marketing guru, I would be in advertising or politics, but I'll take medicine and writing for career choices. I also prefer living in Nevada over living in New York City or Washington, D.C.
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to pitch my book during an event at our family museum this fall. In addition to a successful career in law and real estate, my father collected memorabilia reflective of the community he so loved. Our family honored his legacy by forming The Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear in Milwaukee. We transformed his one-hundred-and-fifty year old office building into a museum showcasing his vast collection of antiques from the turn of the last century. Each fall Milwaukee sponsors an "open doors" event allowing the citizenry to tour all museums for free. Depending on the weather, we may see over a thousand people wandering through our venue.
I ensconced myself in the old doctor's office on the second floor of our building and displayed my book and answered questions about the museum to the multitude as they flocked by. I was quite surprised at the general reaction of the throngs that asked me questions about the museum and especially how my father was able to acquire so many antiques in one lifetime. Many of those coming through found it fascinating that, "an actual, real live Chudnow" would be greeting them on their visit to the Chudnow Museum. I found I enjoyed the experience as much as they did.
I did manage to sell a fair number of books and pitched my book to the museum goers, as appropriate. I may have to return next year for a repeat performance.
My next marketing foray kept me much closer to home - in fact - it was in our home. My wife and I hosted a book signing party at our home for friends and neighbors. (I confess my wife did most of the planning for the event, though this time we were smart enough to arrange help for the party.) It turned out to be a lot of fun and I even managed to spout a few appropriate words about my writing and downed a few amazing Belgian beers in the process. Unfortunately, I did forget to thank some of those who helped me in my efforts and would like to thank them here. Thank you, of course, to my dear wife and my daughter Elizabeth. Thanks to Breeann for her help in self-publishing the book and help formatting my blog. Thanks to Carmen for her party suggestions and bartending magic. Thanks to Linda Anderson for her cover art and poster. Thanks to Kim for a truly amazing cake. Thanks to the weather gods for sunshine and of course, to the Belgian monks for Belgian beers!
I do plan on having another book signing at Lucky Baldwin's in Pasadena on November 10, 2018 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. I look forward to downing another Belgian beer or two during the event with my brother and friends.
