Curing Illiteracy, One Large Step at a Time…

As an author, promotion--like paying taxes--is a necessary, but undesirable part of the job.

Too little promotion and your book bombs. Too much, and you become a promotion whore, and other authors mention your name with snide disgust, rolling eyes and "tut tuts."

So where's the balance? I'm not sure there is one, but one SURE way to do the promotion game the right way is to endorse a cause you really care about. And that other authors will really care about. And what cause could be dearer to a writer's heart than that of literacy?

A friend of mine, one of the nicest, most self-effacing and promotion-shy people I know--even though she does it 'cuz she has to--has done just that.

Deborah LeBlanc, author of Family Inheritance and the upcoming Grave Intent, is on a crusade for literacy. I cannot think of a better cause to support. But I'll let her tell you herself.

My name is Deborah LeBlanc, and I'm an author on a crusade for literacy. I'm also from Lafayette, La. I realize your time is valuable, but if you will allow me a few minutes to explain my goal to further literacy, you may find it to be of interest. I must digress for a moment, however, to explain how this crusade began...

Last year, while on a national book tour, I had the opportunity to visit numerous bookstores and chat with some of their customers. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for me to realize that many patrons visited the bookstores because of the adjoining coffee shop. Yes, a few individuals would browse through the bookshelves, maybe flip through a magazine or two, but many of them left empty handed. Whenever I asked one of these coffee-only browsers, “Who’s your favorite author?” or “What do you enjoy reading?”, the most common response was “Oh, I don’t read much anymore.” Even worse, if the individual was under the age of twenty-five, the response was usually, “I don’t like to read.”

To say I was disheartened by this seemingly endless tide of ‘non-readers’ would be a gross understatement. So I decided to do something about it.

My newest novel, GRAVE INTENT, will be released on July 5, 2005. Five months prior to its release, I will be launching a literacy challenge, which is geared toward encouraging more people to read.

The LeBlanc Challenge will focus on reading, reading comprehension, and writing skills. The winner of this challenge will receive $5000 in cash, PLUS an additional $1000, which will go to the public school of their choice for the purchase of text and/or library books. To further the literacy cause, I'm adding a 'kicker' to the challenge. Should the winner choose to keep his or her winnings in a college fund, (either for themselves or a child) I will personally work with the chosen university regarding a matching funds program. As I'm sure you are aware, a matching funds program can turn that initial $5000 into $10,000. Not a bad start for a college education.

In order to spread the word about The Challenge, I am currently scheduling interactive writing workshops and speaking engagements in high schools and community colleges throughout the country. I charge nothing for these workshops or speaking engagements, and the students do not have to purchase my books for the workshops. My goal is to simply get the students excited about the possibilities awaiting them if they’re willing to read.

If this is of interest to you, I can be reached at the email address deborah@deborahleblanc.com. For your convenience and review, I've included a link to my website, where you'll find more information about my books and The LeBlanc Challenge.
http://www.deborahleblanc.com/

Thank you for your time and consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Deborah LeBlanc