BEA attendees who need a little help with relationships, have concerns about their future, or wonder about their spiritual health can find help thanks to Huffington Post advice columnist Lodro Rinzler, author of Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex is Torturing You & You’re Hungover Again (Shambhala, Oct.).
Rinzler hands out five-cent tokens during his autographing session today at 3 p.m. at Table 12 in the Autographing Area, where he signs ARCs of the book. The tokens are good for one complimentary consultation when Rinzler dispenses advice tomorrow, 10 a.m.–to noon, at a Peanuts-style stand at the Shambhala booth (2946).
“Walk Like a Buddha is our biggest title this fall and comes after Rinzler’s very successful first book,” says Steven M. Pomije, marketing communications manager for Shambhala. “We’re doing something fun to give people the opportunity to talk to Rinzler, as well as introduce them to the other titles in our booth.” Rinzler’s first book, The Buddha Walks into a Bar... (Shambhala, 2012), has sold close to 40,000 copies, thanks in part to his popular Huff Po column. The new book is structured like his columns and features only new material.
“Bringing Rinzler to BEA was a no-brainer in terms of promotion. He’s young—our youngest author writing from a Western Buddhist perspective—he’s tech savvy, and he has a significant audience who found him via new media,” says Pomije.
Shambhala Publications will also promote Zen Confidential: Confessions of a Wayward Monk by Shozan Jack Haubner and Daddy Long Legs: The Natural Education of a Father, creative nonfiction on family and nature by John T. Price. Complimentary copies of each (both released May 14) are available at the Shambhala booth.
Shambhala has been attending BEA and its predecessor ABA since the early 1970s, when its main goal was to connect with booksellers. “Today, meeting booksellers and sharing our new titles with them is still a primary reason for attending, but BEA has now become a fantastic platform for showcasing our recent and forthcoming lead titles to the media as well,” says Pomije.
