Writing a guidebook is not just hiking or even writing. That's half the job. The other half is marketing.

Way before the book is published, I had to think about where to go to sign books, talk to hikers (and yes, buyers) and do a slide show.

I came up with the idea of a slide show for my first hiking guide, Hiking the Carolina Mountains. I felt that I couldn't just read from a guide. So I created a 45 minute slide show which I tailor to the audience.

A slide show draws more people but it complicates things, for me and for the store. I have my own LCD projector and laptop, of course, Some venues, like Diamond Brand where I had my book launch, were completely at ease with a slide show. I came in with my laptop, plugged in to their projector and everything went smoothly. They had placed their stand and table exactly and there was no moving back and forth. Others, like my visit to the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy annual meeting, was even better. "Just bring in a thumb drive," they said.

But at the Black Mountain Library where I went on Thursday, I had to bring in everything, hook up my projector and laptop and set it just right so it fit the screen. Some places don't have screens, just walls.

But that's OK. Whatever they have, I'm happy for an audience and I don't worry about how many books I've sold. The store obviously does but I'm interested in educating folks about  our great outdoors and even more important, getting them outdoors.

Today, I'm off to Fireside Books in Forest City. I've never been to Forest City and I look forward to another trip. But tomorrow, Sunday, I'm going to be hiking.

I'd love to see you at one of my book events. Check out my schedule.