It’s Audition Time at the Jewish Book Network

Tomorrow night is going to be a big one. That’s when I, and several hundred other Jewish authors (or authors with Jewish books), audition for the Jewish Book Network. The JBN, which is part of the Jewish Book Council, is like the American Idol for Jewish literature in America. It helps organize and facilitate book tours to Jewish communities around the country, bringing authors who normally wouldn’t stop in those places, to the likes of Cleveland, Portland, and Tampa.

Cool, right?

But the JBN isn’t just a normal process. No no. It’s an audition.

Every author gets exactly two minutes (they cut the mike off at 2:01) to pitch their book to a crowd packed with representatives from JCCs, synagogues, Jewish book fairs, and libraries. Then, and here comes the crazy part, there’s a round of speed dating/dinner, where authors sit at tables with various community reps, and make the close sell, which I imagine will sound a lot like this for me:

“David, hey, Bob Goldman, Greater Phoenix Jewish Foundation. Have you ever eaten at a place called Miracle Mile Deli?”

After the event, the reps tick your name off on a list if they want you, and in July, you find out which cities you get to go to. Considering the theme of Save the Deli, and the amount of cities I visit in it, I’m hoping for an enthusiastic response. Should be insane irregardless, but fun too.

You can read a bit more about the Jewish Book Network event here:

New York Times

Huffington Post

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