How to Enter Your Events
How to Receive Event Listings
Tips for Authors/Publishers
Tips for Bookstores/Other Venues
FAQ

OVERVIEW

EventCaster(SM) accepts information about literary events from publishers, bookstores, and other organizations. Information can be entered by hand for free using our web interface, or in bulk for a fee using our spreadsheet template.

Each week, NetRead forwards the event information to event editors at newspapers and magazines, as well as Web sites with online calendars such as Yahoo® and Digital City.

The goals of EventCaster are to improve coverage of and attendance at literary events, and to save time for publicists, event coordinators, and event editors.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Email us at support@netread.com.

HOW TO ENTER YOUR EVENTS

There are two ways to enter events. You can enter lists of events using our Excel spreadsheet template. There is a processing fee for this service, as described below. Alternatively, you can enter (or edit) events by hand for free using our web interface.

To enter lists of events in EventCaster:

1. Download the EventCaster_Import_Template.xls and the accompanying EventCaster_Template_Instructions.doc
2. Add all upcoming events to the spreadsheet template. When we import new information, any existing events in your EventCaster account will be eliminated.
3. When adding events to the template, follow the instructions in the Word document and in the notes attached to each column heading in the spreadsheet. Make no changes to the format of the spreadsheet.
4. Name the file [business_name]_[date].xls.
5. Mail the file as an attachment to palcorn@netread.com, or to your regular NetRead contact if you have one. If you have entered events into EventCaster before, be sure to tell us the email address you used when you first registered with EventCaster.
6. Go to our Yahoo store to pay for the batch processing.
7. Batch uploads are posted Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. When your events are posted, you will receive an email notice, including your EventCaster login if you did not have one. You can login to make changes to your events at any time for no charge.

Prices for batch uploads are as follows:

• Batch upload, up to 25 Events: $25.00
• Batch upload, 26-75 Events: $50.00
• Batch Upload, 76 - 200 Events: $100.00
• Batch Upload, More Than 200 Events: $150.00

To enter events by hand in EventCaster:

1. From the main EventCaster page, click on the Add an event link in the left column.
2. If you're new to NetRead, you need to register so you can add, copy, and edit events. From the Login page, you can register by clicking the registration form link. Registration is free.
3. Enter your email address and password (twice) and click the Submit Registration button. We need your email address in case there is a problem with your listing. It will not be sold or given to any third party under any circumstances.
4. Fill out the Add an Event form.
5. To create subsequent events without retyping the same information, use the Copy command.
6. Click on any underlined word for contextual help.

Keep in mind that your listing goes mainly to Events Editors at newspapers and online calendars. They are interested in facts, not promotion. They want the right contact information, so they can confirm the event. They want 2-3 weeks' lead time. Therefore:

• Make the Event Title short and descriptive, such as "Ethan Watters at Cody's Books."
• Keep the Event Description short. Yahoo!® only runs the first 25 words on their site, and Events Editors at newspapers will almost never run more than the when, where, and who. Example: "Ethan Watters will read from and sign his new book The Fall of Psychotherapy. Watters, whose last book was Making Monsters, is a freelance magazine journalist and concert bassoonist."
• Avoid duplicating information in the Event Description field: time, date, venue, address, contact, price, etc. are all specified elsewhere.
• Enter your events well in advance. Most newspapers need 2-3 weeks advance notice.

NetRead may eventually charge a modest listing fee for EventCaster. Until then it is FREE for all parties.

HOW TO RECEIVE EVENT LISTINGS

Go here to sign up for this free service. Anyone may subscribe.

Within a week, you will begin receiving a weekly email or fax listing literary events in the areas and time period you have specified.

Current subscribers include over 200 newspapers across North America, several online calendars, including Yahoo!® and Digital City, and a growing number of individuals.

You may see the current list of EventCaster media outlets here.

You may already receive some of these events from other sources. The subscription does not require that you carry any of the events listed. You can change the parameters or cancel your subscription at any time. Just email support@netread.com.

TIPS FOR AUTHORS/PUBLICISTS

It is quite possible that some of your events have already been listed by bookstores. Soon, NetRead will have a duplication-alert feature. Until then, it is best to first do a search on your author to see which events are already in our system. Go to the EventCaster page, make sure to set the desired time period, type in the author's name in the "Keyword" box, and click "Search."

The best contact for an event is usually someone at the venue itself (bookstore, website, etc.). Please make sure you have their phone number and/or email address correct in the listing. And please make sure the venue knows how to get in touch with you in case the listing needs to be changed. In the event of a duplicate listing or conflicting information, NetRead is obliged to accept the venue's listing as definitive and delete others.

TIPS FOR BOOKSTORES/OTHER VENUES

It is quite possible that some of your events have already been posted to EventCaster by authors or publicists. In the near future, if you enter an event that already exists in the system, you will be alerted and given the option to delete the other listing in favor of yours. (NetRead considers the venue's listing to be definitive.) Until then, you may want to see which of your events are already in our system. Go to the EventCaster page; in the "Keyword" box, enter the name of your store, if it's unique, or (e.g.) a unique part of your address. (You can also simply search on your telephone area code or city name.) Make sure to set the desired time period, and click "Search."

In most cases, publicists and authors will have listed your contact information instead of their own. This is because you, the venue, are best able to confirm times, give directions, etc. If any of the listings you find are incorrect or inadequate, and the publicist or author did not include his or her contact information, you may email us at support@netread.com, and we will alter the listing as you specify and transfer "ownership" of the event to you, so that you may further edit or delete it.

FAQ

How do I get online, contextual help?
What if I don't find my answer here or in the online help?
How can I tell who gets my listings?
How do I see my Events on Yahoo!®?
What do I do if I find one of my events is already listed, and incorrect?
I'm entering my events, but my local newspaper or online city guide isn't listing them. Why not?
I posted a contest or other kind of ongoing event. How does this get sent to media outlets?
I entered several area codes to increase the coverage of my event, but they got dropped from the listing. Why?
When I try to Add an Event, the link doesn't work--it's "grayed out."
Even though I'm not a newspaper, can I subscribe to EventCaster?
How long do my events stay in the system?
Why is this service free? When will you start charging, and how much?

Q: How do I get online, contextual help?
A: Click on any underlined word in the event entry form.

Q: What if I don't find my answer here or in the online help?
A: Email your question to support@netread.com.

Q: How can I tell who gets my listings?
A: Soon, NetRead will be offering EventCaster users an account page showing where their events were sent. In the meantime, click on See Media Outlets to see the updated list of media subscribers. If your event is in the area covered by these newspapers, they will receive it.

Q: How do I see my Events on Yahoo!®?
The events you post on EventCaster appear automatically on Yahoo!® within several days of their posting. Go to http://guide.yahoo.com, choose "Entertainment and Arts" and the metropolitan region (or state, below) you're interested in. If there is a NetRead event that day, you'll see a "Literary Events" category. Otherwise, click on "All Entertainment and Arts Listings" and choose the day you know your event to be on.

Q: What do I do if I find one of my events is already listed, and incorrect?
A: NetRead's EventCaster events are "owned" by the person who enters them, and cannot be changed by other users. If you are a publicist or author, contact the bookstore or other venue that posted the event. If you are a bookstore or other venue, see the relevant Tips for Bookstores/Other Venues, above.

Q: I'm entering my events, but my local newspaper or online city guide isn't listing them. Why not?
A: There are three possible reasons:

1. The newspaper or city guide does not subscribe. To see the list of EventCaster media subscribers, click on the "See Media Outlets" link on the EventCaster page. If your local paper or online city guide does not appear there, you can either direct the Events Editor to our subscription page, or email us their name, phone number, and/or email address, and we'll try to get them. support@netread.com.
   
   
2. The newspaper or city guide received your events but chose not to list them. We have no control over what media outlets do with the information we send them. We encourage you to contact the Events Editor at that newspaper or city guide yourself. You should also insure that you are providing complete and correct information in your listings.
   
   
3. The newspaper or city guide subscribes to the EventCaster, but is not receiving your events. There are several possible reasons: (1) your events weren't posted in time. Newspapers require 2-3 weeks lead time. If your events took place 1-2 weeks after you posted them, they might not have been sent to newspapers. (2) There could be a problem with your listing. Click on "Edit my events" and make sure your area code is correct. (3) The newspaper or city guide may have opted not to receive certain categories of events, such as Contests/Awards, Events for Children, etc.

Q: I posted a contest or other kind of ongoing event. How does this get sent to media outlets?
A: Most media outlets receive their EventCaster listings once per week. Contests or other events that last several weeks or more are listed once per week. Click on the underlined "Contests & Awards" link on the event entry form for more help.

Q: I entered several area codes to increase the coverage of my event, but they got dropped from the listing. Why?
A: All "in-person" or "real-world" events require one and only one area code: the area code in which the event takes place. As the form says, extra area codes are strictly for local radio and tv broadcasts. Media outlets specify which areas they are interested in; it does not help in any way to send them information they don't want, so we don't.

Q: When I try to Add an Event, the link doesn't work--it's "grayed out."
A: If you are running a banner-ad-suppression application, there's the likely culprit. The title of the Add page is, curiously enough, "Add.cfm" and that software doesn't like anything starting with "ad." Try turning off the software long enough to post.

Q: Even though I'm not a newspaper, can I subscribe to EventCaster?
A: By all means! Click here.

Q: How long do my events stay in the system?
A: Your listings will no longer be visible to other users after the events occur. However, for your convenience they remain in the system for 6 weeks after that date. You can see them if you click on "Edit your events."

Q: Why is this service free? When will you start charging, and how much?
A: EventCaster is what we call a brand-builder: a service that promotes our name and, we hope, wins us loyal users. NetRead has other features that bring in revenue. Though NetRead may in the future charge a modest listing fee to pay for maintenance and expansion of the service, your use of EventCaster now in no way commits you to any future expenditure.