Book tour diaries

The Tonight book tour for 2024 is finished. 12 events. Over 5,000 books signed. Countless hugs and selfies. Here’s what went down – the ridiculous, the hectic, the happy, the tasty!

Welcome back to book tour diaries!

Welcome back to the latest (final??) instalment of book tour diaries!

There’s so much to share – but in case you don’t have the time to read all my ramblings, here’s a 1 minute home video I made:

A BOOK TOUR – ONE MONTH IN ONE MINUTE

It’s been 5 weeks since Tonight landed in stores. I really thought I’d be able to continue creating and posting new recipes throughout the book launch period…duh! It’s been so busy there wasn’t even the remotest chance of that. This book tour business is serious stuff! Here’s the lowdown on what really went on.

The schedule is tight!

On the day of launch, Candice, the publicist at my book publisher Pan Macmillan, handed me an impressive (terrifying?) bound document that detailed every move for the next 5 weeks. Every event, arrival times, where to go, who to call, contact details, flights, hotels, interviews, photo shoots, dinners, lunches…..

It’s ruthless! I jokingly tell everyone I have shower slots and toilet breaks scheduled in – and I’m only half exaggerating. Basically, for a whole month, my life is in Candice’s hands and I just do exactly what I’m told – when to be where, what I’m doing and what to wear. Whatever she asks of me, I do – “Nagi, here’s 1,000 book plates, can you sign them on the flight?”

I dare not disobey her. So I signed those book plates!

PS This is Candice, at the book launch party from a couple of days ago. She technically works for my publisher, but she’s pretty much part of the RecipeTin family these days, with the amount of time we spend with her. 🙂

The Book Signings

The main events for the book tour were a series of public signings that were hosted at Westfield shopping centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra. Partnering with a large organisation like Westfield made things so much easier for us because they handled all the set up logistics for the signing area, provided security (“it’s sooo unnecessary!” I kept insisting) and staff to assist with line management.

So from an event perspective, it was a luxury having professionals handling it all so I could focus on my favourite part – meeting people!!

I love meeting people in real life!

For many years before I started writing cookbooks, I was quietly bashing away on my keyboard, answering cooking questions and chatting with readers online, on my website and social media.

I never would have imagined how much I would love meeting people in actual, real life!!

This for me, is the most rewarding part of making a cookbook. Yes, it’s exciting to see your book in real life in shops. But the face-to-face interaction with people who have made, eaten and enjoyed my recipes is so special.

So much laughter. So much food talk. So many hugs. So many photos!

These are my people!! I kept saying over and over again, it was like meeting people I had known all my life. I could have gone out to dinner with anyone I met at those signings and chatted all night.

It’s an odd phenomenon, one I can’t explain. Like a sense of community, we all have something in common, and everyone is NICE and FUNNY! (I’m sorry, I hope no one is insulted that this surprises me 😂)

The wardrobe crisis is real

As someone who does not spend much time thinking about fashion and considers shopping for clothes an evil necessity rather than fun (*20 year old self falls over in shock*), there was an alarming amount of fashion related incidents on the tour.

There was the Brisbane signing where I had to wear a PJ top due to a DIY roots hair dye explosion in the suitcase…. Here I am, looking mildly concerned to find myself in a position going to a public event in the only clean top I had.

….then there was the leaking iron in Canberra which again resulted in a last minute outfit change….

….and errors in judgement on matters of footwear. The thought did cross my mind that wearing heels for signings that would go for hours wasn’t the smartest thing in the world….but vanity won out. Short people understand!!

I really wish I cared more about fashion. I’d have done all these events in denim shorts and yoga pants, if I had a choice!

Everything is more fun with my team

A tour highlight for me was the Adelaide leg because this involved some people in my team. JB (the overall boss chef at RecipeTin) and Stephen (RTM boss chef) came along to do a live cooking show – I was about to write “with me”, but that’s a lie. They did the cooking, I did the talking. 😂

I couldn’t have and wouldn’t have done the cook show without them. The sheer amount of organisation that was required – we brought stoves, every pot, pan, knife and spoon we used – as well as preparation time ahead of the show (shopping, cooking etc)…..there is just no way I would have had the time to do it. And let’s face it, they’re pros at this stuff! I would’ve forgotten an essential piece of equipment (like a stove to cook on 😂).

Besides, everything is always more fun with my team around. We work hard, play hard and eat a lot!! 🙂

The Hutt St Centre is amazing

Another reason I asked JB and Stephen to join me for the Adelaide leg is because we had arranged to visit Hutt St Centre, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to ending homelessness.

The Hutt St Centre had reached out to us to see if I’d have time to visit them while I was in Adelaide. After I learned a little more about them, I wanted to take the opportunity for JB and Stephen to see their operations too, to broaden our exposure to other charities as we consider the next steps for RTM expansion.

We helped out for the lunch service then had the opportunity to learn more about their extraordinary operations which provides services to help people facing homelessness rebuild their lives. If you’d like to learn more about what they do or get involved, please visit their their website here.

Why do people keep sending me Dozer peeing photos?

Ah, Dozer! Sadly, despite my efforts campaigning to get Virgin to allow Dozer in the cabin, he had to stay at home when I had interstate trips.

I received plenty of Dozer updates. Confusingly though, there were a lot of Dozer peeing photos. I’m not sure why. 😂

Lights! Camera! Action!

And in amongst all this, there were a bunch of interviews squeezed in. Radio, newspapers, magazines, TV, podcasts, photo shoots!

Of all the interviews I did, there were two standouts:

1. An interview with Jace and Lauren at Nova radio station in Melbourne, where I did a surprise guest segment wrapped in foil! The footage of me waddling down the corridors in that foil is GOLD.

2. THE BIG ISSUE! This is a street magazine that exists to give disadvantaged people (like homeless people) a chance to earn income. Here in Australia, the vendors selling The Big Issue receive 50% of every sale as commission. It is my favourite magazine!

And also, look how prominent Dozer is on the cover! Plus, I love that the journalist came to interview me at RecipeTin Meals (my food bank) and interviewed JB and Stephen too. 🙂

There was a party!

And just a couple of days ago, we had a celebration party with my team, some of the team from my publisher and also some freelancers involved in my book.

We held it at a local restaurant, Boronia Kitchen. Such a luxury, making everyone come out my way in the suburbs rather than me having to go into the city! It’s also just 5 minutes from RTM, so nice and close for my RTM team too. 🙂

Here I am, with my team! So many sunglasses. (It was a stinking hot 33°C/91°F day!)

There were balloons and cake and book-colour-themed cocktails….

I’m not going to tell you where I got the cake from because it was from a well-known Sydney cake supplier but I was so disappointed. The cake was squished and dense at best, and some layers crumbly-stale at worst. Tiered cakes are not cheap, so I was pretty unhappy.

Sorry, back to positive notes! There was a spectacular main dish, Salmon Coulibiac – a puff pastry enclosed salmon stuffed with rice and quail eggs that is a special occasion French classic. Think – salmon version of Beef Wellington.

It’s really special, I don’t even know of any restaurant in Australia that does it presumably because it’s so technical to make. Also, you want the stunning effect of a whole salmon side shaped like a fish which means you really do need to make it for a group.

We were happy to be that group! 🙂

And a HUGE thank you to the team at Boronia Kitchen, especially the restaurateur Chef Simon Sandall, for going above and beyond to make the event so special. After 5 quite intense weeks of book tour and book launch related matters, it was really nice to have a lunch where I could relax and celebrate with key people involved in it.

You’re caught up!

And now, you are caught up! It’s 2 days after the lunch and my book launch related commitments for 2024 are largely done. I’m back in my kitchen, yay!

I’ve been really neglecting my business for over a month now – this website, RTM and all the administration that comes with running your own business – and it’s weighing on my mind. This book making business is quite time intensive – not just the actual making of it, but the promoting part as well.

I know I should be relishing in the glow of book celebrations, but instead, I’m mildly panicking as I see the date, the day before the last day of November, just 3 weeks away from Christmas.

Right now, I’m enjoying the small patches of time I’ve been able to get back into my comfort zone – in the kitchen with Dozer, experimenting with new ideas, photographing and filming new recipes to share on my website.

Someone else can have the glitz and glamour of TV and magazines. I’m perfectly happy right here at home, with my keyboard and camera! – Nagi x

PS *Small voice because this part is awkward, but I feel I should share* In case you are wondering, Tonight is doing pretty well. It broke the record for the highest first week of sales for a non-fiction title, which also means it became the new fastest selling cookbook, ousting the previous record holder – some book written by a girl with a dog.😉 It’s exciting because the royalties from the sale of the books help support the running costs of RTM, so we’ve been able to invest in new cooking equipment and are planning to increase daily meal numbers next year. More on this once it’s official!!

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Life of Dozer

Dozer got sick in the middle of making the cookbook, so I wrote in my book that my greatest hope was that Dozer would still be with me for the launch of Tonight. And my dream came true.

Love you Dozer. I’ll always remember this book tour. You and me, taking on the world!

(OK, fine, just Sydney and Canberra. But it was a good line. 😂)