Marin Writer Uses Treasure Hunt, Award Money to Drum Up Interest in New Book

What do you do if you’re a young writer with a new book, striking out without a publishing house to back you?

You get creative about your marketing by sending readers on a treasure hunt all over the Bay Area, then hosting a private party to make your readers feel like VIPs.

That’s what 31-year-old Marin County author Connor Pritchard is doing as he seeks to promote his new novel “The Order of the Magi,” self-published earlier this year.

The book, which will eventually be a trilogy, is an adrenaline-fueled history of Tarot cards, full of historical mystery, secret societies, astronomy and numerology. Pritchard describes it as “Dan Brown with a demented sense of humor,” a splash of Indiana Jones mixed in with a good dose of metaphysics.

Last month, Pritchard, who lives in Lucas Valley, hid 16 cards around the Bay Area, then distributed clues on his website as well as the social media site Reddit.com. He estimates that up to 8,000 people saw his call to action, although it’s hard to estimate how many participated. 

All cards but one were found--buried in parks, local venues, even a brewery in Half Moon Bay, making members feel like they were characters in Pritchard’s novel.

The suspense and excitement are part of the marketing strategy.

“There are many more self-published books, which is why you have to do crazy sh*% like a treasure hunt,” said Pritchard. “Publishers take most of the proceeds, but Amazon charges only 30 percent to distribute a book. Now with technology, with social media, self-publishing it’s just a better bet.”

"The Order of the Magi" centers around Isaac, a 17-year-old living in Gibraltar and who is plagued by a recurring nightmare. Suddenly Isaac's parents - stationed in Morocco on a humanitarian aid mission - are taken hostage.

While searching for his parents, Isaac learns about an ancient order sworn to protect the secrets embedded in the stars and a thing or two about his own family. Could Isaac’s dreams be coded messages being relayed to him? To save his parents and evade the kidnappers, the boy must come to grips with exactly who he is and what his dreams are telling him.

Prior to penning his thriller (he’s currently busy working on Book 3), Pritchard was the co-creator of Workaholics, a Comedy Central series about three friends who work at a telemarketing company while trying hard to not become adults.

In 2010, Pritchard and friend Dominic Russo published “The Party Bible,” a book filled with outrageous party suggestions such as giving guests materials in a brown bag and asking them to create costumes with whatever is inside, or throwing a Colombian Drug Lord-themed party.

But don’t dismiss Pritchard as just an immature dude who's always seeking the next thrill. He spends plenty of days holed up in his apartment, with the phone on silent and email unplugged, writing scripts. Next year, he's returning to Los Angeles to pitch his ideas to the networks.

“It’s been a great experience and I read like 30 books on metaphysics before I even started writing anything,” Pritchard said. 

He wants to promote his second book with a national treasure hunt and the third with a global treasure hunt. The goal is to sell the trilogy as TV show, which he says will give the story “more breath” instead of being squeezed into just two hours afforded a movie.

This Thursday, Pritchard is inviting readers who found the hidden cards to a special party at a secret location in San Rafael. There will be music, food and one guest will walk away with $5,000 prize from the sale of his books. 

More importantly, Pritchard will be able to interact with his readers in ways unimaginable at a bookstore readings and spread the word about his work.

Have a news tip for Novato Patch? Drop Local Editor Karina Ioffee a line at karina@patch.com. Also be sure to Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter.