The Books

 

The Books

The Keep ’Em Coming Back series is a practical public relations library created for Texas honky-tonks and dancehalls.

The books are written for the people doing the work: owners, managers, bartenders, waitstaff, musicians, sound crews, dance teachers, dancers, promoters, and regulars who care about the future of these rooms.

Each volume examines a different part of the relationship between a venue and its community.

Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume One

The Complete PR Guide for Texas Honky-Tonks and Dancehalls

Volume One establishes the foundation for the entire series.

It explains how public relations operates inside a honky-tonk or dancehall and why nearly every part of the customer experience affects the venue’s reputation.

Topics include:

  • Turning first-time guests into returning customers

  • Understanding regulars

  • Building trust inside the room

  • Improving the customer experience

  • Protecting the venue’s reputation

  • Creating community instead of chasing attention

  • Recognizing the public relations role of every employee

This volume is the best starting point for readers who want to understand the complete system.

Learn more or purchase: [Insert Volume One link]

Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume Two

Music Nights: The Complete Guide to Building and Running Live-Music Programming at Texas Honky-Tonks and Dancehalls

Volume Two focuses on the work required to create live-music nights that customers, musicians, and venue staff want to repeat.

A successful music night is not created by booking a band and opening the doors. It depends on planning, communication, hospitality, promotion, production, and the experience surrounding the performance.

Topics include:

  • Choosing the right acts

  • Building a dependable music calendar

  • Promoting shows effectively

  • Improving communication with musicians

  • Managing expectations

  • Strengthening the customer experience

  • Turning individual shows into long-term programming

Learn more or purchase: [Insert Volume Two link]

Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume Three

Both Sides of the Stage

Volume Three examines the relationship between venues and musicians.

Many problems in live music begin because each side understands its own pressure but fails to understand the pressure carried by the other.

This book helps both sides build stronger, more professional, and more sustainable working relationships.

Topics include:

  • Venue and musician expectations

  • Booking communication

  • Promotion responsibilities

  • Payment and professionalism

  • Load-in, soundcheck, and show-night coordination

  • Conflict prevention

  • Long-term partnerships

Learn more or purchase: [Insert Volume Three link]

Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume Four

Behind the Bar, On the Feed: PR and Influence for the Texas Honky-Tonk Bartender

Volume Four focuses on one of the most influential people in the building: the bartender.

Bartenders do much more than serve drinks. They welcome customers, remember names, set the emotional temperature of the room, manage conflict, introduce people, recommend events, and shape what customers say about the venue afterward.

Topics include:

  • Building trust without becoming fake

  • Developing a professional following

  • Using social media effectively

  • Turning customers into regulars

  • Protecting personal and professional reputation

  • Communicating during difficult situations

  • Becoming an influence inside and outside the venue

Learn more or purchase: [Insert Volume Four link]

Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume Five

The Texas Dance Floor: How Dance Teachers Build the Floor That Keeps the Honky-Tonk Alive

Volume Five focuses on the dance floor and the people who make it welcoming, active, and sustainable.

A dance floor does not become healthy simply because a venue advertises dancing. It grows when people feel safe enough to try, welcomed enough to return, and connected enough to become part of the community.

Topics include:

  • Welcoming first-time dancers

  • Teaching without intimidation

  • Building confidence

  • Protecting dance-floor culture

  • Strengthening relationships between teachers and venues

  • Turning lessons into lasting participation

  • Reviving a dance floor that has gone cold

Learn more or purchase: [Insert Volume Five link]

Keep ’Em Coming Back, Volume Six

The Scoreboard: How to Track, Measure, and Prove What Your Honky-Tonk PR Is Really Doing

Volume Six focuses on measurement.

It is designed to help readers determine which public relations tactics produce meaningful results and which ones merely create the appearance of activity.

Topics include:

  • Establishing a baseline

  • Selecting useful metrics

  • Separating meaningful measurements from vanity metrics

  • Tracking customer retention

  • Measuring event performance

  • Calculating customer acquisition costs

  • Estimating the value of regulars

  • Finding weak points in the customer journey

  • Building practical scorecards

  • Using results to make better decisions

Status: In development

Why These Books Exist

Texas honky-tonks and dancehalls should not have to depend entirely on public relations advice written for businesses that do not share their culture, rhythms, challenges, or responsibilities.

These books were created to help fill that gap.

The goal is not to turn independent Texas rooms into identical corporate operations.

The goal is to help them become stronger, more professional, more measurable, and more sustainable while protecting the character that makes each room worth visiting.

Author: Riley Epperson
Public Relations Strategist. Texas Honky-Tonker.

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