ABOUT US

Our Mission

Adventures by the Book® offers worldwide opportunities for readers to connect with authors and their books on an intimate basis through unique, interesting, and adventurous travels & events.

Our Story

Adventures by the Book, LLC was created in 2011 by Founder and CEO Susan McBeth, the name behind some of the biggest literary events in San Diego and beyond. Susan couldn’t escape the feeling that traditional book signings were missing something. Shouldn’t an author’s personal presence be used to create a more unique experience?

Susan launched ABTB to connect authors and their books with the local reading community through custom designed, interactive, and what we like to call “multi-sensorial,” literary events. Adventures by the Book® has since become a home base for passionate readers, published authors, aspiring writers, and others who enjoy engaging cultural events and the written word. The fact is: when readers and their favorite authors share a person exchange, magic happens.

OUR TEAM

Susan McBeth

Founder & CEO

Adventures by the Book® founder Susan McBeth has specialized in event planning for over 30 years. Before launching Adventures by the Book® and NovelNetwork®, she was the Director of Marketing and Events for one of the oldest independent bookstores in the United States.

Through her career, Susan has had extensive experience working alongside publishers, publicists, agents, authors, and readers. Her experience and creativity led her to develop a dynamic brand of literary events designed to meet and exceed the expectations of readers and authors.

Susan is the author of a chapter in Everyday Book Marketing and she is a contributing editor to international online magazine Wine Dine & Travel, with her column “Travel by the Book.” She has been featured on NBC San Diego, KPBS, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Magazine, Women’s Radio, and many more.

Susan is a facilitator for the Osher Institute of Higher Learning at San Diego State University and sits on the advisory committee for KPBS’s One Book, One San Diego. She holds a Masters in Comparative Literature from San Diego State University; her thesis was titled “The Historicity of Fiction in Holocaust Literature.”

Debbie Harpham

Debbie Harpham

Director of Operations

Debbie worked in the legal field for over 25 years, serving as senior paralegal in the specialized area of family law. She oversaw and managed all aspects of the case management process, including but not limited to client, attorney, expert, witness and court contact and communications, drafting of legal pleadings, discovery review and analysis, negotiation and trial preparation, and office management.

Enter Susan McBeth, founder and CEO of Adventures by the Book®, who approached Debbie with the proposition of assisting with the launch of her new endeavor, NovelNetwork®. Not knowing what she wanted to do “when she grew up,” Debbie jumped at the opportunity and has been exploring her creative inclinations, actively directing the daily operations of NovelNetwork®, managing the creative website and social media content, actively facilitating the connection between readers, book clubs and authors, and assisting with the event planning process for Adventures by the Book® since 2018.

Debbie graduated from Metropolitan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, emphasis on paralegal studies. A Colorado native (almost), Debbie enjoys reading, connecting with readers, camping, hiking, and spending time with her husband and adult children.

 

Amber Reinhart

Communications Coordinator

The written word is Amber Reinhart’s passion, plain and simple. She has over four years of experience in editing, publishing, researching and writing. Her position as publisher/editor for the Undergraduate Research Journal helped her acquire strong research and writing skills.

More recently, she was a paralegal and an investigative assistant, where she drafted legal documents, performed research, and managed the marketing content for their press. In tandem, she was also a writer for Society 19 Magazine, where she wrote, edited and optimized over 50 articles. Currently, Amber is a Communications Coordinator for Adventures by the Book™.

Amber is published in the academic journal SPLICE, the Mail Tribune, the San Diego Poetry Annual, and Society19 magazine, among others. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and English. Her background in public media, journalism, publishing, civil litigation and grassroots advocacy strongly prepares her for a career in communications. In her free time, Amber enjoys hiking with her Chihuahua and reading a good Stephen King novel.