Meeting and Greeting – A Marketing Plan – Part Deux By Kait Carson

As a member of the Gulf Coast Chapters of Sisters in Crime I attended a marketing day at the Sarasota Barnes & Noble. I have to admit, initially I only did it because I thought I had to. Not for me, but for my publisher. First of all, Sarasota is 100 miles away from my home—and that’s a crow flies distance.  Second, I had to be there by 9:45 AM. Third, like most writers, I’d rather hunker down in my cave and write. Fourth, the Florida rainy season has been hitting with a vengeance most days this week and the thought of driving an hour and a half through gator gushers... Why then, did a reasonably sane woman leave her house at 6:30 AM with thunder lighting the western sky? Did I mention about my publisher? And, oh yeah, bookstores are catnip to a writer.

This is the second part of a two-part blog, the first part appeared on Motive Means Opportunity on Monday, June 20, 2016.  Tricky, huh.

I previously mentioned the book signing table up front. I have to admit; it was a pretty intimidating place to be. There I was, books on display, sitting right smack dab at the front door. Behind me the Sisters in Crime poster was in full display. My role was clear—I’m here to sell you some books. I felt like the perfume lady at the mall. Nobody wants to get that squirt. The poor woman must have face ache at the end of every shift. To say nothing of self-esteem issues!

My second thought was far less personal. If someone had asked me (and I base this on my sales and on the sale of other writers) I would have said that book stores were in their death throes. The majority of my sales are e-books. It’s rare to see someone with a paper book anymore. These days, it’s far more common to see someone with an e-reader. The volume of folks coming through the door, and the volume of folks walking out the door with packages told a far different tale.

My third thought really warmed my heart. I loved the number of kids running (not walking) into the store. Parents well and truly in their wake while the kids bargained for more than one book. It was exciting to see this new generation of readers. One family walked in and the older child ran to the children’s table, grabbed up a book, thrust it at her younger brother and said, “You have to read this, it was my favorite when I was your age.” It was intoxicating to see the whole family in the checkout line – each with at least one book in hand.

Following my abysmal performance at the solo signing table it was time for lunch and then a panel discussion. I’d never participated in a panel so I was very intrigued to see how they worked. Wendy Dingwall was the moderator (she’s also President of the Gulf Coast Sister in Crime Chapter) and I shared the podium with Susan Klaus and Shannon Esposito. Many of you may know Susan from her Authors Connection radio show as well as her books She writes both thrillers and fantasy. Shannon writes two cozy series, one featuring a pet psychic, and the second featuring a yoga instructor who runs a doga (doggie yoga) class. Two great co-panelists.

Wendy had some really fun and insightful questions for the group and each of us had a turn to answer. What amazed me was the similarity among the responses. All three of us felt that marketing was the hard part. What we really wanted to do was spend our time writing. We’d each thought if we wrote it, readers would come. That would be osmosis marketing. It didn’t work for any of us. Our books were all character driven. Didn’t matter what we plotted. At some point, the characters took over. We differed on our themes, the degree of heat in our books and how we approached our writing.  It was as much of a learning experience for me as it was for the audience. And the audience questions were really, really, insightful. They wanted to know where the characters come from. How much of us were in our books. Did we really write for our own motives or to tell a great story? 

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I had a great time, and I think the audience did too.

Kait loves to hear from fans, check out her website at www.kaitcarson.com; follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kaitcarsonauthor, on twitter at @kaitcarson, or e-mail her at kait.carson@gmail.com.

The Best Book Signings Ever

The Village Bookstore in Garrettsville, Ohio

This month I had three of the best book signings ever. It wasn’t that I sold more books at these book signings; it was those who came to them.

The first one was at a Rotary Club in Mantua, Ohio; part of the district where I taught for twenty years. The person who arranged the signing contacted me by email through my web site. I wasn’t sure how he found out about me, but later discovered he’d clipped an article from a small area newspaper about a signing I’d done nearby. We arranged for a Tuesday evening when they had an opening and I was free, too.

There was a major downpour when I arrived at the church where they meet. I waited a while hoping it would let up, but when it didn’t I dashed in to verify I was in the correct place. I was. There were several women there setting up the tables for dinner and finishing meal preparations. They helped me carry my books in and set up on a low stage at the front of the room. Gradually, others started arriving and introducing themselves including the man who had contacted me.

Ivy Green, one of the girls who came.

What made it absolutely the best book signing ever? Two girls walked in; two of my former students I considered my adoptables; students I would have adopted if they ever became available and I actually wanted to take on raising kids again. There were always a few in every class that won my heart and some classes had more than other classes. The class they were in had many. It’s not that I ever showed any favoritism, but it was there deep down.

There was laughter and hugs. I hadn’t seen them in quite some years and they were all grown up now. To make it even better, the mother of one of the girls came in, too. I sat across the table from Ivy and Madeline, the girls, and Madeline’s mother, Kendra. They each had just finished their freshman year of college in different schools. It was so cool catching up on what they were doing and to hear what different friends of theirs from that class were doing, and to reminisce about their year in third grade. They had heard they were two of the characters in my book; The Sherlock Holmes Detective Club.

After the meal I gave my little talk about my books and how I came to write them, etc. followed by questions and answers. There seemed to be a lot of interest by the questions asked. I was thrilled to have several women say they’d read and liked my books and one had brought her copies and wanted me to sign them. I sold about seven books that night – not a lot but quite enough as far as I’m concerned.

Ivy, Madeleine and Kendra helped me pack up and carry my books out to my car and then stayed to talk. I’d forgotten to take my camera, but Kendra took lots of pictures of the three of us together. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get in touch with her to get any of the pictures for this blog.

The next signing was the following evening at the Newton Falls Library. I don’t think it was advertised much – maybe a notice on the counter? Anyway, except for the new young librarian, two members of my book club, who already had bought and read my books, and a young girl probably just out of high school, perhaps, were all that came. So we sat in a circle and I talked about how I started writing and other things, and we had a lovely discussion for an hour. That night I didn’t sell any books, but I got a lovely note from one of my book club members several days later saying she’d learned so many new things about me and was quite impressed. Wow!

The funniest thing about this evening was the young girl who followed me out to the parking lot and asked how to get published. I told her I do my own with help from a computer geek and a granddaughter designs my covers. I asked what she writes. She said not anything really, but she’d written a few essays in the past. I’m assuming for an English class? I stood there dumbfounded, then told her she had to write something first and told her about our local writers group and when we meet. I suggested she join us and said not everyone has something to share at every meeting. She said she would. She didn’t – at least not yet.

Ellen Eckhouse, owner of The Village Bookstore 

My third book signing was at The Village Book Store in Garrettsville this past Saturday afternoon where I’ve had two book signings before. Ellen Eckhouse, the owner, is the parent of two of my adoptables; one from the same class as Ivy and Madeleine and one a few years earlier. Over the years we’ve become friends, and when I need a book for one of my book clubs or an older mystery I want, I contact her. She sells mostly used books, but a few new ones, too. There were four other authors there, and probably because of the nice weather keeping people home working in their gardens, etc. none of us sold a lot of books. However, I did sell three or four, and I met some lovely people, including Fred Tribuzzo, author of American Sky, a history of local fliers. He shared a table with me, and his wife and mother sat nearby.

A young check out girl at Aldi’s, the grocery store where I shop most often, always greets me with “There’s the famous author.” It always makes me laugh because nothing could be further from the truth. However, there are fans who are bugging me for that fourth book. One comes into The Village Bookstore quite often and always asks Ellen if I have that fourth book out yet. And that’s all the famous I need. As Garrison Keillor would say, "It’s good enough."

Have you had book signings and how did you do?

Have you gone to book signings of authors you like? Who were they?

Book Signing Protocols

Sam Levenson

The very first book signing I attended was for Sam Levenson, noted humorist, talk show guest, and host and game show panelist, who came to a local department store to sign his book, You Can Say That Again, Sam! I had read his previous books and stood in line, nervous, hoping to make a good impression. When I reached the table and told him how much I had enjoyed his work, he asked me about particular stories in his previous collections that also appeared in the book I was having him sign. I was so excited, I could not remember a single one of the stories, but he was very kind to me.

Years later, when the legal reference and text book I authored came out in a second edition, my co-workers threw me a book signing at the office. I will never forget that wonderful gift. They had a fabulous caterer prepare food for the event, helped me to pick out just the right outfit to wear, and got a creative fellow staffer to come up with a humorous poster featuring my caricature. And, they went out of their way to call people they knew would want to come and celebrate with me.

Just last year, at Malice Domestic, I was excited that a brief memory of mine was included in the book, Not Everyone's Cup of Tea: An Interesting &Entertaining History of Malice Domestic's First 25 Years by Verena Rose and Rita Owen, Editors (Wildside Press)(nominated for an Agatha this year as one of the Best Nonfiction Books). I had been enjoying the Author’s Alley sessions (watching Gloria Alden and Debra Goldstein) when Marie O’Day, a long time organizer and former member of the Malice Board, came up to me. She had a copy of the book opened to the page where my fifty-word recollection appeared.

“Is this by you?” she asked. When I admitted that it was, she asked me to sign it. What a thrill. My first book signing at Malice. And, Marie O’Day recognized me.

A month ago, I passed another book signing threshold. I appeared for the first time as an author panelist at Murder in the Magic City and Murder on the Menu in Birmingham and Wetumpka, Alabama (see my previous blog). At each of those events, I learned how to deal with booksellers about stocking copies of the anthologies containing my stories (published in December 2013 and January 2014), and I came to the realization that for the first time, I would sit with other mystery writers behind a table, with a paper name plate propped in front of me, and wait for readers to line up with books to be signed.

 

Murder on the Menu 2014 Photo by Bob Witchger

What could be more intimidating?

So, I began to think about the advice and stories I had heard from other authors and came up with a list of “book signing protocols” to help prepare an author for the event.

1.  Know your situation.

Will you be alone or signing with a group? Many people find it easier to sign with others so they have someone to talk to if readers aren’t forming long lines. Group signings can be lots of fun and may provide the opportunity for introducing you to a larger audience. Be prepared if readers don’t flock to your seat. View the event as a party where you can’t circulate, but still get to enjoy seeing and hearing from the crowd.

Consider bringing your own party favors to pass out to anyone who might be interested. Business cards, bookmarks, or post cards are easy to transport and give you a chance to pass along pertinent information. For the Alabama events, I had two bookmarks made. Each featured an anthology cover on one side and my picture with a list of my stories and website on the other. As I handed them out, I mentioned that many of my stories were available online by clicking on the referenced links.

How will the event be publicized? What are you expected or allowed to bring? Some authors have portable signs to promote themselves or their books. For a group signing, check to see if everything needs to be uniform or if each author has some latitude in “decorating” his area. A friend gave me a wonderful ship replica that I want to take on local signings for the pirate anthology.

If you are supplying books, what percentage of the price will the bookseller retain and how will you be paid your percentage? Find out the particulars up front. The event planners in Alabama provided us with all this information. One bookseller had an intake/outtake contract to help keep track of the sales. Payments were made either at the event or by PayPal, which was very convenient and timely.

If the bookseller is supplying books, does he want you to sign any for his store? He may want to retain some autographed copies. You might want to consider purchasing some “Autographed Copy” stickers in case the book seller doesn’t have them.

2.  Be prepared.

Have a comfortable writing pen. Be familiar with your book’s layout. In advance, select the page or pages where you will sign.

For the short story anthologies, I put a short message with my name and the date on the title page, then signed my name on the first page of my story. Also, I placed a bookmark on the page where my story began.

Ask the readers how they you want you to sign the books. I learned the best lesson from Ridley Pearson when he was on the faculty of the Book Passage Mystery Conference I attended. He asked each person bringing him a book, “May I personalize it for you?” Isn’t that the most civilized way to address the subject? It allows a person to tell you if he only wants your signature. If he wants you to include a message to himself or someone else, be sure you have the name spelled correctly. Keep a pad nearby where you or the purchaser can write the name so you don’t make a mistake.

If you are asked to personalize your signature, think out in advance some short, sincere phrases to use. Have a variety, so if the buyers start comparing, or if they purchase multiple copies, they see that you didn’t write the same thing for everyone.

3.  Express gratitude.

Be sure to thank the people who organized the event and let them know you appreciate their time and effort. To both the organizers and the people who buy your books, you are a representative of the writing community. Let them know that authors are good people. Hopefully, that will encourage them not only to buy your work, but also other writers’ books, too.

Finally, remember that your work is your child. Some discreet, joyful discussion about your child may be in order, but you’re not there to brag about or hawk your child. You’re there to bask in your child’s glory. Be proud, yet humble. You may learn your child has thrown a rock into someone’s window. Even if it was an accident, the window is still broken and you’ll have to mend it if you hope this or another of your children will be able to make his way in the world.

Here are a few short articles to give you ideas for book signings:

Ideas for Signatures for a Book Signing

By Morgan St. James, eHow Contributor

http://www.ehow.com/info_8261352_ideas-signatures-book-signing.html

How to Do a Book Signing

http://www.ehow.com/how_2058328_do-book-signing.html

How to Throw a Book Signing Party

http://www.ehow.com/how_2187310_throw-book-signing-party.html

What has your experience with book signings been? What protocols do you recommend that authors follow? 

Lessons From My First Book Reading

We have a number of authors at our church and the minister thought it would be an interesting idea to start a series of author readings and conversations on Sunday afternoon. Given the recent release of BAD POLICY, I was a natural guinea pig.

After agreeing to do the reading, my first task was to write a short blurb for the church newsletter. The blurb was also posted on the church’s website. Writing the church blurb was easy compared to writing the real book blurb.

I needed to choose a passage to read. Although I would love to believe a reader could pick any random spot in BAD POLICY and immediately love the writing, characters and story, I knew that was not the case. I wanted to find a short selection that would illustrate both my style and the main character, Seamus McCree. At first, I picked a scene between Seamus and Lt. Tanya Hastings, the head of homicide. That scene highlights both their conflict over the case and their sexual tension. However, it did have a couple of swear words and I didn’t know if there would be any kids in the audience.

Jan suggested an alternative, which I quickly realized was a better choice. If you’ve read the book, you may recall the scene where Seamus gets his hair cut at Bea Prichard’s Klip and Kut. It starts on page 24 at the scene break and ends with the lines: What was going on? Was I giving off pheromones? The scene is less than a page and a half long, but in it Seamus shows his quirky way of looking at the world, and through dialogue we get to see how someone else reacts to him. [For those who have not read BAD POLICY, you can read the first four chapters from Barking Rain Press’s website.]

That resolved, I developed an intro for myself, the book and the scene. Although I am fairly decent thinking on my feet, scripting my opening words gave me comfort knowing I could start off the event without stumbling. More importantly, it meant I could sleep well without worrying about how I would do.

At our church we have the service (11:00 – 12:00) followed by coffee, cookies and conversation in the fellowship hall. The reading was set for 1:00. Glitch number one: the person doing the announcements forgot to announce this. The weekly newsletter may go to everyone, but that does not mean everyone reads (or remembers) it. [Note to self – check announcements next time.] Glitch number two: the coffee hour really only lasted about 40-45 minutes. [Note to others – schedule the next person at 12:45.] Including me, there were eight people when we met at 1:00 in the sanctuary.

The small group allowed me to immediately go off script. The crowd was of an age that when I referenced Harry Chapin they all knew him. Harry often talked about the times before he was known when he would play in empty coffee shops and bars—anywhere at least one person would listen to him. This, I said, was one of those Harry Chapin moments. I thanked them for coming and told them they could say they knew me when... We all laughed.

My patter went well: I gave a brief intro into why I decided to write after I retired and then segued into background for the scene I read. Afterwards I asked for questions and joked that if there weren’t any we’d be locking the doors in a minute’s time.

There were questions. They wanted to know if I knew the ending before I started writing; they wanted to know if the story changed between drafts; they wanted to know about the route to publication. Who were my favorite authors? When would the next book be out?

Forty-five minutes after we started, the questions petered out and I thanked everyone for coming. I was surprised we had been talking as long as we had.

On the way home Jan said I did fine—except I had a habit of scratching myself while I was thinking. I scratched my head, my beard, my ankles.

I’m thinking of wearing mittens to my next reading.

For the writers among us, what is your favorite memory of your first reading? As readers, what have you liked best about readings you’ve attended?

~ Jim

Savoring the Moment

Happy Easter, everyone. This morning I’ll be at church, where the choir is singing Beethoven’s “Hallelujah” from Christ on the Mount of Olives. I love the piece. Here’s Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony orchestra, if you are interested.

Last week I wrote of the loss of Morgan, our golden retriever. Now a week later, I’ll write of my experience at my first book signing and the release party we threw the weekend before her passing.

I won’t bore you with how many books I did or didn’t sell. Although there are economic realities to the authoring business, these two events were mostly about having a good time.

Jim & Wendy

Jan and I arrived in St. Mary’s, GA on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in time for a leisurely lunch down by the river before our scheduled time at Ms. Wendy’s Wonderful World of Books. While there we had a great time talking with Wendy, her husband, friends and customers. We also got to meet my editor, who lives in the vicinity, and stopped by.

The funniest moment came when someone told me I had a neat signature. Jan burst out laughing, and told the collective audience how I often couldn’t read my own handwriting a day or two later—which got us all talking about schools not teaching script anymore and how would people sign their names, with an X? Maybe everything would be iris scans...and off we went.

Amazing what they can do for cakes

The next day, we had the launch party at the clubhouse in our small condo community. It allowed neighbors to walk and Savannah friends to escape the St. Patrick’s Day madness (a half million people pour into our city of maybe 140,000) and join us in the ‘burbs.

Jan ordered a cake with an edible frosting picture of the book cover. And a good time was had by all.

Jan Provides a feast

But the best part came a few days later when a neighbor rang our doorbell to buy three more books for her friends because she had liked Bad Policy so much. And later in a conversation with one of our conservative neighbors who said they liked the book as well as Michael Connelly’s stuff; the only problem was that I had made the scummy politicians Republican. Or the email that blamed me for the person’s sleep deprivation because they couldn’t put the book down until well after midnight.

Circle of church women

Even if they are all lying, I’m going to choose to believe them and savor the moment. Wouldn’t you?

Neighbors catching some spring air

~ Jim

My First Book Launch

Last year, the Chesapeake Chapter of SinC, my local chapter, put a call out to its members for short stories. The topic? This job is murder. When I write short stories rarely have I written by prescription, and in this instance that wasn’t necessary. I had already written the story, “Lucky In Death,” but I hadn’t yet found it a publishing home so I submitted the story. The submissions were judged blindly, mine to favorable outcome. Judges/writers Ellen Crosby, Dan Stashower and Sandra Parshall picked the top fourteen stories for inclusion in Chesapeake Crimes: This Job Is Murder. Bestselling and award winning writer Elaine Viets wrote the anthology’s forward.

Wildside Press published the anthology earlier last month. It is also now available on Amazon. I love the cover featuring the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The cover’s colors are a bit ominous in fiery red-oranges with darkened beach and waters foreshadowing its murderous stories.  

(Seated at left: Karen Cantwell, Harriette Sackler and David Autry; Below-Shari Randall)

One Page More bookstore in Arlington, VA sponsored the book launch, my first, on Sunday May 20th. Because the tiny bookstore lacked space, a nearby events room of an apartment building housed the launch. I think the room used for a book launch is important. The room’s large open kitchen with a long counter was helpful since the chapter’s members brought food, a buffet of sorts. Although a table was used for the buffet, the counter not only allowed for overflow food, but its barstools provided extra seating, which I’m pleased to say we needed. The room’s first floor location enabled access ease, and its large windows eliminated claustrophobia and darkness that often occurs in hotels where interior rooms are used. The room ended in a cozy fireplace (not needed in May) around which sofas and chairs were arranged.

I mention the room’s features because they helped alleviate my fright. Speaking in public usually makes me weak in the knees. The light airy space of the room took my sweaty shivers away. I had agonized over what to say about my story. The one minute descriptions were meant to entice the audience into buying the book—preferably on the spot at One Page More books. (I bought the chapter’s first four anthologies published prior to my becoming a member.) As soon as I sat down on one of the sofas by the fireplace, I felt at ease as if I were surrounded by friends. What I had written came off well when it was my turn to speak, and then the only thing left was the eating, the signing and the talking—all enjoyable—and found that I was at a party of friends.

                                                       Donna Andrews and Jill Breslau

A few years ago, when my first short story was published, I was flushed and embarrassed at signing books. I like my words to speak on the page for me since I’m a private person. Shining in public isn’t my forte. The signing is getting routine now, and I often ask for signatures as much as I give them.

To those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of a book launch, choose the room wisely and don’t sweat it. Enjoy it, and know you’ve earned all the rights and pleasures of being an author.

On Publishing a Book

I’m writing this on the pub date for Every Last Secret, though you won’t read it for four days beyond that. As I’ve written here before, these last weeks before the launch have been a whirl of online and other promotional activity. But it’s now mid-afternoon on pub day. Soon, I will get dressed for tonight’s big launch. Even though it’s scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. and is hardly a formal or even fancy occasion, I’ll dress up in a sequined tunic over black silk pants. Other people will be there in jeans, and that will be fine with me. I want them to be comfortable. I, however, will be all dressed up, even to lipstick and mascara (which is about as far as this old hippie goes). It is, after all, a party to celebrate the birth of my book baby.

The launch will be at the main branch of Kansas City’s large and glorious library system. This branch used to be the headquarters of a major bank back when downtown banks built like the old Egyptians. It will be a palatial place for the launch. The Library is providing wine and cheese and other hors d’oeuvres. I’m bringing a huge cake decorated with my book cover. The Library has had well over 100 reservations, so I hope I’ll have enough cake.

 

My brother ran over to the bookstore (Rainy Day Books, one of the country’s finest) to buy 10 books for friends who’ve asked him to have me sign them. While there, he ran into an old friend of mine from the days when I ran the university women’s center, who was also buying my book. Never in a million years should my bright, slightly shaggy, canoe-loving brother and this wealthy and proper philanthropist have ever met. They simply run in vastly different circles. Yet my book brought them together.

Tonight, friends from many different circles will converge to celebrate with me the birth of this book—and, I hope, will come away with new friends from different circles. For this is one of the great things about books—they bring us together with other people, as well as bringing us comfort and company when we are alone.

As I am right now. For a few seconds, before all the fuss of getting ready and picking up the cake and getting there on time and greeting everyone and oh, my gosh! saying something. For this few seconds I intend to sit quietly and bask in the knowledge that the creative work of those days way back there has finally come to fruition. I’ll breathe in and out. And then I’ll go get dressed and rush to pick up the cake and yes! say something and have an incredible time.

Tomorrow, this will all be a golden memory. I’ll head out early in the morning for Malice Domestic on a train. Sitting by the window, I’ll have a notebook and laptop, and I’ll be starting the process all over again. This is what we do when we are writers.