BOOKSIGNINGS

What is the best part of a book to read at a book reading?

by Janet Reid

After ten years in book publicity that involved about 1000 readings I can tell you mostly what NOT to do.
Don't do something that requires a lot of explanation. Unless you've had theatre training don't do a lot of voices Read something from early in the book...and read something that makes the audience want to know more!

Mostly though...don't read! Talk!  Talk about why you wrote the book, talk about what brings you to that location.  If you can, be funny or at least lighthearted.

The audience wants to connect with you, they are pre-disposed to like you.  They want to hear something that will make them feel special or "in the know" about you.

The best reading I EVER saw was Dan Simmons who did a lovely talk at Powell's in Portland OR for one of his Hyperion series.  He incorporated things that had happened to him that very day, and so the audience felt like they knew something different than what any other audience would get.

And practice. practice. practice. We all talk, but trust me, talking in front of people about yourself
is an art form...like writing!  Think of how you honed those sentences that start your novel.  That's the kind of work to put into this.

And then, after all this, relax.  The audience likes you, I've NEVER seen an author eaten for breakfast at a reading....although there were some authors *I* would have liked to carve up like a Christmas goose!

One of the ways to "warm up" your audience is to get there a bit early and just introduce yourself to the people sitting there.  I've seen that done very effectively.

Remember too...people won't know you are shy. They will think you are just cold and aloof. It's YOUR job to be warm and welcoming, not theirs.  Plant a friendly face in the audience (that was MY job
at all those readings...the very friendly face!).

Now, take a deep breath and relax. I swear, no one ever died of nervousness...but wouldn't THAT be an interesting plot line??

Ok, back to The Crooked Man by Philip Davison...a really wonderful new Irish writer.....utterly yummy and so much more fun than WORKING!

ATTITUDE

An excerpt from an article by Helen Ginger, past president of the Writer's League of Texas.

This past week, I dropped by my local Barnes & Noble to introduce myself to a visiting author, William Manchee. He writes the Stan Turner mystery series and was in town from north Texas. I like meeting other writers, plus I know it can get lonely sitting at a table while people walk by, avoiding eye contact.

Well, I needn't have worried. 

First of all, he never sat. His table had been positioned by the entrance. William stood in front of the table and talked to everyone coming in. "Hey, how ya doin'? Do you like mysteries?" As soon as the person looked at William, he had them. He stepped back, exposing his table full of enticing books. The patron followed him, automatically. As he's stepping back, he's telling them about his book or himself. He chatted, he talked. If they bought a book, that was great -- he signed. If they didn't buy a book, that was fine, too. He sent them off with a smile.

William had attitude. And I guaran-damn-tee you he sold a lot more books than if he'd just sat there waiting for 
buyers to wander his way. The attitude he had was that his book was great -- that person walking into the book store would love his book, and if they didn't care for mysteries, they probably knew someone who did. He wasn't snobby or condescending. He had the kind of attitude a writer needs to sell.

He may be like that all the time, in "real" life. He may not be. If you're not the outgoing type of personality, 
then you have to pretend. You have to switch from the "writing writer" to the "selling writer." Whether you liken
it to putting on a mask or acting, you have to be enthusiastic about your book.

One year, I went to Bouchercon in St. Paul. A good friend of mine, Jan Grape, went, as well. Before we left, she "warned" me that she would be different. She said when she attends conventions or events, she goes into a whole other self. Actually, I didn't see all that much of a change. Jan is normally a friendly, warm person. The difference is that she revved it up a bit, and she focused entirely on what was going on and who she was with at the moment.

So, consider bringing out that other personality when you are signing or on a panel or speaking at an event. The more people you meet, the more potential buyers you get to come over to your table, the more readers you make eye contact with, the better your chances of selling your books.

If you can arrange it, get out from behind the table. Don't let people walk by without looking your way. They may still go on without your book in their arms, but your odds of selling are better than if they don't even notice you. 

The only way to get your numbers up is to sell books. The only way to go into a second or third printing is to sell books. The only way to get on the best-seller list is to ... you got it, sell books. Your publisher may have allotted a big marketing budget; you may have hired a publicity firm; you may be booked on a whirl-wind tour or appearances on Oprah. But it's up to *YOU* to sell your books. And who better? You wrote it. You know it by heart. You love it. You think it's the best thing since Shakespeare. You know it could be a NY Times best-seller.

It's up to you to prove yourself right.