My First Book Signing by Dana Ellis
posted Tuesday August 26, 2008 2:55 PM by Jerry D. Simmons
I am so happy that my first book signing is behind me. I know all of us fear the unknown and I was extremely nervous walking into the doors of Barnes & Noble at Happy Valley & I-17 last Saturday. I stood for a minute at the door of the store and took a deep breath, saying to myself stiffen up girl, be confident! This is going to go well for you, just put your game face on. I opened the door with my big smile and dragged my little box of goodies into the store, walking down the long aisle to the customer service stand. As I was approaching the stand, I saw the man that I was to meet…leaving…oh my…do I run after him, with waving arms or just walk confidently along the aisle like I know exactly what I’m doing? I chose to walk confidently, approaching the younger version of the man that left the customer service island and stated quietly, “I’m here to see Virgel,” knowing full well that he just left.
The young man at the post looked at me and said, “Well, you just missed him.”
“I know.” I replied as sweetly as I could, “Just wondering if you want me to wait here for his return or should I make my way over to the children’s book area, as I am the author here for the story time/book signing?”
He sighed and got on his little walkie-talkie and said, “Virgel, your author is here.”
Oh boy…not too thrilled about having me, I see…ok this isn’t going to be an easy day for me.
After hearing Virgel’s response, he turned back to me and said, “He’ll be right out.”
Virgel came running out from the back, looking a little hassled. He apologized for not being ready for me, then proceeded to run around the store looking for a chair and table for the book signing. Oh no! I thought to myself, this is going to be a disaster! Before I left the house, I had asked my husband to wait at home until after I had finished reading the story (he always makes me nervous when I do anything in public), but I quickly got on the phone almost in tears and begged him to please come for support. We only lived a few blocks away and he could be here quickly. I had come to the store at 10:30 am, which would have given me plenty of time to set everything up before the story time was to start at 11:00 am but now, I feared that with the delay, I would be rushing to get everything together. I could start to feel my heart beating faster and faster and I was in such a panic as the clock started ticking closer and closer to that 11:00 hour. Virgel was sweating profusely by now and finally brought a table that was oh, so very small. I never saw one quite so small. How was I going to fit all of the things, in my box, on that little table? And sign all of those books, I was going to sell? By now all of the children and their parents were gathering around the story time area, it was a weekly event at this Barnes & Noble store and they knew the drill. Virgel…where did you go? Ok…put that confident smile on your face, Dana…quit panicking.
Finally, a little voice sang out, “Aunt Dana!” and four little arms squeezed my legs. Both of my grandnieces, Haili & Brenna came running up from behind me and just held on. They don’t even know how much I needed that hug, right at that moment, on that first day of meeting my public. But there they were the two of them with their sweet little smiles and happy-to-see me hugs! It was the best moment of the day for me, especially since right behind them came my husband who wrapped his arms around me knowing exactly what I needed him to do when he saw me! Then we got down to business.
By then, Virgel, had found me a chair to sit in for story time. While I sat down in the story time chair and comfortably slid back into the roll of schoolteacher, I started to share the story of “Jeremiah, the Dragon Persuader”. My husband got to work on the tiny table that Virgel had set up draped with a blue tablecloth, making it look nice with a dish of candy. He had lovingly made a “Meet the Author Poster” for me the day before and sat that beside the table on a stand that was suppose to hold books about other dragons, he put those other dragon books aside and instead added all of my books to the stand that sat next to the tiny table, took all of the extra things out to the car to get them out of the way and got the camera ready to take pictures to record the day. Once again, he came to my rescue and helped make it a very special day.
My audience was a little younger than the book was written for, but they were excited about the story and were quite exuberant while I turned each page. As I read the story and acted silly, the kids and parents alike laughed with me (or at me) and when the story was finished everyone clapped. There was a cute little girl, sitting in the front, Abigail. I will never forget Abigail, because she wanted to see the pictures first, even before I had finished reading each of the pages. I joked, “Abigail, I think your mommy needs to buy you the book!”
The audience was full of friendly faces, I had taken the advice of one of the other authors off of Jerry’s website and invited friends and family. I had my mother and father-in-law, sister-in-laws, nieces and nephews, friends, colleagues. They in turn invited their friends, etc. As I was reading the story, I caught the eyes of loved ones and it helped to boost my courage. Especially when during the most crucial part of the story, a little girl blurted out “but fire comes out of a dragon’s mouth, not his nose!” Everyone held their breath, as I continued to read the story… I just smiled at the little girl and agreed with her… knowing Smokey, my dragon, sneezed and fire came out of his nose accidentally… that is what made my story unique, knowing the audience understood, was what made the experience worthwhile. Even the store clerk was rooting for me as I read the story.
After we were through with story time, I made my way over to the table and was so surprised at what my husband had lovingly done with the area reserved for signing, I once again remembered why I had married him! I sat down, started signing books (did anyone ever mention how hard it is to concentrate on spelling other people’s names? And what is with all the different forms of spelling the same name?!), gave away lots of candy, bookmarks and packets of seeds (in Smokey, the dragon’s honor). My goal was to sell more than eight books. Why eight, you ask? Well, once again after reading one of the author’s first book signings, she had sold eight books. I had set my goal at selling more than eight, I’m very competitive, you see. That day, I sold 18 books. I made it! Yippee!!
While things became quiet, Virgel, came over and sat to talk with me. He turned out to be a very nice man. I’m always interested in learning about other people. He told me a lot about his background. While he has always worked in managerial positions, he loves working with children. He volunteers at the Crisis Nursery in Phoenix. He has adopted children from the Crisis Nursery. That surprised me. He also serves on the Board of Education for the Cave Creek School District. He likes to arrange story time for the school district and have characters act out the stories while he reads to the children. Last year he chose to read Clifford, the Big Red Dog. So, we talked about his exploits with Clifford the big Red Dog. He was quite funny, when he wasn’t running around trying to find a chair and a table. I really enjoyed my talk with him and he even invited me back to the store for the Educator Appreciation Night he was hosting in October. I felt good about the experience.
As I was leaving the store, the store clerk who had been cheering me on as I read the story, gave a big wave and said, “You did great for a first time author!” Hearing her say those words meant the world to me, I needed to hear that from a bookseller. Baby steps are what it takes in this business, at least that is what I’m learning. Now that my first book signing was over, I felt much more confident. Having my husband by my side carrying my poster and candy dish out the door, I thought, this had turned out to be a really great day!
Dana L. Ellis
Author of Children’s Stories
www.jeremiahandsmokey.com
Categories: Never Published, Published Authors |
Hot Trends, Hot Markets – Using AmazonConnect and Chapters Community by Cheryl K. Tarif ©2008
posted Tuesday August 26, 2008 11:31 AM by Jerry D. Simmons
In Part 2 I discussed book collection or catalog networks like Shelfari. The next category of social networks is "bookseller networks", primarily AmazonConnect for US consumers and readers, and Chapters Community for Canadian consumers and readers.
Anyone, writer or not, can join Amazon.com and have a profile page, but they'll be slightly different with AmazonConnect. AmazonConnect is for authors of books sold on Amazon.
Authors must apply by filling out the AmazonConnect request form. So if you're a writer with books available on Amazon.com, the first step is to sign up with AmazonConnect.
What are the benefits of AmazonConnect?
• You will have an author's profile page, plus links to all of your books. Others will see your author page if they look you up or subscribe to Amazon Daily, a collection of recent blog posts from AmazonConnect members.
• You can contact people (friends/readers) privately by sending them a message through their own profile page or you can leave them a comment on their reviews.
• The biggest plus to joining AmazonConnect is that you also receive your own AmazonConnect Blog, a place where you can connect directly to your readers and reviewers on Amazon.com.
You can add Amazon Top Reviewers as friends, plus other reviewers, and more importantly, you can add readers. Simply look at other comparable titles to yours and see who's reviewed them. Then invite those people to be your Amazon friends. Again, try to build genuine relationships first. Learn to be a "people person", and you'll find networking much easier.
Blog about anything and everything related to your books but also to you as a person. People like to know more about you--what you're interested, where you've been, what you're doing other than writing, etc. And if you include writing tips, then aspiring authors will thank you. Your blog is your direct line to potential fans. If you have more than one blog, don't be afraid to cross-post the same article on multiple posts, but be sure to change the title of the blog posts slightly and the first sentence, so that search engines don't ignore these posts.
What are the benefits of Chapters Community?
• You'll have an author's profile page so people will know you're an author.
• You can contact people/friends privately through messages or post a note on their profile page or post comments on their posts, reviews and forum discussions.
• You'll have a blog--although Chapters refers to it as "Posts". Use this just like you would any blog.
As with AmazonConnect, Chapters Community allows you to connect with people who love reading. You can invite friends and should do so every week, discuss books on forums, and write and read reviews.
Even more, Chapters Community allows authors to connect with bookstore staff (Indigo, Chapters, Coles, Smithbooks) from across Canada. And that is invaluable to an author. You'll even have a direct line to Heather Reisman, CEO and founder of Indigo Books & Music (and Chapters), if you add her as a friend. She loves books and enjoys hearing from readers and authors. Again, be genuine, not pushy. Every bookstore contact should be considered a valued friend and partner, not a 'sale'.
The thing to realize about online social networking is that it allows you to virtually meet more people from all over the world. People who love reading. If they aren't your specific target audience, then chances are they know someone who is. They need to be handled with care, just as you would if you met someone in a coffee shop or church and you became friends.
The idea is not to become the pushy car saleman type of "Shameless Promoter", but the author who is passionate about her work and knows that what he or she has written is just right for that person. So get to know your Amazon and Chapters friends. Find out what they like reading, and if you have something similar, mention it in a way that is natural, not forced, not a sales pitch--but genuine.
I've met some wonderful, great people through social networks. People I'd love to visit and meet. Many have purchased my books because they've met me online. Many are curious about what I write and they want to ask questions. Learn to love your readers and they'll tell two friends, and each of them will tell two friends, and so on...
If you haven't already done so, sign up on both AmazonConnect and Chapters Community.
~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif, a.k.a. “Shameless Promoter”, is a freelance journalist and bestselling suspense author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention. Cheryl has spoken at numerous writers conferences on the topics of book marketing, especially online marketing. She currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Categories: Published Authors |
Hot Tends, Hot Markets - How to Use Book Collection or Catalog Networks by Cheryl K. Tardif ©2008
posted Tuesday August 12, 2008 10:11 AM by Jerry D. Simmons
Today, I want to talk about one of the three main categories of social networking--'book collection or catalog networks'. These are social networks that invite users/members to catalog their personal book collection, recommend books to fellow members/friends, discuss books and authors with others, and to send notes and virtually "meet" people from all over the world who love books.
The three sites that are top on my list are:
• LibraryThing
• GoodReads
• Shelfari
The first thing to do if you're an aspiring or published author is to sign up on these sites. If you're a published author, you'll want to sign up as an "author", which will give you some extra perks. If you don't see how to do this, just email the site's contact. They can get you set up as an author very quickly.
5 main ways to promote yourself on these sites:
1. Request to be friends with others on the network
2. Add your own published books to your list of books read
3. Review books, especially ones that are comparable to yours
4. Get involved in group discussions
5. Send your friends notes, comment on their posts and recommend a book
Social networking ethics:
In general, these sites are set up to bring people together. However, most people don't want a hard sales pitch, especially one by an over-exuberant author. So be careful when you approach others on these networks. Find a common interest and get to know your friends here first. Chat about where they live, their family, their own book recommendations and reviews. But be real!
I genuinely love meeting people, and I also love to promote my books. It's tough for an author to hold back sometimes, but it is worth it to do so when you first start checking into the social network market. There is a fine line that I don't want to cross, and what I've learned is this: if you're patient and take the time to get to know people, they'll start asking questions. And the great thing is, you'll know their interest is genuine too.
The benefits for authors:
It may seem obvious that the benefits are more exposure, but I've met a lot of authors who just don't get this. Think of that old shampoo commercial--"and they tell two friends, and so on, and so on, and..." This is a form of "viral marketing"--a way of promoting to one person or group that will create a chain reaction of word-of-mouth referrals.
Once you sign up on GoodReads, for instance, thousands and thousands of people will have access to your author profile. Every time you post some writing, add a book, review a book, discuss something in a group, the homepage shows your activity. This is updated instantly, and brings new visitors to your profile and activity pages.
You can contact "top reviewers" and arrange to send them ARCs or galleys. These are ordinary people who love to read and write reviews, and what better reviews are there than that? :)
You can contact libraries and bookstores and introduce them to your book(s). Offer to send them bookmarks or your publisher's catalog--or one book to sample.
And of course, you'll meet lots of wonderful people. You will connect with housewives, teens, entrepreneurs, business owners, teachers, librarians, other authors, but above all--readers.
Personally, through these three sites I have met some wonderful people, some fabulous authors and many terrific reviewers. It's like going to a huge party, or a multi-author book launch, where all the talk is about BOOKS. And for an author, is there anything better than that?
So...get social! Start networking! If you're an aspiring author, use these sites to start gaining fans now! Why wait? If they like your writing now, they're going to buy your book when it's finally published. Plus being a part of an online social network allows you to do the one thing you love most--WRITE! :)
Cheryl Kaye Tardif, a.k.a. “Shameless Promoter”, is a freelance journalist and bestselling suspense author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention. Cheryl has spoken at numerous writers conferences on the topics of book marketing, especially online marketing. She currently resides in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Categories: Published Authors |
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