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Today was my third morning visiting a student writers' group, and my first time actually conferencing with students. I've only published two short stories over the years, but I have done a lot of self-study of the form. Thank goodness. I'd hate to have had to talk with those fifth graders without having some knowledge of what we were all doing there.

While I was waiting for the young writers to get their juice and muffins and settle down to work, I took a look at the fiction baskets in the classroom. I saw a number of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Judy Moody books. I also saw several volumes of a series I'd never heard of--Dear Dumb Diary by Jim Benton, who has remarkably little to say about himself at his website. Turns out I have heard of him, though, because he has another series called Franny K. Stein, one volume of which I read years ago.

These writers' group visits of mine are interesting because they take so little time. I'm only there half an hour. We're talking 7:45 to 8:45 AM, so I do have to get cleaned up for the day earlier than I'm used to. What with making sure I have something decent to wear and putting on makeup so I don't  frighten any young ones, I probably spend more time getting ready to go then I spend there.

But, still, I'm home by 8:30 after doing a little writer talking with writers, though very short ones.

Remember my video about the nightmare book signing?

Well, bad signings make frequent appearances in author circles.

Recently a friend set up a table at a “free” outdoor event for parents and toddlers. She thought it would be a good opportunity to showcase her picture book and sell some copies.

No one approached her all morning. She was getting very discouraged.

Finally, a woman who had been manning another table came up to her. “I’d like one for my son,” she said. “His name is [very unusual name].”

My friend picked up her pen, personalized the book to the woman’s son, wrote a special note, and autographed it. “That will be $15, please.”

The woman stared. “Oh, I thought it was free.”

My friend was taken aback. “Free? This is a picture book from [Big 6 Publisher].”

“But everyone here is giving away free stuff,” the woman said.

My friend then felt bad. SHE FELT BAD?! “Well, since you didn’t know, I will let you have it at cost. I paid $10 for it.”

“Never mind,” the woman said. “I don’t want it.” And she walked back to her table.

My friend was near tears. She hadn’t sold a single book and now she was stuck with one signed to “Jakellen.” What were the odds that another “Jakellen” would come to a future book signing? About a Jakellen-to-one!

This serves as a cautionary tale for both readers and authors.

Authors do not get their own books for free.

They are offered a very limited quantity upon publication, usually somewhere between 5 and 15 copies. The rest they have to pay for themselves, typically at 30-40% off the retail price. Sometimes they do better purchasing from Amazon and not the publisher-direct! Free books are very rare.

And remember, that author has worked years to publish that book. And authors do not get paid while they are writing it. A lot has been sacrificed to get that book onto shelves. So please don’t expect a book for free. And don’t walk away from a book that has already been personalized. That author has now lost whatever they paid for the book, and the royalty they earned doesn’t even cover 10% of it.

While tempting, it may not be the best idea to do signings at advertised “free” events. People arrive with the expectation that they’ll never have to dip into their wallets. (And considering the economy, that’s the kind of feeling they want to experience often!) They are not in the mood to buy, and therefore may avoid you, even if what you’re selling looks good. They have not arrived with the mindset (or the money) to make a purchase.

And finally, it may be proper to let the reader know the price before you sign a book. Or else you might get stuck with a lot of “Jakellen” copies. And frankly, “Jakellen” isn’t even on the Social Security Administration’s List of Top 1000 Names. FOR ANY YEAR.

But who knows, maybe like “Splash” I’ve inadvertently begun a Madison-like name craze?!

My friend may be Jakellen-sellin’ after all!

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Book and pen photo courtesy of Flickr user Jain Basil Aliyah.

The November Connecticut Children's Lit Calendar is going up a couple of days early because Connecticut is expecting power outages in the next day or so due to Hurricane Sandy. Depending on what's happening in the state later this week, you should probably check with the venues for next weekend's events to make sure they are back to their normal schedule.

November is always a big month for Children's Literature in Connecticut because of the Connecticut Children's Book Fair. This year there are a number of other author appearances as well.

Saturday, Nov. 3, Janet Lawler, Farmington Public Library, Farmington, 1:00 PM

Saturday, Nov. 3, Dawn Metcalf, Karen Casale, and P. J Sharon, Author Fair, Enfield Public Library, Enfield, 10 AM to Noon

Saturday, Nov. 3, Dan Yaccarino, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, 1:30 PM

Monday, Nov. 5, Dav Pilkey, UConn Co-op, Storrs, 4:30 PM

Tuesday, Nov. 6, Leigh Ann Tyson, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, 10:30 AM

Thursday, Nov. 8, Marilyn Nelson, Hartford Public Library, Hartford, 6:00 PM Wrap up event for One Book One Hartford

Saturday, Nov. 10, Katie Davis, Dodd Research Center, Storrs, Exhibit reception and gallery talk, 2 to 4 PM

Saturday, Nov. 10, and Sunday, Nov. 11, Judy Blundell, Patricia MacLachlan, Robert Sabuda, Leslea Newman, Jerry Spinelli, and sixteen other authors and illustrators, Connecticut Children's Book Fair, Rome Commons, Storrs, 10 AM to 5 PM each day

Sunday, Nov. 11, Janet Lawler, Janice Hechter, Vivian Newman, 3rd Annual Great Children's Read, Mandell Jewish Community Center, West Hartford, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Wednesday, Nov. 14, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Welles-Turner Memorial Library, Glastonbury, 7:00 PM. Grades 4-8, Register 860-652-7718  

Thursday, Nov. 15, Matthew Cody, R.J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, 4:00 PM

Sunday, Nov. 18, Dawn Metcalf, Annual Holiday Fair, Temple Beth Hillel,10 AM to 3 PM

Thursday, Nov. 29, Bob Shea, R. J. Julia Booksellers, Madison, 4:00 PM

I thought December was going to be a slow month for author appearances, but not so. A number of big names are visiting the state, and a Connecticut children's author and bookstore will be featured on Booktalk Nation, which is like a public appearance, but different.

I had a great Read Across America Day a the Western Connecticut Academy of International Studies. I gave five presentations, one to each grade level, with grades one and two getting the same presentation, and grades three through four getting another. We did questions and answers. We did brainstorming.

I got some particularly thought provoking questions this time around. I spoke with the first grade about how authors "experiment" with different drafts, and one boy asked me, essentially, "How do you know when you're done?"

Yes, how indeed. Excellent question.

It was the first time in quite a while that I'd done a day of author talks. Now I'm quite pumped up to do it again.

Author Reading and Signing
Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 6 p.m.
Barnes & Noble Champions
5303 FM 1960 West
Houston, TX