I'm up early today. I need to be out the door by 6:30am, so I can arrive in plenty of time to take part in this year's Collingswood Book Festival (Haddon Avenue, Collingswood, NJ travel time includes a detour through the McDonalds drive thru for a large coffee).
This year, I'll be with my friends from the Liberty States Fiction Writers.
Kick-off's at 10am. We're in booths 132 & 134. If you'd like to stop by, we'd love to see you there.
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.
This past weekend my husband Adam and I made our annual trip to Western Massachusetts to welcome the fall season. Our primary goal on the agenda was to attend Tony and Angela DiTerlizzi's book signing at
Odyssey Books in South Hadley Saturday afternoon.
Tony was there to promote his middle grade sequel
A Hero for Wondla, and Angela her new picture book
Say What? They both were extremely natural, enthusiastic, and fun (& funny!) with their pre-signing presentations and made for an enjoyable afternoon at the local indie book shop.
Angela read
Say What? aloud and gave some back story to how she comes up with her ideas (when she isn't stealing them from her adorable daughter, that is!). I found it very interesting that her foundation for this book was beginning with a question. I think that's a great prompt for creating a picture book and something I'll keep in mind as I write my own. Also worth remembering is that inspiration can strike anywhere---even from something candidly said by your child. I may not have kids of my own from which to garner inspiration--but I do have the ability to keep my eyes and ears open for little seeds that could grow into a story. Stories are all around us, you just have to be looking for them! What I found reassuring was that not every story can or should be EPIC in its subject matter. I get overwhelmed because I like fun, lighthearted stuff but get caught up and convinced that the only thing worth writing is something epic. It's much more important to just
write and have a good time enjoying the little things, too.
Tony's presentation was longer and more personal as he shared some of what he was like as a kid and how it helped shape the author and illustrator he has become. He is very conscious of understanding the things his ten year-old self liked and would like, and draws from those ideas as he creates his new material (i.e. Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan & Wendy). Although I'm not much like my 10 year old soccer/troll obsessed self who liked to read but didn't do much of it independent of the school curriculum, I absolutely believe in creating something your child self would love. After all, what's better than using your kid self as a barometer for interest? And as Tony said, it's an amazing thing to be able to put into the world something you wished was there but isn't. An exceptionally wonderful thing, actually.
Both Angela and Tony reminded me that the best way to connect with a group at this kind of even is through humor and personal anecdotes. They created a fun environment and in turn we all had a good time. Never underestimate the power of being silly and making people laugh! Being relatable, down to earth, and playful works wonders for kids and adults alike.
Tony was kind enough to sign lots of our books as well as a heap of Adam's Magic cards, and he drew a little something in a couple of books, which needless to say, is THE BEST.
It was truly inspiring to get to meet one of your favorite illustrators and to have them turn out to be so accessible, friendly, funny, gracious, and well....GREAT. Its just wonderful to see nice, insanely talented, hard-working people succeed and still be so nice to us adoring fans. Worthy role models, for sure.
Are you ready to read something fierce?
After the success of our spring 2012 Fierce Reads tour (read about it here in Publisher's Weekly!), we're back this fall with six NEW Fierce Reads authors for the tour, which also features three familiar faces.
Featuring Ann Aguirre, Elizabeth Fama, Lish McBride and Marissa Meyer:
- September 18: Changing Hands Bookstore in Pheonix, AZ
- September 19: Tattered Cover in Denver, CO
- September 20: Left Bank Books in St. Louis, MO (This stop also features author Jessica Brody!)
- September 21: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinatti, OH
- September 22: Next Chapter Bookshop in Milwaukee, WI
- September 23: Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville, NC (This stop will not feature author Marissa Meyer)
Featuring Gennifer Albin, Caragh O'Brien, Marie Rutkoski and Leigh Bardugo:
- October 16: Lake Forest Bookstore in Lake Forest, IL
- October 17: Politics & Prose at the Bethesda Library outside of Washington D.C.
- October 18: Cover to Cover Bookstore in Columbus, OH
- October 19: Square Books in Oxford, MS
- October 20: Children's Book World in Haverford, PA
- October 21: New York City (Exact location TBD!)
Learn more about the Fall 2012 Fierce Reads titles at MacTeenBooks.com, our sister blog and become a fan of Fierce Reads on Facebook for
Go to our Fierce Reads Facebook page to RSVP to the stop closest to your hometown!
That's right folks! We're headed to Comic Con this week for the first time this year! If you happen to be there, come by Booth #1220 to say hello and to check out these great signings and panels!
Oh, and be sure to check out our graphic novel imprint, First Seconds Books, who will also be exhibiting at SDCC and see their amazing schedule as well.
THURSDAY, July 12:
12:00-1:00 PM In-Booth Signing: Michael Grant, EVE AND ADAM
3:00-4:00 PM Gennifer Albin (Crewel) on the “Hungry for Dystopia” Panel
Room: 25ABC
Hungry for Dystopia— With the skyrocketing popularity of The Hunger Games, dystopian literature has been creating major waves in the media. What attracts these authors to explore the concept of a totalitarian future that possibly awaits us all? Anna North (America Pacifica) leads the discussion with panelists Neal Shusterman (Unwind trilogy), Lissa Price (Starters), Paolo Bacigalupi (The Drowned Cities), Michael Grant (BZRK), Daniel H. Wilson (Amped), Gennifer Albin (Crewel), and Marie Lu (Legend trilogy). Room 25ABC
4:30-5:30 PM Post-Panel Signing: Gennifer Albin, CREWEL
Location: Autographing Area, Table AA09
FRIDAY, July 13:
10:00-11:00 AM In-Booth Signing: Jennifer Bosworth, STRUCK
11:30-12:30 PM Marissa Meyer (Cinder) on the “Remixed Fairy Tales and Superhero Lore” Panel Room 5AB
Remixed Fairy Tales and Superhero Lore— Between this year's Mirror Mask and Snow White and the Huntsman and forthcoming retellings of Beauty and the B
Last week I went to the the Smart Chicks Kick It Tour at Schuler's Books in Lansing, Michigan. It was awesome. This was the biggest signing I've ever been to. There were 7 YA authors!
Kelley Armstrong
Melissa Marr
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rachel Caine
Melissa De La Cruz
Simone Elkeles
Carrie Ryan
It was so much fun. They gave away tons of goodies, one lucky winner even won an ARC of Jennifer Lyn Barnes' new book Every Other Day! (I was SO jealous, that book looks awesome.)
They answered a ton of questions, some serious, about writing, and some fun, like which character of theirs would they have had a crush on in high school. (Okay, that was my question.)
We also learned lots of info that we're not supposed to share online, such as release dates of upcoming books, and new projects. (Wait til you see the cover of Jennifer Lynn Barnes' next Raised By Wolves book, Taken By Storm!)
One of the coolest things was seeing so many people (there were over 100 there) with massive bags of books to be signed. I could barely carry mine! (And yes, I got some signed for a very special giveaway I'll be doing soon!)
I love seeing YA authors and hearing them talk about their work and their books, but what I love even more about signings is seeing old friends and making new ones. Writing is so solitary, even with the internet, it's always great to see people in the flesh who are doing what you're doing, and understand what it is to love YA. I was especially excited to see Carrie Ryan, who I had not seen since we were snowed in in Branson back in February (and who is made of awesome). I also had a great time getting to know Kristi (The Story Siren).
Below are some pics from the event. I didn't get a picture this time, but I wanted to give a shout out to the very awesome DJ DeSmyter whose first book HUNTED was published by Pendrell Press this summer, and who is still in high school!
Me and the Smart Chicks Authors
(Simone Elkeles, Kelly Armstrong, Me, Carrie Ryan, Melissa De La Cruz, Rachel Caine, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Melissa Marr)
Signing stock.
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I will be signing A Warm Winter Tail and Why the Possum has a Large Grin on Wednesday, December 5th at 5 pm.
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When I first read your tweet, I thought “how odd. Aren’t signings usually held in bookstores?” but now I better understand what went wrong.
I feel sympathy for your friend, but agree with your “Caution” section. It was a “free” event, so people expected things at the event to be, well, free. Did your friend have a prominent sign on the table, providing a price for the books?
Perhaps you or your friend might consider offering this copy of the book, along with the story, on auction for a literacy charity? Put it up on eBay, include the store (above), promise to include a copy of the story with the book, and promote the charitable aspect.
After all, if Wil Wheaton can sell a dented pingpong ball for the Pasadena Humane Society, almost anything is possible.
The charity idea is a great one! Thanks, Vi!
Wow! I don’t think I could do what that woman did … walk away after the book was personalized for her. what a shame. I do hope your friend finds a home for that book. I agree, the charity idea is a great one with the story of why the book is personalized.
Great post,Tara.
Thanks for the heads-up! Yikes!
What a sad story! I think a sign, similar to your ‘Warning for Readers’ should be displayed at all book fairs, author events, writing groups and possibly in all bookshops too! Jenny J
That’s terrible!
I agree that the public doesn’t understand the business of writing. I’ve been at non-charity event book signings where authors don’t collect sales tax. I think this reinforces the idea that writing isn’t a “real” business. Public perceptions are hard to change….
I second Wendy. This story is horrible.
It never ceases to amaze me when people balk at the price of picture books, and one being signed by its creator no less!
Whoa. What a bummer. Meanwhile, I was signing books after a school visit and accidentally signed an extra one to John. John!! I carried that book to my next 5 or 6 visits, and never had another John buy a book. I think it’s still in the bottom of my bag, ready to go on the road for my next school visit. Jakellen?? OMG.