Called to Story

by Kristy Cambron

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story… —Psalm 107:2 (NIV)

“Isn’t your hand going to get tired after signing that in each book?”

I was standing at a podium, signing a stack of books at a large library conference. I’d prayed about it, and felt led to write a specific phrase and Bible verse in the front cover of each book. And yes– with a Sharpie in hand, it amounted to a small paragraph for each person, all the way down a signing line.

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What makes for Successful Booksigning Event? It's all in the Perspective...

by Lynette Eason

Successful or not successful: It’s all in the perspective.

Hi everyone, Lynette Eason here. I just wanted to take a moment to talk booksignings with you. Let me be honest. I like MOST booksignings about as much as I like the pollen that makes me sneeze and lunge for my inhale. Okay, okay, that might be a slight exaggeration—slight. But I just wanted to give you a heads up that if you’re eagerly planning your first—or fiftieth—signing, some are going to go well and others are not.

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Trying to Understand the Minds of Readers

by James L. Rubart

I probably should've titled this post, “You Can’t Understand the Mind of Readers”, but I digress. Let’s get to the stories:

In March I keynoted at my friend Jan Cline’s writing conference in Spokane, WA and had the chance to stay for a few nights with Brandilyn Collins and her husband Mark who live in nearby Idaho.

The view from Brandilyn and Mark's home. Spectacular!

Taylor (my oldest son) was with me and when we arrived at the Collin’s home after the first night of the conference, Brandilyn and Mark were finishing up dinner with friends of theirs.

Being the extremely gracious hosts that they are, they invited us to join them and their guests at the table.

After meeting their friends and a bit of chatting, the woman I’d just met asked me what kind of fiction I wrote. I described ROOMS to her and she got a puzzled look on her face for a second and then said, “I read that book. I gave it to a friend of mine after I finished. She really enjoyed it.”

I smiled and nodded.

She paused and then said, “That book was … uh … interesting.”

I showed no expression on the outside, but on the inside I was laughing. It didn’t offend me in the least. If she’d expanded on her feelings she probably would have said ROOMS was all right, but it didn’t really connect with her.

That reaction I understand. Not everyone is going to love our novels. (Let alone our jokes, the movies we like, even our personalities.)

Here’s the story I Don’t Understand

Last Friday I was part of a multi-author signing and during it a man came up and tapped one of my novels.

“I just had to thank you for this book. It was an amazing novel. Really just so powerful. I bought it four or five years ago from you and still think about it. Had to come up and tell you how much it means to me.”

I thanked him and asked if he’d read any of my other novels, and if so, what he thought.

“No, no, haven’t had the chance to read any of the others.”

At that point my marketing persona kicked in. I didn’t ask my next question hoping he’d buy one of my other novels, I was genuinely curious.

“If you liked this book so much, what kept you from trying any of my others?”

“Well, I have a lot of books on my to-be-read pile.”

I won’t bore you with the rest of the conversation, you’d probably be thinking the same thing at that point: It’s been four or five years! That must be an Empire State Building tall TBR pile.

Maybe it’s because when I find a book I go crazy over, I devour all the books that author has written. Finding a new author I love is like opening a multitude of presents on Christmas morning.

Am I weird? Do you ever read a novel, love it, but never read another by that writer?

Do you have any stories in the same vein as mine? Would love to hear them!

James L. Rubart is the best-selling, Christy award winning author of six novels. His seventh, The Five Times I Met Myself, comes out this November

During the day he runs a marketing company which helps authors make more coin of the realm. He lives with his amazing wife in the Pacific Northwest and loves to dirt bike, hike, golf, take photos, and still thinks he’s young enough to water ski like a madman. More at www.jameslrubart.com

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What I've Learned about Successful Book Launch Events

By Pamela S. Meyers


Having had two book-launch events, I’m often asked what I did to make them a success. My first event was for my debut novel, Thyme for Love, and the second was for my historical romance, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, which is set in my hometown. 

Here is a summary of what worked for me.

Signing my first book at my debut novel's launch

Location of Event

A book launch event doesn’t have to be held in a bookstore or library. It's fun to tie in the launch venue with the storyline. For example, my historical romance launch event was held in Lake Geneva's historical museum.

If you can’t tie the venue in with the story, choose a place that is centrally located and comfortable. My first event was held at my local Panera Bread in their community room. I even had several of the restaurant’s customers come in and buy a book.

Publicizing the Event

Make use of the mailing services that are available on line such as Constant Contact or Mail Chimp. Many services like this are free as long as your mailing list stays below a certain number of recipients.

Notify local newspapers of your new release and ask to be interviewed. This probably works better if you are located in a small town. The Lake Geneva weekly gave me a half-page article above the fold, which helped get the word out about the book and the event. Other local media picked up on the story and spread the word. I currently live in a Chicago suburb and I didn't have near the PR from my suburb's local paper for the first book launch.

Leave flyers at local bookstores and libraries in the area. My church library allowed me to post information about my first event which helped get the word out to church members I don’t see every week.

Event Activities

Gift basket offered at my first event.

Gift Basket.  Load a decorative basket or tote bag with books and other goodies related to reading, such as a clip-on reading light, coffee mug, chocolates, and your book. When guests enter the event, have a greeter at the door to inform them of the time of the drawing and give them a ticket. You can buy a large wheel of raffle tickets that come paired together. One ticket goes in the “hat” and the other with the same number is given to the guest. Schedule the drawing halfway through the event. People will wait to see if they win. If they don’t win, then they will hopefully decide to buy your book before they leave.

Decorations. Always check with the owner of the venue to see what types of decorations you are allowed. Mylar balloons from a party store help to make the room festive and items related to your book’s setting or the characters’ occupations are other good things to set about the room.  At your book table, be sure to have plenty of bookmarks featuring the book. I also had color coordinated paper goods, i.e. table cloth, napkins, etc.

Refreshments.  If you schedule the event during the afternoon or after the dinner hour, refreshments can be minimal. A tray of cookies and a jug of fruit juice are almost always sufficient. You can find cookies at stores like Sam’s or Costco that are reasonable in price and quite tasty.

Media.  If you have a book trailer featuring your book, have a loop of the video set up on a large-screen monitor. If you are able, another computer screen could be set up to feature your webpage, blog, etc. for people to look at.

Giving my PowerPoint presentation at the second launch.

Your Role.  People love to hear an author read from their work. I usually do two readings: the opening scene and one that involves one of the other characters.

Before I do the reading, I share a little about my writing journey. People enjoy hearing how you came to write the story, the research, how much time it took to write the book, etc. Tap into your creativity and make the presentation entertaining and fast paced. For the historical romance, I incorporated a PowerPoint slideshow into my remarks, explaining things I learned about the town while doing my research. Anytime you can bring in visuals it keeps the audience’s attention.

At the signing table for my launch at the museum.

Have a table large enough for a display of your books and for you to sign.  Since you are going to be busy signing books and visiting with your guests, it’s imperative that someone assist with cashiering and keeping track sales.

In addition to asking someone to cashier, I also had other friends act as greeters at the entrance and take pictures. As a thank you, you may want to give them a copy of the book or maybe treat them all to a meal after it’s over.

I’d love to hear of unique activities or venues that have worked for you at your book launches.

 

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago, an hour's drive away from her hometown which she visits often to dig into its historical legacy. Her novels include Thyme for Love, and Love Will Find a Way,  contemporary romantic mysteries and her 1933 historical romance, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva,Wisconsin, released in April, 2013. She can often be found speaking at events around Lake Geneva or nosing in microfilms and historical records about Wisconsin and other Midwestern spots for new story ideas.

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Impressions vs. Connections

Liz Johnson graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a degree in public relations and works as an editorial and marketing manager at a Christian publisher. She is a two-time ACFW Carol Award finalist, and A Promise to Protect is her fourth novel with Love Inspired Suspense. Liz makes her home in Nashville, TN, where she enjoys theater, exploring the local music scene, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings. Keep up with Liz's adventures in writing at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com, Twitter @LizJohnsonBooks, or Facebook.com/LizJohnsonBooks.

NR: Leave a comment for Liz and be entered in a drawing for her book. Continental U.S. residents only, please.

Impressions vs. Connections

I applied for my first job in Christian publishing when I was twenty-one, just about to graduate from college. I didn’t get that job. Or the next one. Or the next. But about the time I turned twenty-five I was offered my first gig in my dream industry as a publicist. I accepted it in a heartbeat.

Never mind that I didn’t really know what a book publicist did.

During my first week at that job, someone explained to me the difference between marketing and publicity. In the simplest terms marketing was paid for and publicity wasn’t. At that time, at that publisher, marketing equated to paid advertising and publicity was any other coverage that a book might get—interviews, reviews, etc.

Publicity and marketing had clearly defined parameters, easily stated goals, and measurable results. Separating them was clean and simple. And as such, many publishers were set up with publicity teams separate from their marketing teams. Sure, they were often referred to together. “Let’s hear from marketing and publicity.” But the teams mostly worked independent of one another.

Seven years later, I’m still in Christian publishing, now as a marketing manager for a nonfiction group. And, boy howdy, how the times have changed!

In early 2006 blogs were the new thing, Facebook was still only available to limited colleges, and Twitter hadn’t even been launched. Tumblr wouldn’t show up for more than a year and the initial closed beta launch of Pinterest wouldn’t happen until March 2010.

The digital explosion has changed the way that publishers and authors reach out to readers in more ways than I could cover in one blog post. So let’s just talk about a new definition of marketing and publicity specifically for novels and what those definitions mean for novelists.

At a recent ACFW conference, someone (and I can’t remember who, so please forgive me if I’m stealing this from you) said, “Marketing is about impressions. Publicity is about connections.” That may be the most succinct and accurate definition I’ve heard in this new era of publishing.

Let’s unpack this for a second. Impressions—if you’re not familiar with advertising lingo—are the number of people exposed to the product you’re trying to sell or the brand you’re communicating. Classic print, television, online, and radio advertising fall into this category. So every time I see an ad in my Entertainment Weekly, I’m an impression to their marketing team. Regardless of my choice to buy the product, I count as a pair of eyes that have seen a book cover or new dvd.

Connections—well, that seems pretty self-explanatory.

But is it? Are you talking at your audience? Or with them? Are you opening a dialogue or sending a message?

Connections are opportunities for readers to hear from the heart of an author. That may not always be a two-way conversation, but it’s deeper than a book sale or jacket copy. It’s a chance for writers to express why they feel so strongly about their topic or why stories and struggles mean so much to them. It’s an opportunity to build a rapport with readers that isn’t easily broken.

As I’ve considered the idea of connecting with readers, I’ve pondered promotions that could be either an impression or a connection. Take a blog post for example. In the early days of blogs, an author’s posts were considered publicity. Without question. But what about posts that are clearly sales copy and sent out to the ether without any follow up? Aren’t those just gaining impressions? How do they differ from posts where the author responds to every comment? Those conversations are building connections.

What about a booksigning? Historically they’ve been considered publicity and usually organized by a publicist. For the authors who stop and talk with each person who comes through the line, connections are formed. But what about the best-selling author who doesn’t even look up as the line moves along.

Katie, a friend of mine, was planning a trip to Mississippi several months back. She heard that a famous author would be in the area while she was there, so Katie stood in line at a small bookstore to meet the author and get a book signed. Imagine Katie’s dismay when the author never acknowledged her or even stopped talking with a personal friend. Katie walked away with a scribbled signature and a bad taste in her mouth. Is that a connection?

What about bookmarks? Marketing teams are usually responsible for these. And if they’re left on a table somewhere with no follow up from the author, they’re collecting impressions. But what if a simple bookmark was used to open a dialogue? If a scrap of cardstock has both the cover of Nicole Quigley’s Like Moonlight at Low Tide and an invitation to join an online conversation with the author about bullying, has it become publicity?

If readers are discovering our books, it doesn’t really matter whether a promotion is labeled as marketing or publicity. And publishers are realizing this. Some are even integrating their teams to the point that one team member is responsible for both publicity and marketing for an author.

So what does this mean for us as novelists?

1. Both impressions and connections are important. They go hand in hand. Some readers will buy a book just based on a cover and concept they like. Others want to really know the author before spending their hard-earned money. Great promotions often include both.

2. Connections aren’t a guarantee. They take effort and planning.

3. How you choose to connect with readers should fit your strengths. If you’re a visual person, maybe you’re pinning on Pinterest. Maybe you love to keep it short and sweet. Try twitter. If you’re long-winded like me, blog posts may be your wheelhouse. You don’t have to do it all. Figure out what works for you and connect that way.

4. Connecting doesn’t always mean starting the conversation. If you can add value to a discussion already going, don’t miss the chance just because you didn’t initiate it.

5. Be open to connections that can become impressions and vice versa. I recently took a handful of my newest book to my dentist’s office. I was there for a regular visit and planned to leave a few on the table in the waiting room for other office visitors. But when I showed the books to the staff, their eyes lit up. I ended up giving every copy I had with me to the hygienists and front desk team and chatting with them about reading, writing, and books in general. I hoped for impressions and instead got four connections and a promise that they’d look up my previous titles, too.

6. Gaining impressions isn’t just up to publishers anymore. Years ago publishers may have been responsible for gaining all of a book’s impressions through advertising, but that’s no longer the case. Authors have the opportunity to offer giveaways on GoodReads.com or swap book ads on blogs with friends. And that’s just a couple ideas.

As always, I recommend working with your publisher’s team. Every publisher has its own strategy, so ask how you can be involved and bring your own ideas to the table.

If you’re not yet published, it’s never too early to begin making connections, discovering the outlets that you feel most comfortable with, and building your network. Then when it’s time to bring your book into the discussion, you’ve got a head start.

Do you struggle with consistently making connections and impressions? Which do you find easier? Are you more apt to be swayed by an impression or a connection? What’s worked best for you to reach readers?

A Promise to Protect

Navy SEAL Matt Waterstone knows about keeping people safe. When his best friend's sister is attacked, Matt promises no harm will come to Ashley Sawyer-not on his watch. But Matt's not the only protective one. Ashley will do anything to safeguard the residents of the battered women's shelter she runs. She's sure she can handle the threats she gets in return. What she can't handle is the way Matt scales the walls around her heart. Yet when she falls prey to a crime web more sinister than she'd realized, trusting Matt could be the only way to survive.

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On Book Starings, er, I mean Book Signings

When I was trying to get published, I dreamt of the moment I would be sitting in a Books A Million or Lifeway signing copies of my novel. Well, that moment has finally arrived.

I just finished up my Atlanta book tour and thought you might be interested in my experience. Man, it was awesome. People waited for hours just to get to meet me and have me sign their copies of Crossing Oceans.

The local papers were really good about covering the events and I even made the front page of a few!

People gushed about my writing, my outfit and how skinny I look in person compared to my pictures. I left feeling really good about myself, my writing, and life in general. I can't wait to do this again!

Um, are you laughing? You are if you've done a few book signings.

Really, it was more like wearing a big sign that says "Kiss me, I'm contagious."

Most of the stores were really good about doing some PR with signs about the store and handing out fliers ahead of time, but not all. In one case, my Atlanta host and good friend, Ane Mulligan, rushed me across town so we would be on time for an evening signing. When we arrived at the store, there was absolutely no indication an author was going to be there doing a signing. I mean not only were there no signs, fliers or anything like that, I mean there were none of my books out, not even a little desk for me to sign at.

Lucky for me, I'd already been humbled a time or two before hand, so I wasn't all that surprised or bothered. I simply said to one of the clerks, "I'm an author who's supposed to be doing a signing here tonight."

He gives me a dull look and says, "Oh yeah, the manager mentioned something about that. I'll get you a chair."

So, there I stand for two hours, handing out promotional book markers and apologizing to people because I don't know where they can find a book on sushi rolling.

In my limited book signing experience, I've had events where I signed hundreds of books, and then others where I've signed just one.

What I've learned in a nut-shell is this: book signings= lessons in humility.
This video pretty much says it all. Here's another article you might find interesting as well.

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Portal to another dimension?

Brandt Dodson was born and raised in Indianapolis and comes from a line of police officers spanning several generations. A writer and a board–certified podiatrist specializing in peripheral nerve surgery, Dr. Dodson, his wife, and their two sons live in Newburgh, Indiana, where he serves as an elder at the First Christian Church. Daniel's Den is his latest novel.

This past weekend I had my first signing for my newly released novel, Daniel’s Den. It was a local signing so I expected turnout to be good. It was. I signed for two and a half hours and had very little downtime. Dozens of books were moved and I got a chance to meet old friends and many new readers.

This, I thought, is what it’s all about.

Wrong.

During one of the few lulls of the afternoon, a very pleasant lady approached my table. I had noticed her earlier, buzzing about, eyes locked on me as she pretended to peruse the many overstocked shelves, so is was no surprise when she finally approached the table behind which I stood. This is not all that uncommon at a book signing as many people are either too shy or too reticent to approach an author.

She asked me how I got published. This is also a rather common question to hear during a book signing, or other author venue, and so I told her my own story and then proceeded to give her advice on how to break in. (Write the best book you can.)
She listened intently then asked me the mother of all questions; a question that no reader has ever asked.

“Do you believe that Evansville (Indiana – the location of the book signing) is a portal to another dimension?”

Unsure if I had heard her correctly, I asked her to repeat the question.

She did, confirming that my hearing was intact.

“No,” I said. “I don’t think so.”

She lowered her voice, leaned across the table and said, “Oh, I do. I think the muse is up there and just beams ideas into our minds.”

After a few more minutes of conversation – in which she told one reader to leave because I was talking to her – she smiled and moved on. When I told my wife about this later that evening, she asked if I wanted to watch “Misery”, the movie starring James Caan and based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. (If you’re a writer, you need to watch it. But read the book, too.)

But as bizarre as the lady’s question may seem, I had to ask myself, “Is Evansville the portal to another dimension?”

Absolutely! In a literary sense, that is.

Our writing – and I’m talking novels, now – should transport our readers to places and times they could not obtain on their own. We should take them to the rain-soaked, wind-swept cliffs of a Gothic romance, to the bowels of the jungle in a military thriller, or to an old man’s cabin by the sea, as Hemingway did in his award-winning classic.

The best novels I’ve read – and I dare say, that you’ve read – are those that take us out of our world and into another. That gives us the chance to live vicariously through characters that are as palpably real as those who share our lives; novels that show us a side of life – or of ourselves - we’ve never seen.

As a writer, that’s the challenge; the brass ring for any novelist.

It’s not about meeting old friends or new readers at a book signing. It’s about the craft. It’s about the writing.

Is Evansville the portal to another dimension?

You bet. And so is the town in which you live, if you’ll settle down, put words to paper, and make it so.

Win a copy of Daniel's Den by leaving a comment on this post. Winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday.

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