Write That Book Already!: The Tough Love You Need To Get Published Now

by Barry, Sam

  Chain stores like Barnes & Noble or Borders make their book-buying decisions at a central national office, though local stores often have a display featuring books of local interest or by local authors. An event at these stores can be either a simple book signing or a reading/discussion followed by Q&A and a signing. Make sure you know what is expected of you before you arrive, so you can be professional and prepared.

  BIG-BOX STORES

  At a warehouse store like Costco or Sam’s Club, a limited variety of titles are piled on a table with no apparent thought given to display or promotion. The fact that the books are there at all is an indication of corporate support, but even these stores will host an occasional book signing. If you are asked to sign at one of these stores, expect to field questions from confused shoppers who want to know where to find the electric toothbrushes or small power tools. You might want to brush up on the lay of the land ahead of time, so you can provide the correct answers. Maybe you can make a little money on the side doing a food demonstration! It can be humbling to sit in a warehouse store with a pile of your books and realize they are, in this context, just that much more merchandise. However, having your books stocked by these stores is good news for an author. Warehouse stores order in large quantities and expose your book to an audience that might not ever find it in other retail settings.

  INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES, HAND-SELLING, AND BUZZ

  Independent bookstores, or small regional chains, are the most likely venues for “hand-selling,” a term you may have heard before. But what does this mean? Hand-selling is the natural extension of that other mysterious term, “bookseller buzz.” Here are a couple of examples of hand-selling at its best.

  Example #1:

  Bookseller: May I help you find something?

  Customer: Oh, would you? I need a gift for my great-aunt, and she’s very hard to please.

  Bookseller: What is she interested in? Do you know what she likes to read?

  Customer: Well, she’s always knitting something. She’s a big believer in conspiracy theories, and there are stacks of Reader’s Digest magazines in her bathroom, going back to the seventies.

  Bookseller: Hmmm . . . how about The Knit Wit Murders, by Livinia Smelt? It involves an international spy ring made up of knitters, and the humor is actually similar to that of Reader’s Digest.

  Customer: Why, that looks perfect! Thank you so much.

  In this first instance, the bookseller is thinking on her feet, trying to come up with the perfect gift for someone she’s never met. Sometimes the bookseller has an ongoing relationship with the customer. They may even be having an affair, but that’s none of our business.

  Example #2:

  Bookseller: Hello, Mrs. Jones, how are you today?

  Customer: Just fine, Eloise. What do you have for me this week?

  Bookseller: Let’s see . . . you read the new Livinia Smelt last week. How did you like it?

  Customer: The story was good, but the humor was a little corny for my taste. I think I liked her Doodle Dumpling series better.

  Bookseller: Ah! Well then, I have something brand-new for you: When the Sparrow Cries Wolf. It’s about mayhem and murder in a bird-watching club. I know you and your husband are bird-watchers, and the quirky humor is reminiscent of the Doodle Dumpling series.

  Customer: I’ll give it a try. You’re sure it isn’t corny?

  Here, the bookseller is working with a regular customer, one whose taste she knows well, and whose past purchases she remembers. This is not the way it works at the big-box stores like Wal-Mart, Costco, etc.

  Example #3:

  Customer (walking in the door): Hello, how are you today?

  Bookseller: Oh, I’m so glad it’s you! How have you been?

  Customer: Okay. You know, work . . . kids . . . never a dull moment. Read any good books lately? (This is a little private joke, and has been going on for years.)

  Bookseller: As a matter of fact, yes! This is hot off the presses, and I think you’ll love it. I read an advanced reader’s copy, and I’ve been recommending it to everyone—the author is a fresh new voice, with a really creative take on the whole vampire craze. (She hands the customer a copy of Tony’s vampire-dog book, Count Barkula.)

  Customer: Hmmm, I was more in the mood for one of those Middle Eastern romance novels, you know, a classic chadorripper. But this looks good, too.

  In this case, the bookseller has fallen in love with one particular title, and is pushing it to everyone she knows. This is the kind of bookseller who can make all the difference in building an author’s career. This is why bookstores, and especially independent ones, matter so much to publishing and why we should support these stores when we can.

  INDIEBOUND

  An extension of handselling is a consortium of independent bookstores called IndieBound, a group that promotes new books and independent bookstores through various means, including a national listing of recommendations. Books that are selected are often displayed on a special table in the store or with shelf talkers (little cards that describe and endorse the book), and publicists love to tout these selections when drumming up publicity for authors whose books are included.

  So, what’s the lesson here for a new author? If you’ve been a good, supportive customer of your neighborhood bookstore (attending author events and buying books in the store, rather than enjoying the free entertainment and then ordering the books for a dollar less online), when your turn as an author rolls around you will already be part of a valuable and important community. The book buyers will know who you are, and will be more likely to order multiple copies of your book. And you’ll have at least one bookstore where you’ll be able to schedule a reading guaranteed to be well-attended by family, friends, and colleagues. Let’s hope they all buy your book!

  SPECIAL MARKETS AND GROUP SALES

  Another way you, as an author, can influence the distribution of your book is to think of non-bookstore retailers who might be a good fit: museums, music stores, health spas, and tourist attractions often sell a selection of related titles. Even hardware and furniture stores have been known to sell books—any retailer, in fact, who thinks money can be made this way is a potential bookseller. Sales to these retailers are often handled by someone identified as a “special markets” or “special sales” rep.

  An area related to special markets is sales to larger groups—for instance, course adoption, when a book becomes part of a school curriculum. This is an essential part of the academic book world and is serious business. Marketing to religious institutions and communities is another large sales opportunity for certain kinds of books.

  Kathy Patrick, a force of nature we know in Jefferson, Texas, owns a combination beauty parlor and bookstore, proving that sales need not be limited to bookstores. Beauty and the Book, as you might imagine, caters to the taste of Southern women (every last one of whom is considered by Kathy to be one of her “girlfriends” and all of whom have marvelous hair).

  Have you written a mystery that takes place at the Grand Ole Opry? The Country Music Hall of Fame has a gift shop. Are you giving a lecture at a health spa? Arrange for your book to be available, even if you have to bring your own copies. Does your subject matter tie into science, or the arts? Museum shops love good books that fit their themes. You get the idea. One way you can help your publisher is to provide ideas and, if possible, contacts, for selling your book outside of traditional bookstores.

  Depending on your publisher and the degree of commitment to your title, you might find your book displayed in bookstore windows, on endcaps (displays at the end of rows of shelves), on display tables, or in other preferential locations. This kind of placement is usually paid for as part of the publisher’s marketing budget—and another reason why if you want bookseller attention it can be an uphill battle to self-publish. Independent booksellers are more likely to display books they like and want to support, regardless of what the publishers are pushing, which is another reason why “bookseller buzz�
� is important.

  BOOKSTORE READINGS AND EVENTS

  Whether or not you end up going on a full-fledged book tour, you are likely to be asked to do at least a couple of readings in bookstores, so it’s a good idea to put a little thought into preparing for these events.

  Bookstore events can be structured several ways. For some kinds of books (celebrity biographies, sports stars’ memoirs) and events (book signings at publishing conventions and trade shows), only an autographing session is expected. The author sits at a table, usually with someone to help out by opening books to the title page, and simply autographs the books.

  Most bookstore events follow this format: reading or discussion, Q&A, and signing. If you’re reading, pick a section that is your best performance piece, not necessarily your best writing. You don’t have to read from the very beginning of the book, but don’t give away any big plot surprises. Our friend Elaine Petrocelli, owner of the wonderful Book Passage stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, tells the story of the mystery writer who came to her store and read the last chapter—yes, the one that gives away the identity of the murderer—to a rapt audience. There were very few books sold that day.

  The reading (or talk, if that’s more appropriate) section should not be more than twenty minutes long; thirty minutes tops. Any more than that, and people will feel like they’ve already read your book—plus, people get antsy, and some need to go to the bathroom.

  How to Sign Your Book like a Pro

  Sign the title page. That is the page inside the book that has both the title of the book and the name of the author on it. Ask the person you’re signing for if he would like an inscription (for example, “To Maurice”). If the answer is yes, make sure you spell the name correctly. Some people will be thrilled to have a book inscribed, or personalized. Other people prefer just a signature and date. Always ask first.

  Some authors like to add a little catch-phrase in addition to their signatures. Maya Angelou writes “Joy!” when she signs books. Matt Groening draws a bunny in each Life in Hell book he signs; Kurt Vonnegut used to draw pictures of faces in profile next to his signature; other authors have special rubber stamps made. It’s fun to think of a phrase or scribble you can add that’s unique to you. Make sure it’s something that can be written, stamped, or drawn quickly, though, in case you attract a long line of autograph seekers—a problem we all want to have. ‹«

  After the reading segment, you can open the floor for questions from the audience. Many of the people who have come to hear you read will be there because they too want to be published writers, and are hoping that some of your mojo will rub off on them. So be sure to put on your mojo lotion that day. Even if you are the world’s foremost expert on flamingo mating habits, you’re bound to get questions along the following lines:

  • “Do you write longhand, or on a computer?”

  • “Do you write every day? What time of day?”

  • “Can you send my manuscript to your agent?”

  • “Can I date your boyfriend?”

  For novelists, all of the above, plus:

  • “Is your work autobiographical?”

  • “Where do you get your ideas?”

  Sometimes you may be tempted to say “None of your business,” or “Get a life”—don’t. Every questioner is a potential buyer or fan. Be professional, be polite, and keep your cool.

  A Bookseller's Two Cents

  Kathleen Caldwell owns A Great Good Place for Books in Piedmont, California, a tiny store where big things happen all the time. Here’s Kathleen’s two cents about why it’s important to support your neighborhood bookstore: “I believe independent bookstores represent community. We donate to your child’s school auction, we supply books for your fundraisers, we know what you like to read, we host presentations on what your book club should read next, we notice when your child loses a tooth or starts to walk, we ask how your mom is doing, and we’re there to support you when you’ve suffered a personal loss. We live and contribute to your neighborhood—it’s important to us that we all thrive.” ‹«

  After the Q&A peters out, you’ll be led to a special table where a bookstore employee (or your media escort) will help you keep the line of fans moving by “flapping” the books (taking the front flap and placing it so the book opens to the title page) and writing the names to be inscribed on little Post-It notes. If the reading is well-attended and there is a long line, this person will help you be more efficient.

  Top-secret tip: you can work out a signal to let your escort or bookseller know if a fan is bothering you. It can be a physical sign, but then you run the risk of scratching an itch on your ear and the next thing you know your favorite auntie is being booted out of the store. We prefer a really stupid-looking pen, one you would never use lightly. Keep it handy but only pick it up if you really mean to communicate the message that “this person is a crazed stalker and I need help,” or, more likely, “this person seems to be oblivious to the throng behind her and is making no signs of moving on anytime soon.”

  If there’s a small or nonexistent crowd, you’ll want to be charming and chat with the bookseller. Sign some copies for the store and don’t forget to say thank you. Although conventional wisdom suggests that signed copies cannot be returned, in many cases this is no longer true—or at least no longer consistent or police-able. However, if you sign extra copies for a bookseller, there is a good chance that an autographed-by-the-author sticker will be slapped on the cover, and the book may even be displayed more prominently.

  BOOK GROUPS

  Book groups (also called book clubs or reading groups) are becoming an increasingly important part of the publishing landscape. Book groups have been around for a very long time, but have recently become kind of a hot new thing with publishers’ marketing departments, who have begun packaging certain books so that they will appeal to these groups. It’s not unusual to find group discussion questions (or reading group guides) inserted as appendices to novels. Sometimes local newspapers will coordinate reading groups and provide or suggest titles to read.

  Famous book clubs like Oprah’s (well, there’s nothing really like Oprah’s except Oprah’s) can make a world of difference for an author, and the One City, One Book (or One Book, One City) community reading programs can also make a big difference. Led by libraries or other civic or civic-minded organizations, these programs encourage everyone in the community to read the same book. But even smaller—way smaller—groups can have an effect. The magic ingredient is word of mouth; one group loves a book and spreads the word to friends in other groups, and before you know it you have a national bestseller like The Red Tent or The Kite Runner. Both of those books caught fire sometime after their original publication, due to book group interest.

  TRUE-LIFE ACCOUNTS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOK GROUPS

  Kathy Patrick’s Pulpwood Queens book club has grown to include hundreds of chapters, mostly in the South and Southeast. Kathy hosts an annual “Girlfriend Weekend” for authors and chapter members in her hometown of Jefferson, Texas—and we know it’s a great event because we’ve been there. Here are a few words from Kathy herself, about the importance of book groups:

  “I never knew just how important being a part of a book group was until I started The Pulpwood Queens of East Texas. Six women arrived for that first meeting who were, seriously, virtual strangers. These women grew to be really more than just great friends; they have become my book family. As chapters sprang up all over the country and the world, my world has been expanded beyond my belief. Before I started my book club, The Pulpwood Queens—now the largest ‘meeting and discussing’ book club in the world—my life’s focus was on my family and work, period.

  “The difference between life with or without a book club is the difference between cornbread and a sublime and decadent cake. Cornbread is good and sustaining but we want our cake and to eat it too! The fact that new places, cultures, and worlds have opened our eyes to the splendor of our imaginations both on a
nd off the page through our own life’s experiences, has made reading as important in our lives as the basic needs of air, water, and shelter. And I haven’t even mentioned all the wonderful authors with whom we have met and shared our book club meetings and festivals. The community of shared reading has given us all the tools we need to not only have a productive life but one that is truly valuable, a life that is a true celebration of living.”—Kathy L. Patrick, founder of The Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs and author of The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life

  Ann Kent’s Book Group Expo has hosted hundreds of authors and thousands of eager readers and book group members at an annual event in San Jose, California, as well as smaller satellite events all over the San Francisco Bay Area. A successful businesswoman, Ann started BGE (www.bookgroupexpo.com) because she loved her own book group and wanted to forge a connection with other groups to find out what they were reading. Here’s Ann, on the importance of book groups:

  “For many, reading is a solitary experience, as is the writing that produced the book that is being read. Poetic justice is served when book groups and authors connect. They need each other. Book clubs and reading groups are all about community and conversation. When authors connect directly—in person, via the telephone, or on a blog—their writing is enriched, and so is the world of books.