Author Authorly and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Book Signing (that turned out all right)

I had my debut book signing yesterday. I learned few things. Here's the obligatory blog post :P

My book officially "came out" on Sept 1st, 2012 and a book signing was scheduled for October 27th. I was excited and ready to barrel ahead and take over the world. I ordered postcards and author copies and rack cards and other such Authorly Behavior. I figured I would get a story in the paper and hand out all my postcards plenty early. I thought maybe I would even take a day or two off work the week before and do nothing but write on my current project, just to celebrate. But when the time finally rolled around, it was clear the master plan was straying from my carefully drawn lines.

About two weeks before, a library co-worker asked what I had to set up on my tables and how long I would need before. I stopped. I thought. Set up? I had books. Books and pens. Surely that's all I would need for a book signing. They were going to have food. I just needed the books, right? Well, it was suggested that maybe I get some antiques to put around or some reenacting gear, since it is an historical fiction. A table cloth might be nice too. All right.

I haven't reenacted in over 5 years and I gave away everything antiquey when I moved, so I was sure I was out of luck. Still, I went home and rummaged through the closets thinking perhaps I'd left a victrola or something somewhere and forgotten about it. Nope. But I still had time. I'd figure it out later.

Awhile before this I asked the newspaper for a story. They said no because I was self-published. (Even though I know of other self-published authors and bands that had independently recorded their albums having had stories in the paper. Maybe they were just as stubborn as I was.) At any rate, since it was a community event, sponsored by the library, I got an interview. I hoped the story would be out at least a week before the signing.

The week of my book signing arrived and when I went to sign a day off I was offered more hours. Being the starving artist I am I couldn't say no, so I just figured I'd work a lot and have my book signing as a reward. No problem.

Yes, problem.

Monday night I woke up ill. Not just ill. Beloved coming back from the dead crawling up out of the river ill. I had 8 hours scheduled Tuesday and I almost cried when I called in sick since I had taken Saturday off for my book signing. So I wallowed in despair under the covers and dragged myself out Wednesday.

It was then I checked around and found that no story had been published yet in the paper. I would have to wait until Friday, the day before the event. I also realized I only had two days to find display pieces for my table. Panic set in.

Thursday night I was emailed a proof of the story that would run in the paper. Sure it would be a day before, but at least it was in. No problem.

Yes… Problem.

There was some incorrect information about my freelance work, my protagonists name was spelled wrong and I was quoted as having used "Creative Space" to publish my book. I immediately called the editor and asked if changes could be made. No, it had already gone to print. But a correction could be put in at a later date.

I was upset but even I knew I was being somewhat petty. I mean, what would the headline read? Author Angry that Name of Person She Made Up Spelled Wrong. No, no correction. At least the date and time of the signing was correct.

So, I was still sick the day before and at work someone at the grocery asked if I was excited about the big book signing. "Oh," I said, "Honestly I'll be happy when it's over."

He then told me that was a sad attitude to have and I couldn't possibly expect people to pay money for something I wasn't even proud of.

Well, I wanted to go on a longwinded explanation that I was high as a kite on meds, had been misquoted in the only press about the book, and still didn't even have a table cloth. Not to mention I had gone from typing 700 words a day on my current project to 0 words a day in a stagnant pool of literary doom. But I was losing my voice so I shortened it to something like, "Here are your bananas, have a nice day."

I went on break and took more pills and stewed over the comment. Then I decided he was right. There was nothing I could do about the newspaper article, but I should definitely take some action to show pride in the book and the signing. I began picking every crevice of my brain for interesting, fall or history themed items to spice up my table. In a fit of medicinal desperation I bought the only thing I could think of at the grocery: a basketful of decorative gourds.

When I got them home I laid out the bumpy alien monstrosities over the coffee table and had a nervous breakdown. GOURDS? What was I thinking? I went to take a nap and recollect my thoughts, but the best I got was gluing googly eyes on one and setting it on my table in front of my books. Then I would sneak off into a corner with cookies and a bottle of peach schnapps and have an enjoyable time. Then maybe if Author Gourd said anything, people would listen close enough to get its quotes right.

Upset that I was actually wanting to send a googly-eyed gourd in my place to my first ever book signing I placed a text to fellow local author Laurie Hartman who I have worked with at events and always has a spectacular table. I asked to borrow some book stands. She texted back that indeed I could and she'd bring some antiquey things to set around. Hallelujah! I collapsed in a heap of neurosis for the night.

I got up on Saturday and didn't have to take medicine. Good sign. And then my husband surprised me with an electric blanket that I've been wanting for awhile. (Best husband ever, I would like readers to know).

I luckily had the foresight to make a list and unlike every other big event in my life (graduations, wedding) I didn't forget anything! And Laurie swooped in with her gear and she and my family set up a beautiful display while I was helping/pacing around like a maniac/playing with gourds.

The signing itself went well. I sold 11 books off the table and several people that came in had already bought books. In all I'd say I signed between 25-30 books. My voice held out for a reading and some people pleasantly surprised me by having had already read the book! One or two also commented on the newspaper article, so all was not lost on that.
Most of my RSVP's didn't show up, which wasn't much of a surprise since A) they were mostly on Facebook and B) 1/3 of the RSVP's to my wedding a few years ago didn't show so I was prepared. People get sick, things come up, and some people may have just not planned to come anyway. So my best advice is to plan for the RSVP'd people but don't be too sad if they don't show up.
Also, after some postings on Facebook I got some requests from both friends and through my email to order a book after the signing, so don't think that you won't sell after the signing's over.

I will definitely want to promote more beforehand for my next book, in more creative ways and at more places. I was happy with the turnout especially as busy as I have been and that I did not promote as much as I could.

The experience cemented the fact that I will have to build on events and get creative with promotions. Also that it takes more than gourds and I'm lucky to have a great support system of family, friends and readers.

I am starting out small but mighty, and I can't wait for the next step.

Proof myths debunked

With the publishing of my first full-length novel, "19 Years 10 Months 24 Days," I learned a lot about publishing that had up to that point been much theorizing and philosophy. One of the most interesting discoveries was the function of a proof in the publishing process. Here are a few misconceptions that I had. I shall call them myths, and debunk them accordingly.

I used createspace in a DIY fashion, formatting the ebook and directing the cover with my own photo and online tools. When I got the proof in the mail, it was very groovy and pretty much "that" experience that an author has. However, I had to run off to work, so I left the proof to look at later. I closed that night, and I got home an hour and a half later than usual, so I was dead tired. I ate some food and went to bed with my flashlight to read under the covers (so as not to wake the spouse unit) and wind down, as usual. For the fun of it, I decided to go ahead and read my proof, not expecting to edit, just to read. I got five sentences in and realized that reading in bed was a much, much different experience than going over my manuscript poised at my desk with a cup full of something caffeinated. Which brings me to…

Myth #1 − A digital proof is just as good as a physical one.

Now this is only a partial myth as the online and digital proofs generated on createspace were, in my opinion, very good. There was nothing in the physical proof that was not shown in the digital/PDF proofs. If you understand the PDF and digital layouts, you can make all the changes needed to have a well-formatted proof. I would have no problem approving a book for distribution after only seeing the digital proofs, if I had to.

The reading experience, however, was very different in print. I was amazed at how many things I caught that I had not found in my digital editing. I had even read the manuscript backward, five pages at a time to try to isolate emotional ties and dissect the passages from the holistic view that made me skip over words. Even more, things that I had left in intentionally trying to be artsy and descriptive did not work in my brain at midnight in bed with my flashlight. It took seeing a print version to realize many changes to make the book more reader friendly. It's very psychological. It soon became clear that there would be more than one proof to be ordered. Which debunks…

Myth #2 − Your proof is so close to done that it’s just kind of a formality/fun thing for an author to have.

I thought that I would order my proof, fix a few things here and there, and be ready to distribute in a week.

Three months later…

The first proof ended up having edits on almost every page. Having the physical proof gave me a whole new perspective, and one I really needed. I think some authors are so excited to be at the final stages of publishing that they get their proof looking to not find things to change instead of seeing the proof as a stage in the editing process. From this experience I will be ordering a physical proof earlier in the process to use specifically for editing, just because it helped me so much. I know all authors are different and with the rise of ebooks, some authors may have a better eye for screen-editing, but it's good for me to know that the print proof makes a big difference. But if you want my advice, print or screen, don't ever say "Oh, it's okay, I'll leave it" when going over your proof. Your proof is the chance to make changes before there's a copy in the library or people have bought it and you are confessing that there were too many mistakes and you will be uploading a newer version. And yeah, if I order a proof earlier, it will mean ordering more proofs. At CS, to print my book was $3.68 and another $4.00 or so to ship. To me, $7.00 a proof is worth what it allows me to do, editing-wise. And with the DIY capabilities with CS, the only costs I had directly with publishing the book were proofs. Around $21.00 when it was done. Another bit of advice: it will take more than one proof, but, don't fall prey to…

Myth #3 − It doesn’t matter how many times you go over it, you will always want to keep changing things in an endless spiral of doom.

As a writer, I've heard a million times, "Oh, I could never write a book, I'd never be happy with it and just need to keep changing it!" That's great, but my personal experience was, it did shape up the way I wanted it. The first proof was a disaster, but the second proof was much better. The third was even better and I was happy with where it was at. At that point, I took advantage of the digital proofs and formatting the ebooks for my final edits and then approved the proof for distribution. Changes and edits are good, but don't let some artistic cliché like that statement interfere with the process, because if you believe you will never be happy with it, you'll be more likely to skip over changes that do need to be made.


I'm gearing into the editing phase on Matilda's first print book, and I'm eager to put my new knowledge to the test and learn some more. Any other experiences out there with the wonderful, beguiling proof? Share in the comments!

Don't buy my book (Unless you want to)

I know this pitch sounds like the epitome of reverse psychology marketing, but I’m sincere when I say, if you don’t want to buy my book… don’t.

I think books should be like toasters. You want a toaster because it serves a purpose. To deliver delicious, yummy, gooey poptarts, strudels, or warmed bread on a cold morning or just whenever you want a damn piece of toast. It must work, and you must enjoy it. Otherwise, it’s just a hunk of metal taking up counter space where you could have something you really want, like a waffle maker or a Fry Daddy.

I feel the same way about books. If a reader isn’t enjoying reading a book, they have every right not to read it. (Literature majors, you are excluded this right. Go finish Billy Budd and stop whining.) But even more so, if they know that some genre/topic/era isn’t for them, they shouldn’t feel obligated to buy the book just because the author wrote it. Now I’m not saying don’t try something new -- I’ve been to book signings initially believing I would not enjoy the book the writer wrote only to have a new favorite author a few weeks later. I’m open minded. But if nothing − the cover, the blurb, the author’s philosophy/promo manners − makes me tick, I have no use buying their book if I’m not going to even read it, let alone enjoy it.

I’m not saying I think my book sucks and I’m protecting you and me from a heap of embarrassment by saying don’t read it. Contraire. I happily invite any book club that wants to rip my book to shreds with scrutiny of what makes an enjoyable read and give me the good, bad, awesome and putrid. (You think I’m joking, but book clubs can be vicious.)

What I’m saying is I wrote a historical time travel concentrating on the Underground Railroad in Nebraska and not everyone is going to be into that premise. If you do enjoy that premise, and like a little mystery and more character development, then I’ve taken my time and written you a good story and I hope you enjoy it. If you think you might be interested, by all means, check it out. But if you’re looking at the cover with a tombstone and an 1851 pistol wondering “Where’re the zombies?” wait until my next book. There will be zombies.

Sales don't matter as much to me as readers. I have a pile of books that I haven’t read, but felt obligated to buy at the time because the author gave me that sad, longing “you don’t support the arts unless you buy my book” look as they held out their blood-and-guts ink-and-paper baby to me and I caved. Really, it does no one any good, and I don’t want to be that author.

So there you have it. Seven years, a billion (give or take) drafts and read throughs, and if it’s not your thing, I’m cool with that. If it is your thing, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Let me be your toaster. I won’t let you down.

-AJ

Print book cover. No, the dead people in the cemetery do not rise and conquer. Well, not the way you're thinking.