If it looks
like a duck and quacks like a duck, is it a duck? Probably, although I once
knew of a roadrunner that quacked like a duck. Maybe it had voice issues?
So is a lemon
always a lemon? No.
Many moons
ago I was invited to do an author presentation at an RV park. The woman who
managed the park said they were full and many of the RVers were readers. She
thought it would be a great venue for me. I drove to the RV park, unloaded all
of my books and promotional goodies, and set up in the recreation room. Several
people arrived and sat at the tables. I thought this was going to be a killer
event.
As I started
to speak, people began talking to each other. A couple of men even played
poker. The funny thing was that I kept receiving odd looks, like “What the heck is she doing?” I had no
clue what was going on.
It turned out
the manager hadn’t told anyone who I was or what I was doing there. She’d
simply told everyone that if they came to the Recreation Room, there would be
free ice cream. Talk about feeling foolish! But that’s the life of a writer.
You never know what’s going to happen.
In that case, I didn’t sell one single book, no one listened to me, and I didn’t
even receive any free ice cream.
Oh, well, it
was a good experience. Yes, I said good. You have to learn to take the good
with the bad. I once did a book signing at a Senior Center. I figured it was
good exposure, although I didn’t expect to sell many books. Uh, with one
exception, I sold more at the Senior Center than at any other event I’ve ever
done. You just never know what’s going to happen.
Fast forward
a few years. I spent an entire day at a book fair in the park. What a great
place to sell books, right? Nope. I don’t know if it was the economy or what,
but there weren’t all that many people buying books. A few people stopped to
tell me they’d enjoyed a radio interview I’d done a few days earlier, but they
weren’t buying either.
However,
while at the park I was invited to speak to a writers’ group about marketing
and promotion, and I was invited to do a presentation for a civic group. I was
able to do a lot of networking, and I made a few new friends. The weather was
beautiful and although the wind was blowing, it felt good. I got out of my
office and enjoyed a park setting. Sales or no sales, it turned out to be a
glorious day. I got a little sun, had a tasty hot dog and chatted with some
interesting people.
I once did a
spot on the morning news in Northern Nevada. The station called me later in the
day to tell me how well I did. They also asked me to call the Mayor’s wife who
had an offer of a large arts and craft fair she wanted me to attend. I also got
another presentation out of the appearance.
So even if
you feel frustrated and things don’t go quite the way you planned, don’t lose
heart. There’s always the next event, and the one after that. You never know
what might come from the experience.
You may sell
a ton of books, or you might not sell any. However, any way you look at it,
it’s exposure for you and your books, and experience is the best teacher. It
gives people the opportunity to get to know you, and if they like what they
see, your name will be tossed around like a great big red rubber ball.
The frosting
on the author’s cake is meeting new and interesting people.
Have you, as
an author or a reader, had any
memorable experiences that made you spread the word?
Until next
time, remember that Christmas isn’t all that far off and books make great
gifts. (Don’t snarl at me because I’ve already mentioned a holiday.)
CLICK HERE to
visit Marja McGraw’s website
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