Now that my novel is published — as evidenced by the ten boxes of soft cover books stashed in my closet — I’ve been contacting various organizations to schedule author talk/book signing events. Lots of groups are seeking speakers for their monthly meetings, so this part of the marketing plan has been quite satisfying.
The local garden club scheduled me to speak at their March meeting, but when their January speaker broke her kneecap and had to cancel, the club’s organizer asked if I could step in at the last minute. Of course, I said ‘Of course!’
To prepare, I created a list of points to address and reviewed it with my writers group. With their additional suggestions, I rewrote the topics onto colored index cards, which kept me organized as I moved from one card to the next. I strayed only a few times when a funny anecdotes came to mind.
On that cold and windy night, seventeen club members braved the elements to attend, sitting entranced as I spoke about the reason I decided to write a mystery and the source of my initial idea. I explained the various stages of digging into research, developing the setting, creating the characters, firming up the plot, working with an editor, and the final steps of publishing. Of the 14 softcover books that I brought with me, only three were carried back home. I consider that a success for my first time out!
With additional author talks in the planning stages, here are a few already written on the calendar:
…end of January, bookstore in Attleboro, MA
…mid March, my sister’s library in Topton, PA [working to schedule other venues that same week while I’m in the area]
…end of March, library in Easton, MA
…early April, library in Mansfield, MA
…end of April, Friends of Senior Center, Norton, MA
In addition, I’m waiting to hear from Women of Today groups, senior centers, other local libraries, the women’s link of my local Chamber of Commerce, and a private book club. Also, the past president of a national mystery book exchange club has suggested me to her local library in Cranberry, NY, which may end up as a summer program. Plus a member of my writers group introduced me to her friend from Schenectady, NY, who has put me in touch with her local bookstore for a possible summer event. And finally, I’m waiting for a response from the director of my hometown library in Smyrna, DE.
As each organization moves from a potential venue to a scheduled author talk, my excitement mounts.
How much fun is this?
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During March and April, I’ve been fortunate to give my author talk at libraries here in Massachusetts, PA and DE, plus a senior complex in MD. Some have been well attended, others not so much. Regardless of the amount of PR efforts, there’s no way to predict the number of readers who will make the effort to hear an unknown author speak. I try not to take it personally, but simply appreciate those who do show up, and share my writing journey with all the enthusiasm I can muster.
Debi Graham-Leard 