Why I Go To Conferences and Other Events

While I was at Malice, a friend who is a New York Times bestselling author told me that her agent said, "At this point in your career, you no longer need to do personal appearances."

Wow.

I don't know what to think about that. I mean, I understand. At a certain point, your name is well-known and the bookstores are delighted to stock your books. So, I guess you don't have to do so much to promote yourself.

But...I get a lot out of conferences. Oh, sure, I'm still tired and I'm terribly behind. But, I had learned about a new sort of book on tape at the Howard County Library, I met some authors who I hope will become friends, I re-kindled my friendship with other authors, a group of us discussed promotional methods that work, I had the chance to brainstorm a plot with Casey Daniels as we drove to Festival of Mystery, I chatted with another NYT bestseller about when to switch agents and why you should ignore some advice from your author friends, I visited a college bookstore that will now carry my books, I moved a lot of books (the bookstores at Malice sold out of my books and Mystery Lovers sold a lot of copies as well), and I spent time with my fans. Whew.

So faced with the pile up on my desk, I wondered: Did I spend my time wisely?

Then I sent an email to Charlaine Harris asking for a favor. She emailed me that she'd get back to me after she returned home from her tour.

Her tour?

Gee. If Charlaine Harris thinks it's still important to "circulate," shouldn't I be out there pressing the flesh, too? I mean, you can't get any more popular than Charlaine!


Here I am with my Midnight Ink brothers and sisters at Malice before the big dinner.



That's me begging forgiveness from Meredith Cole. I left her out of the list of people who were at the Mysterious Women panel at Howard County Library. And she was sitting right next to me. How ditzy is that? Meredith wrote Posed for Murder, which is about a photographer in New York who becomes embroiled in real life murders when her fantasy pictures are recreated by a killer.



Deb Sharp is one of my favorite people. She writes the "Mama" series. The upcoming one is Mama Gets Hitched. Deb explains, "Mama likes getting married so much that she's doing it again for the fifth time!" As a former journalist, she's committed to doing her research. For one book, she rode a horse across central Florida.



Jan, one of my Pittsburgh fans, made the Stovetop Cookies from my website. Need I confess I gobbled them down on the ride back to D.C.?



I love photos of doors. This one of a church in Pittsburgh was particularly appealing.

Stand Up to Sell Your Books

A couple of weeks ago, I attended Festival of Mystery. I'm not sure how many books I had to sell--must have been 20 or two dozen at least. I sold out in the first hour and a half. After I sold out, I started taking orders for my books. That resulted in selling another 18 or so copies of my books. (Now, remember--I was standing there without anything to show people in a room full of other authors competing for sales. So I think that 18 or so more copies was a real test!)

Later, another author asked me, "I noticed you stood up the whole time. Why?"

I stand up at signing events for these reasons:

1. It pumps up my energy, and I want to be focused so I can give my all to fans.

2. It makes me easier to approach. When you are sitting behind a pile of books, you can remind folks of bad moments facing authority figures. (We've all had those.) Instead, I want fans and potential fans to come on over and say, "Hi!"

3. It makes it easier for me to call out to people who walk by. If they were milling about, I'd say, "Hi! May I tell you about my book?" And usually, they'd say, "Sure!" Even if they didn't buy, I tried to make new friends. After all, they were there because it was a book sale. They, I assume, were all readers. They might decide my book would be great for them--or for a friend.

4. It makes it easier for me to communicate. We love looking into people's eyes, don't we? Did you know that our pupils flare when we are viewing something that makes us happy? So, I want people to see me--and I want to lock eyes with them. I want them to know I think they are important.

5. I want to be seen over the pile of books. Um, I'm short, so this is important!

Does standing up make me more successful? I dunno. But, I come from a betting family. If I had to lay odds on it, I'd say, yes, standing really does improve my chances of making a sale.

Here's the news release Richard and Mary Alice sent following Festival of Mystery:

On Monday May 4, 2009 at the Greek Church Hall in Oakmont was the scene of the crime. Dozens of volunteers and the crack team of Mystery Lovers staff pulled of an amazing retail event--- the 14th Mystery Lovers Bookshop Festival of Mystery---with loads of good feeling all around. Thanks to our staff and volunteers as well as the authors and publishers who make it all happen.

In the pouring rains the folding chairs came out and from 1:15 until the 4PM opening folks lined up around the building to be among the first 100 to score a bag of free books donated by our generous publishers----Harper, Random House, Midnight Ink, Simon &Schuster, St Martins and Penguin. Folks who value the entertainment of reading came from all over Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan and Indiana. In 8 minutes the freebies were gone and the real shopping commenced. Fueled by the goodies sold by the Riverview National Honor Society, readers mingled with other readers and with writers during the four hour event.

Armed with a bibliography they received when buying their tickets, and the full story of 40 authors from the US and Canada in the latest newsletter, lists were scrupulously reviewed and over 300 readers came prepared to meet new friends who write mystery books and old friends met in past years. By the time Richard’s interviews with the 13 new writers began, eight long lines of shoppers were lined up to take home piles of new mystery books.

In four hours, 1806 books were sold----a 15% increase over last year. At almost 8 books a minute sold, it was a recession defying achievement. The raffle for our charity Beginning with Books netted over $500……a new high. The gift baskets donated by our media sponsor WDUQ, authors who couldn’t make it to the Festival this year, and many attending, were swept up by grateful readers.

A happy and grateful group of Mystery Lovers once again thank all those who make this the largest and longest running book festival in this region.

Richard Goldman & Mary Alice Gorman
Mystery Lovers Bookshop
514 Allegheny River Boulevard
Oakmont, PA 15139
412/828-4877