Book Readings 101

 QUESTION:  I’ve been invited to do a book reading.  How should I handle it?  Should I sell books?

I've done a number of book reading and attended even more times at various colleges and science fiction conventions.

If your reading is sponsored by a group of people or a bookstore, ask whoever is running it how long they'd like you to read.   If you have no limit, around thirty minutes or a bit less is a good number to aim at unless you are the only reader.  In that case, around 45 minutes to an hour is better.

If you run short, you can always answer questions or read a bit more if the crowd wants you to.

If you're there to promote a book, by all means read from it.  Pick a chapter or scene that is interesting and dramatic.  Give a brief introduction about what the book is about and set the scene within the book for what you are reading if it isn't the first chapter.

When I'm reading but not promoting a particular book, I'll read a light and mildly funny short story.   

I do a special voice for each character so I make certain I remember how they sound.  If there's lots of dialogue without tags like "Jack said," I will add it as I read to make certain people know who is saying what.  

Practice the reading a number of times and use a watch to see if it lasts long enough.

Most writers get really nervous so they read really fast. Make yourself slow down and focus on the words and story, not on your nerves.  Find a friendly face in the audience to read to.  

Look up occasionally and smile at people or just acknowledge your audience.  

I always print out a copy in a large font so I'm less likely to stumble over words, and, if I intend to hold the manuscript in my hand because there isn't a podium, I will back the manuscript with a piece of light cardboard so it doesn't wobble around, and I lay each page down as I read so the audience won't become mesmerized by flopping pages.  

If you have an e-reader or a tablet, save your reading in a larger font.

If there are spots you want to emphasize, underline them or leave a note to yourself on the side.

As to what to bring, if you will be sitting at a table, a means to display your book or a large copy of your cover is good.  I use plate display stands.  Others use picture frame stands.  Some authors have a standup sign with their name on it in a font large enough to see from the audience.

A bottle of water or soda is good to have because it can be closed.  

Selling your book depends on the venue.  If it's a bookstore, they will handle the sales, but you may want to have extra books in your trunk in case they run out of stock. Mention you have them before the reading so someone can get the books if the audience is big.  Before you leave, make sure you are paid for those extra books. Some bookstores love to have you autograph their copies of the book, others do not.  Ask before signing them.

If it isn't at a bookstore and the sponsor is agreeable to you selling books, bring someone with you to sell the books so you are free to chat with people and autograph your books.

Round off the price of the book in dollars so you won't have to worry about lots of coins. It's best to lower the price than bring it up.   Make sure your seller has plenty of petty cash to give change.  Your first buyer will always have a fifty dollar bill, and everyone else will have twenties so you'll need the petty cash.  You can also turn your iPhone into a card reader so you can accept credit cards.  

Mostly, though, have a good time.  People are there to support you, not to heckle you, so you are among friends.

Here's an link to an article I wrote on how Mark Twain promoted his books which should also prove of use.  

http://mbyerly.blogspot.com/2008/02/booksigning-advice-from-mark-twain.html 

Reinventing Yourself

QUESTION: In a recent interview, a famous author said that she has reinvented herself (changed what she wrote) three times. Why did she do this?

Almost everyone who writes long enough for the NY conglomerate publishers has to reinvent themselves or leave publishing.

Markets die. For example, when the historical romance market faded drastically some years back, many of its writers started writing contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

Publishers die or drop lines, and some authors are trapped in contracts that won't allow them to move their successful series to another publisher or write anything in direct competition to their series so they have to make a major change in direction with a new and very different series.

Selling numbers can fall to a point that no publisher wants her books so the author has to start over with a new name.

Authors change. One successful paranormal romance author lost her young child, and she left paranormal romance and started writing inspirational novels.

Some authors get bored.

Other authors are trend whores (their term) who change with the shifting popularity of types of books.

The danger with the constant shift in types of books is that you lose fans every time you make a shift, and you have to work extra hard at marketing yourself to a new group of people.

The most successful way to reinvent yourself is to build a brand with a certain type of books, write at least six, then start a second series or type of book that shares many of the same readers. Then you publish at least one book of each type every year.

Literary vs Genre, Defining the Debate

 A debate I often see on various websites is the value/worthiness of genre novels in comparison to literary fiction. Usually, it’s genre writers fighting back at what they perceive as a slight against what they write.  Unfortunately, most don’t have a clue about the difference between popular genre and literary fiction so their arguments make little sense.  I thought I’d rectify that problem.  

The simplest comparison between literary fiction and popular/genre fiction is that literary fiction is about the telling of the story, popular fiction is about the story itself. 

In literary fiction, the author is always evident through the flashy style and the use of complex structure.  Plot isn’t important. A common technique found in literary fiction is the frame story where someone in the present is looking into the past, or the end of the novel is revealed at the beginning.  In other words, time in most stories isn't linear, and the reader doesn't read primarily to know what happens next and how it turns out in the end.  This technique emphasizes character over plot.

In genre fiction, the writer should be invisible, and the reader should be part of the story and not really aware of the writer and the way he's putting the story together.  Anything that breaks this "dream state" is a failure on the writer's part.  

In literary fiction, the opposite is true.  The language draws attention to itself, and the reader pauses to think, "My, what an excellent use of metaphor and language!  I think I'll reread that again."  This is what the literary writer aims for.

In recent years, since the big publishers now demand decent sales from literary writers, authors have been using genre techniques in literary fiction or vice versa in order to widen their audiences.