Tales of an Author Event
Terry Odell
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to participate in a library’s annual “Mountain of Authors” event. I’ve been part of this event for quite a number of years, but this year, things were different. There was a new event organizer, which might have accounted for some of the changes, but I doubt she was working alone.
In the past, as in this year, the event includes two programs: a panel discussion and a keynote speaker with time in between to encourage library patrons to visit the authors’ tables. It takes place in the library’s meeting room and is open to the public at no charge. Tables for authors who’d been approved to participate were set up in the periphery of the room. My guesstimate, since I never actually counted the tables, was somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty author tables. They also used to include lunch for the authors, given the event ran from noon to five, not counting setup and breakdown time. This year, only water and a couple of packaged snacks.
Also this year, they decided to accommodate more authors. Authors were also permitted to bring their own tables, which increased the number of participants even more. Over eighty. And they spread them out through the entire upper level of the library, which is a huge space. A few authors were inside the program room, but most tables were set up outside the venue, including mine. My guess is traditionally published authors got priority for premium space, but that’s just a guess. Given that was one of the questions on the application form, I’m calling it an educated guess.
They tried to assign tables based on genres and my space was in the “Mystery Authors” section. That being the case, I decided to focus on my Mapleton series when deciding which books to bring. When I checked my inventory, I realized I had only the three newest Mapletons, so I added some stand alone romantic suspense books as well.
Events like this are a time investment. It’s an hour drive down the mountain for me. Then it’s unloading everything and setting up my table. The program was scheduled to start at noon, and I arrived at eleven to set up. My assigned section turned out to be in an area adjacent to … nothing. A couple of activity rooms, but nowhere near any books, which is what library patrons are most interested in. Thus, there was very little traffic to the tables in that section, and what traffic there was consisted primarily of the other 79 authors wanting to see who was there, say hi, get ideas for their own tables.
Many of us were repeat attendees, so it was nice to see familiar faces. It was nice to chat with the authors on nearby tables. The author to one side of me was there with his first book and were excited to go to events. They had a huge stand up banner with quotes of all the great reviews his book had gotten. His wife was the “talker-upper” and did the book pitching.
On the other side of me was a man who’d brought the most recent book in his series because it was the only one he’d indie published and the only one he could get copies of. His table was the first one on our side of the “aisle” and as people entered, he jumped up from behind his table and walked up to everyone coming in, and gave his sales pitch. I got the feeling that a lot of those people felt they were being encroached upon, so I stayed behind my table and, after they’d left him, invited them to partake of some of my swag to get a conversation started.
The types of people I encountered,no different from those I’ve encountered at every event I’ve ever been part of:
- “If I make eye contact, I’ll have to buy something, so I’ll scan the table and walk by.”
- “I like these books, but I didn’t bring any money today.”
- “Do these come in ebook?”
- “Can I get it in audio?”
- “I need to check all the tables before I buy anything.” (After reading the back cover copy on every book I had on display).
- And then there was the guy who wanted to read a sample, so he picked up the book and opened it to a random page about 1/4 of the way through. So much for hooking readers on page one!
On the bright side, nobody asked where the restrooms were.
My overall takeaways?
The setup was too large, and some areas were VERY low traffic.
People who come to libraries tend to borrow books, not buy them, which was no different this year. Attending these functions is more about meeting people, getting your name out there.
Chatting with people instead of staring at a computer screen is a healthy change of pace.
Did I sell any books? Yes. Two of my stand alone romantic suspense books, so if you’re all about the money, this was a loss. On the other hand, people did pick up my post it notes and business cards, so my name is in front of a lot more people.
The author and wife pair sold one. The get up and grab-’em guy swapped books with another author and I think he had one sale. What was interesting was one woman he’d approached had been an exchange student in the town in Italy where one of his books was set. He didn’t have that book with him, but she went to the nearest Barnes & Noble and bought it, then brought it back to the venue so he could sign it.
Would it have been better had my table been somewhere else? Maybe. Peeking into the program room showed mostly empty seats, so maybe the program wasn’t a draw to begin with. The other side of the library (where the books are) might have been a better location.
Would I do it again with the same setup? I don’t know, but I have a year to think about it.
What about you, TKZers? Any stories to share?
Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings
Deadly Ambitions
Peace in Mapleton doesn’t last. Police Chief Gordon Hepler is already juggling a bitter ex-mayoral candidate who refuses to accept election results and a new council member determined to cut police department’s funding.
Meanwhile, Angie’s long-delayed diner remodel uncovers an old journal, sparking her curiosity about the girl who wrote it. But as she digs for answers, is she uncovering more than she bargained for?
Now, Gordon must untangle political maneuvering, personal grudges, and hidden agendas before danger closes in on the people he loves most.
Deadly Ambitions delivers small-town intrigue, political tension, and page-turning suspense rooted in both history and today’s ambitions.
Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”
Your experience at a library event sounds like mine. I don’t consider book signings a good investment of time if I only look at book sales—especially at a library. But it’s a great way to connect with readers.
Right, Pat, and you have to remind yourself your goal is multi-pronged, not strictly about money.
Terry, in my experience, library events are hit and miss, depending largely on the director and uncertain funding. Years ago, a former director stuck us authors in a basement meeting room where attendees needed to take an elevator to get there. Books were upstairs. Needless to say, a bust.
A couple of years ago, a new director arranged a venue on the grounds of a landmark mansion with tented areas and refreshments for purchase as a fundraiser. She set up numerous author panels and talks for about 20 authors. Then it rained.
Despite the downpour, about 40 people with raincoats and umbrellas listened to our three-author mystery panel. Then they bought books. Talk about dedicated readers!
Ya just never know. That’s why we take all opportunities we can to meet readers. “Multi-pronged” is right!
Thanks for sharing, Debbie. Definitely hit or miss, and my thoughts about this one are more misses than hits, but I can only judge by what I saw in my little corner. Given it wasn’t really ‘safe’ to leave all our books and materials unattended to see the program, I have no idea how that part of the program went.
My experience was similar to yours until about eight weeks ago. Most events had little traffic and the people who claim they didn’t bring money are always a little strange since it is a book selling event. Then I was invited to be a panelist and author at the library’s annual reader fest. I have been invited to sit on panels and give presentations before and the building was empty so I had no idea what to expect. I prepared as I always do and wow was I glad I did. My panel was packed. It is one of the largest audiences I’ve presented to. The vendors and layout was amazing, the author room where we hung out before and after was outstanding, the entire event was packed and honestly so well organized I was stunned. So there is no way of gauging these types of events in my opinion. The hit or miss mentioned here in the comments is very much the case. And an event does not play the same year after year so that has to be factored in,
You hit the jackpot for sure, Lis. The event has always brought an audience, and the library bills the event as “Mountain of Authors” and has time between the presentations that it calls a “Local Author Showcase.” For whatever reason (that hit or miss thing again), it didn’t do as well this year–at least in my little corner.
I’ve lowered my expectations for a lot of book sales at events where there are so many authors. They’re mainly for networking. And I’ve also experienced that aggressive fellow author who ends up driving away more potential customers than generating sales.
Seems like I have better luck at festivals that focus on crafts, or things other than books. Of course, you meet a lot of non-readers (gasp) but the ones who do like to read tend to buy. And there’s hardly any competition!
Thanks for this. There’s a local “Farmers’ Market” not far away that has a craft section, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to try to sell books there. Or network!
I’m no Stephen King, always to my surprise, I sell more at author events than amazon. Still, I keep my expectations low like you,
Good for you, Steven not King. You must pick the ‘right’ author events.
The event that stands out to me in my short author history was a Renaissance Faire put on each summer in my town. My space was in the middle of a food court. People strolled by with food & more often than not, stopped. It was fun!
More sales there than any other event, save my very first one, a church bazaar. I sold 40 books. Haven’t matched that one since.
Food is a great attraction, isn’t it?
Hi Terry, so good to get a bit of a catch up on your wonderful authoring career! It’s been a long while since we did an event together.
I do quite a number of events these days, at indie bookstores and at various B&N stores, and most of these are successful in my view mostly because of connecting with readers. I do sell books, but it’s the conversations I so enjoy, listening to what’s going on for readers.
While I’d love to continue to support Mountain of Authors, my feeling overall is that is has not evolved. When I was a beginning author, I was placed in some awkward location and never invited to be a panelist. I figured that was okay as I was paying my dues. Now, however, I’ve been a bestseller for a long time, have been either a panelist or a keynote at many events, and written up in the Gazette, but again never invited to step up a bit in my own community library. There are so many fun and interesting discussions we could have at PPLD. I love libraries and work well with several. Just gave a keynote two weeks ago to a packed room. Of course, this isn’t all about me! I just love being of service to fellow authors and to readers. I’ve learned so much that I love to share. Just can’t do it from the back of room, as it were. You have so much to offer, too. Hard to imagine you not being a panelist. I hope the organizers begin to glimpse the distinction between beginners and experienced author/speakers and take advantage of the rich resources right at hand. Very best to you!
So good to hear from you, Mara. It has been a minute, hasn’t it.
The topics the committee chooses for its panels limit participation, for sure. But I agree, they could spread a much wider net. You, with your credentials, are certainly qualified.
Maybe things will change.