Tag Archives: Author events

Tales of an Author Event

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Tales of an Author Event
Terry Odell

Display of Terry Odell's books

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.”

San Francisco Schemin’

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San Francisco Schemin’

Terry Odell

Golden Gate Bridge Logo for San Francisco Schemin' the 2026 Left Coast Crime conference

I’m in San Francisco for the annual Left Coast Crime Conference, which officially opens tomorrow. It’s a reader-based event, and sessions are designed to showcase authors and their books rather than focusing on craft. For example, a panel on setting won’t be about how to write effective settings. Rather, it’ll be about where the panelist’s books are set, and elaborated from there.

No agents or editors, no pitches. Just connecting with other authors and readers, and having fun. I’ll be on two panels. The first, The Perils of Small Towns, where I’m a panelist. The second, Romance, Love, Sex, and Crime where I’ll be moderating. (I think I’ve been on a sex-related panel almost every time I’ve attended. I wonder what the program committee thinks of me at this point.)

As a moderator, a panelist, and an audience member, I try to avoid my pet peeves.

The first is reading the panelists’ bios out of the program. Get with it, people. These folks are readers. They can find that information themselves. Instead, I ask my panelists to give me one non-writing fact about themselves, and I present those to the audience. Without naming names. I leave it up to each panelist to decide if they want to confess. (And yes, I do a very brief intro—names and what kind of books they write, series names, a book title if they’ve told me what book they want to feature.

Next peeve: Asking each panelist the same question, going down the table. I’ve been seated at the last position in the past, and the moderator went straight down the line. Every Single Time. By the time my turns came around, I had very little to add. My approach is to ask a question, let the panelist answer, and then encourage the others to add their bits. Discussions always seem more interesting.

Another peeve: questions that blindside the panelists. Those dead air moments are … deadly. I’ve got a list of more questions than I think we’ll have time for, and I send them to my panelists. They won’t know which ones I’ll ask or which ones I’ll direct at them, but at least they’ll be prepared. I also ask each of them to send me a question they want directed at them. My job isn’t to make them look foolish, it’s to make them look good.

And yet another peeve: Moderators who let panelists hog the mic—and panelists who do it. And in that vein, moderators who spend precious panel minutes introducing themselves—and worse. I was on a panel moderated by a big name author (not big enough for caps, but bigger than those of us on the panel) who talked and talked until I finally put myself on her s**t list by suggesting she open the floor for audience questions. (I think there were about 10-15 minutes left, and she’d only asked each of us panelists one question.) She flapped her stack of note papers and said, “I’m not done yet.” Don’t be like her.

Other events at this conference include “Author Speed Dating” where pairs of authors circle the room going from table to table. Each author has a timed two minutes to give their pitch and hand out swag. Interesting to see the different speaking styles. Some read, some recite a memorized pitch, and others seem as though they’re chatting with you.

Another event is the “New Author Breakfast.” Yes, it’s a real breakfast (a buffet, free to attendees) and a good deal considering hotel food prices. After allowing time to eat, each debut author who signed up is allowed a minute to pitch their new book. There are sheets of paper with each participating author’s name so attendees can make notes, which is better than trying to remember.

Another feature offered at this conference is Author-Reader Connections. Authors can host events, ranging from getting together to chat, to drinks at the bar, to sightseeing trips. Hosts set the limit of number of participants, so these are small groups (and they don’t get stuck with a huge bill!)

Plenty of swag at the giveaway tables, and there’s a book exchange table if you want to swap out one of the books in you welcome bag.

They also have author-hosted tables at the awards banquet, where attendees can sign up to sit at a table with a favorite (or new to them) author. The tablescapes and swag can get elaborate.

What about you, TKZers? Any conference panel peeves? Anything that you’ve seen done well?

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.”

Adventures at Book Signings

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Adventures at Book Signings
Terry Odell

Table display of books written by Terry Odell

First, forgive my absence here at TKZ. We were away for a week, and I was off the grid, and coming back to “real life” is a slow process.

I’m an indie author. The vast majority of my book sales are ebooks. But every now and then, I have the opportunity to get out among real life people who like to read print books. They refer to them as “real” books, but I’m not going to get into my feelings about that here.

Most of my signings are either at conferences or at library author events. As an indie author, I have to supply the books, usually sold on consignment if it’s a conference, or I handle the sales at libraries.

I’m not a big name. Occasionally, I get seated to a Big Name Author, and spend most of the time chatting with their long lines of people wanting their books. Craig Johnson, Julia Quinn, and Brenda Novak come to mind.

Once, back in the day, when I was with a small publisher, they sent the books to the conference. Twenty of them! I’m not a big name, and if I sell five, it’s a good day. I asked the organizers why they ordered so many, and they said, “Oh, you can just return the unsold ones.” What they didn’t know was that the publisher charged for returns, and I was out a bunch of bucks because I wasn’t going to ship them back to me, and they wouldn’t fit in my luggage.

But, last weekend was different. Our neighborhood/development/community has an annual Holiday Bazaar, and I have participated for the last three years. I set up a table with my books on display, and try to remember I’m supposed to be outgoing and personable. I ‘bribe’ people to my table with a bowl of chocolate, my lip balm, and post-it notes.

It’s an interesting event. Vendors sell jewelry, baked goods, photographs, and lots of other handmade craft items. I’m the only one selling books. Unlike a writer’s conference or library event, people aren’t coming predisposed to buy books.

I had one woman approach my table and ask if I’d read all the books I had on display. I smiled and told her I’d written them. She leaned forward and said, “I’m 73 years old, and I’ve never read a book. I don’t know how I graduated from high school.” I told her she had the opportunity to make one of my books her first, and she actually bought one.

Another woman approached with an image of the books she’d bought last year. She’d given them to her 99 year-old mother who loved them, so she bought some more.

I had one woman tell me she wrote a novel during the pandemic but didn’t know what to do with it, and could she pay me to help her get it published. Ummm… not sure I can be much help. I’ll wait to see if she contacts me.

**Note to self: Rookie mistake. Next time make a sign that says “Meet the Author.” Too many people looked at the books on display and it took them a while to realize they were all written by the same person, at which point they asked if I was Terry. (Except for the one guy who asked if I was Dan’s wife—he’s much more outgoing and involved in the neighborhood, and people know him. Me, I’m an introverted writer who likes sitting in my office with my characters, so I’m not known to many people, nor do I know many of them.)

Another mistake. I forgot to bring my business cards. Thought they were in my purse, but after all the switches because of our travel, they weren’t. Fortunately, my lip balm and my post-it notes have my contact information and website on them.

Since almost everyone who comes to the bazaar lives in the ’hood, they know each other, so a lot of their “shopping” time is spent chit-chatting and catching up. The noise level in the small building/room gets high. It’s as much a social event as a sales event.

I had people come up to my table who told me they were so glad I’d come back—but they didn’t buy. Others marveled at my output. Most of them didn’t buy, either. But I did make enough sales to make it a respectably profitable day.

This year was the first time we could take credit card payments. (The building now has wifi). Technology! I have a Square card reader, but it’s old, and I haven’t used it in a couple of years. Turns out my new phone has a different plug in thing (I don’t speak tech), but I have an older iPad mini that uses the same connection, so I figured I’d be able to keep up with the times. However, I thought I’d try to be more up to date, so I ordered one of the new gizmos that could take chips and tap to pay. It was supposed to be delivered the day before the bazaar, but of course, it was delayed, so I was back to using my iPad mini.

Once at the venue, the woman at the table next to me told me if I had the Square app on my newer iPhone, it would take charges without needing a gizmo, and she walked me through using it. When my gizmo finally shows up, it’s going back to the store.

Something else that I think helped sales. Most of the people who came to buy were used to paying with cash, so although I’d bumped up my prices a little to cover fees, I told them I’d discount cash sales. People love a bargain.

  • To recap. My takeaways:
  • Make it obvious you’re the author.
  • Have swag to attract people to your table.
  • If you’re indie and can set your own pricing, make things look good. I had a ‘bundle’ price, and a lot of people bought three books when they saw they were getting a bargain.
  • Stand, don’t sit all day. Initiate conversation. It’s hard for me, but got easier as the day went on. One lead-in that worked for me (and killed more than one bird), was to ask if I could answer any questions about my books.
  • If you have more than a couple of books on display, get ready to talk about which one(s) you’d recommend. When people ask which is my favorite book, I ask if they have children, and if they say ‘yes’ I ask which is their favorite. I try to find out what their interests are, or point out things about my books–especially the ones based on my travel–that might engage them.
  • Think of it more as introducing yourself and making contacts, not sales.

Anything you have to add?

New! 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.

Preorder now

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”