Libraries and authors not named Patterson

I received an email yesterday from another author who wrote to touch base and ask why I didn't go to a certain library author event. I responded that I passed this year ... after having gone for the last two years ... because I had never sold a single book there. She said she didn't sell any of hers there, either.

This is unusual for me, because I'm am very good about selling my books at events. The reasons for this is because, a) I'm lively, not shy, generally clean ... and, b) my books sell themselves.

As a humor writer, there's a certain advantage to the genre. When I'm signing, all I do is ask a person to simply read one page ... any page ... in any of my books. If they like that page, they will definitely like the book. Then I leave the victim, er, prospective customer and pounce on someone else. When I glance over at the reader, I'll usually see a smile starting to snake over his or her face and I know I'll have a sale.

The problem at the library event wasn't that people were looking and not buying, it was more that there weren't any people there at all, so I spent most of the time hobnobbing with other authors.

I don't blame the library, they treated us like royalty and I think they did a good job of advertising the event. I think that particular community just isn't interested in this sort of thing. Either that, or the other twenty authors and I just aren't enough of a draw. If not, it's their loss because our books rock even though we aren't named Patterson.

Whichever it was, I decided to pass on this one.

I love library signings. Librarians are among our best supporters and fans - and they are usually tickled blue (holding their breath) to have us there. Sometimes you sell well at a library, sometimes not. Even if you don't, you still get to hang with the librarians and other writers.

We had a ten author signing at Schaumburg Library last week for the new anthology Missing, and the reception and the attendance was fantastic. We all got to introduce ourselves, hand out out bookmarks and stuff and promote our books; and I don't know the final count, but I know I signed at least seventy books. The profits for Missing go to charity, so that made it even better.

In Saturday, May 16, I will be doing a joint presentation and signing with graphic novelist Tim Broderick from 2-4pm at Palatine Library in Illinois. Tim's a blast, I'm a bit of a nut, so it should be a great time. There will be refreshments afterward and we'll be selling our books.

Click here for to register (there's no cost, but they want to make sure they have the proper accommodations) or for more information.

Hope to see you there!

Norm

www.normcowie.com
www.fangface.homestead.com