In March, I attended the Tucson Festival of Books. With the help of three other authors who went under the wing of Two Cats Press, we were able to afford booth space there and the travel expenses and still make enough profit to make it worthwhile.
One funny thing was that people kept coming to the booth and asking where the books about cats were. I probably should write at least one because of that.
We hustled a lot. One of the other authors had a technique I admired and copied somewhat: children would walk by, and she would go up to them and say, "Would you like to hear a story about a by and his horse who . . ." By about word six, the kids were hooked, and by the time their parents realized what was happening, they were pulling out their wallets.
Of course, this author's books (like the rest of those offered at our booth) were very good, and the people at the festival were all book lovers, so it didn't take much encouragement to sell. If you haven't been to the festival and have a chance to go, I highly recommend it. Admission is free, and there is much to see and do besides buy books. I lamented not being able to attend more signings and workshops, but it was a wonderf
One funny thing was that people kept coming to the booth and asking where the books about cats were. I probably should write at least one because of that.
We hustled a lot. One of the other authors had a technique I admired and copied somewhat: children would walk by, and she would go up to them and say, "Would you like to hear a story about a by and his horse who . . ." By about word six, the kids were hooked, and by the time their parents realized what was happening, they were pulling out their wallets.
Of course, this author's books (like the rest of those offered at our booth) were very good, and the people at the festival were all book lovers, so it didn't take much encouragement to sell. If you haven't been to the festival and have a chance to go, I highly recommend it. Admission is free, and there is much to see and do besides buy books. I lamented not being able to attend more signings and workshops, but it was a wonderf
I learned some things while there, one of which is that my newest book, Bruce and the Murder in the Marsh, appeals to boys more than girls, and parents don't want to buy it until I tell them a lot about it. Once they realize it's not gory or violent (or at least not like they're imagining), they give in to their sons' request to "get that book," even though I try to steer them to Courage first. I know children of this age love mysteries -- they asked me to write one. But I realized that my choice of title might have been a bad one. Neil Gaiman can get away with it, but I have a way to go before I can ride on that type of status and declare "murder" in the title.
So I decided to change it. Nothing else -- just the title -- and now it's called Bruce and the Mystery in the Marsh. This should still appeal to boys and hopefully also to their mothers.
I've been busy, both before and after Tucson, working on the new book which is tentatively titled The Rift. I've been sharing chapters with a small group of writers once a month, and each time they tell me they like it and want to read more. I like it, too, and I'm writing this book with a combination of techniques. I have a rough plot line -- I know where it begins, generally goes, and at least one possible ending. I have about 20 chapters written for the first draft so far, all in the beginning of the story. I've now started writing the middle, skipping ahead in order to deal with the climax. This was a suggestion from another author who wrote a book about this process, and it sounded like it made sense. So far, I like the idea. Once I have that done, I'll write the ending. Then I have to fit them together. It should be interesting. It it doesn't work, I can always toss it out and write it again.
I'd hoped to have book one of The Rift finished by Christmas, but the way things are going with the rest of my life, that may not happen. It's terrible when life intrudes on writing! We have our house up for sale, and between showings, open houses, looking at other houses we might like to buy, along with other types of appointments and things like eating and sleeping, my writing time has many days been limited to thinking about doing it. However, anticipation makes the heart fonder, they say, so maybe you'll like this new book even more when it does come out. It's definitely going to be for an older age group, probably Young Adult crossing over to Adult, if I'm gauging it correctly.
Otherwise, life is good as always. I'll try to be more regular with my blog posts. It's not for lack of ideas, but just haven't had (or made) the time. I hope you're enjoying the Spring as much as I am. Take care, and keep reading!
I've been busy, both before and after Tucson, working on the new book which is tentatively titled The Rift. I've been sharing chapters with a small group of writers once a month, and each time they tell me they like it and want to read more. I like it, too, and I'm writing this book with a combination of techniques. I have a rough plot line -- I know where it begins, generally goes, and at least one possible ending. I have about 20 chapters written for the first draft so far, all in the beginning of the story. I've now started writing the middle, skipping ahead in order to deal with the climax. This was a suggestion from another author who wrote a book about this process, and it sounded like it made sense. So far, I like the idea. Once I have that done, I'll write the ending. Then I have to fit them together. It should be interesting. It it doesn't work, I can always toss it out and write it again.
I'd hoped to have book one of The Rift finished by Christmas, but the way things are going with the rest of my life, that may not happen. It's terrible when life intrudes on writing! We have our house up for sale, and between showings, open houses, looking at other houses we might like to buy, along with other types of appointments and things like eating and sleeping, my writing time has many days been limited to thinking about doing it. However, anticipation makes the heart fonder, they say, so maybe you'll like this new book even more when it does come out. It's definitely going to be for an older age group, probably Young Adult crossing over to Adult, if I'm gauging it correctly.
Otherwise, life is good as always. I'll try to be more regular with my blog posts. It's not for lack of ideas, but just haven't had (or made) the time. I hope you're enjoying the Spring as much as I am. Take care, and keep reading!
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