Erotica By Helen E. H. Madden

I had a rare opportunity today to go do something writerly without the husband and kids in tow. This was a great relief to my husband, I'm sure, because so far my expeditions to various conventions have offered very little in the way of child-friendly activities, thus leaving Michael to figure out how to entertain the kids while I schmooze and mingle and network.

Anyway, I took off this morning for the 2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival in Richmond, VA. It was about an hour's drive from where I live. I recently started up a Yahoo Group for Virginia members of EPIC (Electronic Publishing Industry Connection), and we had two of our group members at the festival selling their books and signing. I went with a bag full of flyers, bookmarks, and business cards, and of course, my handy little journal. After meeting with Pamela Kinney and Erin Gordon (our two writers), I worked my way through the book festival, meeting as many authors and publishers as I could. The idea was for me to: a) see how other people promoted themselves; b) determine if I might want to participate in the book festival myself next year; and c) make contact with other writers and editors, in hopes of finding some new opportunities for publishing and marketing my own stuff. Here's what I learned as a result of my expedition.

Bring plenty of business cards and promo materials!

Yes, you want to bring books so you can sell them at the event in question, but promo materials are just as important. Bring bookmarks, business cards, index card, postcards, pens, anything you've got that you can put your name and contact info on. I met a couple of writers that I had a really nice time talking too, but I will probably never remember their names because they didn't have any business cards or other promo items with their name on it. That's a shame too, because I can't always afford to buy a book right then and there, but I will pick up a card or bookmark from an author I liked to remind myself later on when I can afford to shop for books. Also, I hold on to promo stuff to pass on to others. I must have picked up a dozen bookmarks to pass on to my dad. He reads voraciously, and will probably buy most of the books I recommend to him. So those people who had their promo stuff set out have a good chance of making a sale off of me, but those writers who had no cards or bookmarks will most likely be forgotten.

But don't go overboard with the promo material...

Honestly, I was only interested in picking up business cards, bookmarks, postcards, flyers, anything paper and flat that I could easily store in my messenger bag as I walked through the festival. I don't really need lotion, wipes, lip balm, matches, or scented candles. I do like magnets, though, and pens. Definitely pens. The other stuff is too bulky for my bag, or in the case of the lotion and lip balm, might cause me to break out (I have sensitive skin). Still, others swear by these things, so conduct a little research for your self. I just know what's easiest for me to carry, and what's less expensive to produce.

Be prepared to talk about your books!

The first thing I said to every author and publisher I met was, "Tell me about your books." Many people could talk about their books, but only a few had really managed to perfect their pitch. I give kudos to Austin S. Camacho, the mystery writer who was able to give me a quick 30 second description of each of his books. He was prepared to discuss his work in detail as well, but it was those 30 second pitches that hooked me. I knew right away that I was interested in his books, and I made sure to pick up his brochure and business card so I could add him to my "Would Love To Read" list. He had a very simple but effective technique for getting my attention too. Before I could even ask about his books, he smiled at me and said, "Do you like mysteries? Let me tell you about mine..." And bang, bang, bang, bang, he pitched four books to me in under a minute. I loved it.

But don't babble on...

Unfortunately, I also ran into many writers (and some publishers!) who couldn't sum up their books in less than five minutes. Five minutes is a long time, people. I want to know up front what the book is about, so I can determine if I want to read it, which means you've got about a minute to convince me to buy. If you offer me a long, rambling, pointless pitch about your home town, your college education, your day job, and how none of that relates to your book, I'm going to assume your book is long, rambling, and pointless as well. And yet so many writers gave me their entire life history. One writer, when I asked him about his books, proceeded to tell me how much they cost (even though they were clearly labeled), but then forgot to tell me about the actual topic of the books themselves. Really, I'm looking for a quick synopsis of the story, not a life story and not a price catalogue. So please, perfect that pitch. Come up with something snappy, polished, and attention grabbing that you can convey to people quickly.

Don't complain about your publisher, cover art, the book fair, etc.

In case I haven't mentioned it already, I want to hear about the book. I want to know if it's something I might want to read. I don't want to hear about how your publisher nearly killed your career by burying the book in the slush pile, or how you had a long, heated battle over the cover art, or how you hate the way the book festival is set up. Negative talk, complaining, and gossip do not present a professional image, and are a real turn off to boot. I will not buy your book if you turn me off.

Dress for success!

The writers and publishers at the Hanover Book Festival were dressed in a variety of fashions, everything from very casual (shorts and t-shirts) to very professional (business dresses and 3-piece suits). I have to admit, I was most impressed by Mr. Camacho, the mystery writer, who wore a 3-piece suit. Yep, this was the same guy who had his book blurbs down to 30 seconds, and had business cards and a nice brochure to hand out too. He was polished and prepared all the way. Those individuals who were more casually dressed didn't look bad. They just didn't stand out as well as those who were better dressed. Admittedly, this was an August day in Virginia, and the temperatures outside were soaring, but it was an indoor event. People might not have arrived in their best outfits, but there were bathrooms on hand where one could easily change. By the way, the EPIC Virginia writers who were there, Pamela Kinney and Erin Gordon, both looked very well dressed.

Be prepared to meet and greet in adverse circumstances

The Hanover Book Festival was a nice event, but the organizers made a big mistake. They decided to hold readings... in the same room where people where selling their books. This wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for the fact that whoever set up the sound system decided to turn the knob up all the way to 11 (that's one past 10, for all you non-Spinal Tap folks), thus making it impossible to speak over the readers. Hell, I couldn't even shout over the readers at some points. And the people who were seated closest to the speakers really got screwed. It's almost impossible to pitch your books if you can't speak. Almost, but not entirely. One writer, Ann Davis, managed to work around the problem by smiling broadly and handing out her promo materials in a neat little package the moment people walked up to her table. She didn't have to say much (just as well as she was one of those poor souls close to the speakers) but she was a) dressed professionally, b) smiling despite the adverse circumstances, and c) had her promo material ready to go the moment I arrived. I did manage to talk to her during a rare quiet moment in the room, and she was as prepared with her quick blurb and the mystery writer was. I ended up buying her book, Time Will Tell, for my dad, although I may end up reading it myself before I give it to him.

Things **I** should have done to prepare for the book festival

Even though I wasn't there selling books, I could have done a little more preparation myself. I brought my ERWA business cards and my postcards for my erotica website, but forgot to bring any business cards for my graphics business, Pixel Arcana. Quite frankly, I hadn't expected to talk about computer graphics at a book fair. As it turned out, I had not one but two people ask me if I would be interested in doing book illustration. I said yes and was at least able to talk about the programs I worked with, but since neither of these folks was in the erotica genre (both were kids writers), I didn't have a card I felt comfortable handing them. So, next time, I need to make sure I've got business cards for everything that I do, not just the writing.

What I need to do next

I need to e-mail the people I talked with at the book festival. I had a couple of people mention that they'd like to see my work, and that is like money in the bank to me. Even if I don't have a story right now that fits their needs, I at least have the chance to introduce myself to them and show them what I write. An invitation to submit to an editor or publisher is not something to be ignored. I also want to e-mail all the different writers I talked to who had a bit of advice for me or who told me to contact them for some info I know I will find useful. Contacts like this could pay off big time later on down the line. And of course, I need to follow up on the two writers who asked about my illustration and computer graphics work. I plan to send out two e-mails a day starting Monday until I've worked through the entire pile of cards I collected at the book fair.

And that, ladies and gentle bugs, was my report on the 2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival. The End.

Labels: Conventions And Appearances, How To Promote

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Lessons Learned From The 2nd Annual Hanover Book Festival