I went to the Kerrytown Book Festival last weekend, and it was amazing. Not only did I share a table with three other authors (Patricia Batta, W.S. Gager, and Susan Froetchel), but I touched base with others, like D.E. Johnson. I talked briefly with publishers about how their business is going (they claim it's great) and with a bookstore manager who works very hard to get the festival ready every year (Robin Agnew of Aunt Agatha's).
It probably doesn't sound like much to some--a little conversation, a recognized face--but for an author who lives in (choose one) God's country or the Boondocks, it's wonderful to talk with people who know the kind of crazy I am. I know Bouchercon isn't going to help me sell hundreds of books, nor is Magna Cum Murder next month. I don't go for the sales. I go to connect with others in the industry, so I don't feel so all alone when I come back to this office and sit here thinking, "This book will never get done," or "This book is awful," or even "I should give up."
We all face the same trials. We all help each other through it. Book events are kind of like church for authors.
Step into the minds of this group of talented, twisted, slightly psychotic crime novelists with a penchant for mystery, mayhem and murder. We write crime fiction or true crime that gets the heart pumping and the blood boiling.
Showing posts with label conferences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conferences. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Monday, August 13, 2012
Questioning Conferences
My post today is more question than commentary: Do you think conferences are becoming less helpful as a way to promote your work?
On one hand, I love attending cons to see writers, those I know as well as those I admire as a reader. In terms of a social event and a re-energizer, a con is a great time.
On the other hand, it seems that cons these days have fewer fans/readers and more authors trying to sell each other our books. As a way to garner readers, recent cons felt like I was tossing a very expensive pebble into a gigantic pond.
As I look at 2013 and think about cons, I recall that on the way home from the last one, I said to my husband, "This just doesn't pay." I'm not looking for an agent. I have not one but two publishers waiting for me to write more books. I've heard all the advice about promotion, craft, and legal issues from the panelists who have their experiences while I have mine. Still the lure remains, and I look forward to being among writers again at Bouchercon in October. But again, I'll be one of hundreds of authors there, and I know that I seldom even remember more than two or three names of authors I meet for the first time at a con, much less go out and buy their books.
So what do you think, Authors and Readers: Is a conference good for anything except catching up?
On one hand, I love attending cons to see writers, those I know as well as those I admire as a reader. In terms of a social event and a re-energizer, a con is a great time.
On the other hand, it seems that cons these days have fewer fans/readers and more authors trying to sell each other our books. As a way to garner readers, recent cons felt like I was tossing a very expensive pebble into a gigantic pond.
As I look at 2013 and think about cons, I recall that on the way home from the last one, I said to my husband, "This just doesn't pay." I'm not looking for an agent. I have not one but two publishers waiting for me to write more books. I've heard all the advice about promotion, craft, and legal issues from the panelists who have their experiences while I have mine. Still the lure remains, and I look forward to being among writers again at Bouchercon in October. But again, I'll be one of hundreds of authors there, and I know that I seldom even remember more than two or three names of authors I meet for the first time at a con, much less go out and buy their books.
So what do you think, Authors and Readers: Is a conference good for anything except catching up?
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