Author Con

Saturday I attended a local author convention. We have a friend we’ve known for almost thirty years that has been writing books for awhile now and had posted that she would be there. I thought it might be a good idea to get an idea of what it might be like from an author’s perspective.

I asked my husband and Squirrel to go with me. Honestly, I was afraid I’d chicken out. Thankfully, they agreed and wandered through the rooms with me. I’m pretty sure they were bored, but they didn’t complain. I tried to get Squirrel to look at the books I thought would be of interest to them, but their anxiety held them back.

My anxiety was also present and in full force, but I made the effort to talk to people anyway. I’m not completely sure what made me talk to the authors I chose. Some of it was that there was no one at their table at the time. But it wasn’t the only factor. I passed by several tables that didn’t have anyone browsing. And it wasn’t the book genres, since I talked to authors of various genres. Maybe I just got an intuitive vibe from them that they would be willing to talk to a nervous newbie.

Whatever the reason, I found myself telling each of them about my book, which gave me a lot of practice and also made me realize that I really need to pin down what genre to tell people it is. It’s such a mix of genres that it’s hard to know what to say when people ask. Maybe I should call it “Cozy litRPG” because I feel like it’s not quite what people who read litRPG would expect. Yes, I think that’s what I’ll use from now on.

I also focused a lot of attention on covers, noting ones that felt appealing and why that might be. I looked at the variety of ways that authors set up their books and displays and which seemed to attract the most people to stop and find out more.

We saved our friend’s table for last. Now, if I didn’t know her personally, I don’t think I would have intentionally stopped. Only because she was out in front of her table, stopping people to talk. I’m fully aware that it’s an effective way to get sales, but it’s also intimidating to those of us with social anxiety. Given that the majority of my audience will probably be socially anxious, I don’t think it would be effective. Nor would I feel comfortable.

But she did have some elements that I learned from. She had cards set up in front of each book with the story synopsis and QR codes to order the audio or eBook. This was what got Squirrel. Standing next to me while I talked, they were able to read about the books without picking them up and drawing attention. We ended up purchasing four books (a series) as a result. I know there were other books that would have appealed if they had been able to learn about them without having to talk to anyone.

I almost feel like I need to make a giant banner that says, “Socially Anxious characters inside! No need to talk. Just read.” And then add the synopsis.

Our friend also had a tablet on the table that was showing video trailers that she had made about her books. I’m not sure I’d be up for going as far as she did with actors portraying characters, but I can see how having something moving could catch attention and possibly get them to stop to look.

I was able to get some good advice from some of the other authors I talked to. Like the one that told me if you know you’ll be writing a series, wait until you have a few out before going full out on marketing, since most people want to be able to move on to the next book right away.

I also wrote down the names of the authors I spoke to and found them on social media to start following them. Some of them immediately followed me back!

I’ve met a lot of authors as a librarian, but for the first time I started to see myself as one of them. These authors were like me. Self-published or small press, unknown, and trying to be seen. It was intimidating, but I’m glad I went and pushed myself to interact instead of simply observing.