Book-signings and e-mails

Note: I've removed some info from the original e-mail.

Recently I received an e-mail from someone I didn’t know. I’ll call her Jane Doe. She added an appellation to her name: “A [Name of Particular Town] Author.”

That she’d added “[Name of Particular Town] author” after her name made me suspicious. Real authors don’t generally do that unless they identify their genre.

“Hello!” her e-mail message begins, followed an exclamation point. Hmmm. Shouldn’t “Hello” be followed by my name so I know the sender actually knows me?

“I was just on The Virginia Writers Club web site, and I was wondering if you would please contact me regarding a book signing event that I am in the process of organizing in the [Name of Larger Town] area,” her e-mail continues.

Right away a red flag starts flapping in my face. Not, “I saw your listing on the Virginia Writers Club web site and admired your credentials” or “From what I read about you on the Virginia Writers Club web site, I think you’re incredibly gifted and should have won a Pulitzer or two.” Nah, she was just “on” the site, probably harvesting names. (This has happened to me before.) And she spells it web site—two words, the old-fashioned way. Another tip-off.

Another red flag pops up: she thinks I’m in the [Name of Larger Town] area. I’m actually a hundred miles south.

It gets worse: “I would like some help contacting area authors to participate, in hopes that it becomes a yearly event,” she writes. “Is there any way you can assist me in notifying authors in the [Name of Larger Town that already has a big yearly book event] and surrounding areas?”

Uh, no, I can’t. I’m sure if she’d poked around the Virginia Writers Club website a bit more, she’d see that a VWC chapter encompasses [Name of Larger Town].

She then makes a stab at establishing her credentials: “I am a children's illustrated book author, and have done event planning in the past,” she notes. A bigger red flag flaps now: I’ve never heard of anyone in the industry use the term “children's illustrated book author”; it’s children's author and illustrator.

“I am combining my skills to establish a successful event where authors can meet the general public, sell and sign their books, “ she writes; and I think, What specific skills are you combining?

Her next statement, “It is an impressive accomplishment to publish a book, but I have found it even more work promoting and marketing one,” isn’t exactly correct. It’s impressive to have a commercial publisher offer you a huge advance, but anyone—thanks to the proliferation of vanity publishers—can get a book out in a few weeks by forking over enough moolah. As for the promoting and marketing—yeah, that does take some work.

“So,” she continues, “I have put together this event in hopes that it will be successful for the authors, and a great holiday gift idea for the general public, as well as a memorable event.”

Um, it might not be exactly as memorable in the way she wants. I’ve done a bunch of bookfests, with varying success, but all the bookfests had lots of advance planning and advertising. Some—mainly those with speakers, workshops, and entertainment—attracted a crowd; some didn’t. But she isn’t thinking bookfest where there are readers and speakers; she’s thinking sales and signing. Uh-oh. Another red flag.

“I am soliciting sponsors, and I will be doing advertising in the month of November,” she says. Another uh-oh. Those red flags are now flapping enough to generate hurricane force winds. Book signings are usually sponsored by a bookstore where the author hopes to sell books.

“Here are the basic details. I have attached a file below with more details. If you cannot open it, please let me know, and I will put it in another format,” she writes and then gives her home phone number. But there is no file. There are some general details, though:

Title: Meet the Authors - A Book Signing Event

Date: [a weekday in mid-November]

Place: [A Country Club Ballroom more than 100 miles from me]

Time: 10 am - 6 pm with an hour break from 1pm - 2 pm

Fee: $40 per author. ($5 for each person accompanying the author)

Author Registration Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2009

Now, I don’t have event-management skills, but I can see where this ain’t gonna work so great. For one thing, she will start publicity in November for an event that is in mid-November. For another, the event isn’t at a bookstore or even a mall where people shop, but at a country club—the club’s ballroom, no less—where average shoppers aren’t likely to wander in, especially since the club is in a gated community. Now if she had a big name area speaker—David Baldacci or Rita Mae Brown, for instance—and offered a literary luncheon, maybe she could pull this event off.

The time and day—1 to 6, with an hour break on a weekday—isn’t good. At that time, people who buy books are likely to be at work to earn money so they can afford to buy stuff. With an hour break? Why do book-signers need an hour. Writing your name a couple of times—if that much—isn’t exhausting. Oh—you don’t suppose that the authors have to go get lunch on their own, do you? That maybe lunch isn’t provided for them?

Then there’s the charge: $40 per author. And another $5 for anyone who helps the author! I have never paid to do a signing, and I’m not starting now.

“I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible. Thank you so much!” she concludes.

I wracked my brain, but this person’s name didn’t sound familiar. So, thinking I must have met her at another book event somewhere, I replied:

Have we met? I'm sorry, but I can't seem to place you.

There was no file attached to your e-mail, so I'm not sure of the details—especially the criteria you are using to invite authors. Are you only looking for authors of children's books, or are you open to all genres? Is this just for vanity-published authors, or is it also open to commercially published authors? If so, will any big-name authors will be there? Will there be readings, presentations, open mike, etc., or do the authors just sit at tables? Do you have details posted on your website or blog?

(Note: In her answer to my e-mail, she mentioned she didn’t have a blog or website. Uh-oh. And the Book Event is for any kind of author.)

I'm curious why you invited me. I am not in the [Name of Larger Town] area; I'm a hundred miles south. My children's book from Cedar Creek Publishing won't be out until mid-January, and I've long since learned that trying to promote my self-published novel or my four niche-market vanity-published books outside my immediate area is an exercise in futility.

I wish you the best in your endeavor, but this event doesn't seem like the sort of thing that would work for me. It is not economically feasible for me to pay to do book-signings—especially on a weekday when most people will be at work and I have to travel so far.

I did agree to share her e-mail with members of my two writers groups to see if any of them are interested, but I doubt the few published authors in either group will pay that much to travel so far for an event that won’t be advertised more than a couple of weeks in advance.

FYI: Information about the woman’s book is here. You can read more about her publisher here.

Meanwhile, I’m doing a signing at The General Store in Westlake on Saturday, October 10, from 11 until 2. We don’t have a bookstore in my county, but we have gift shops—and The General Store is one of the best. They have a lot of really great items and a good customer base. The ladies who run the place support local authors and sell a lot of our books. Plus they serve great snacks and have tables already set up for book-signings.

Some other Lake Writers will be there—Sally Roseveare and Marion Higgins—and maybe others. The General Store is a good place to socialize with customers whether they buy books or not. I always have a good time there.

I’m kind of sorry that my new book won’t be out in time for Christmas giving, but I’ll put up my poster anyhow. The GS is interested in my having a signing when it does come out, though.

Meanwhile, I’ll sign my self-published novel and four niche-market vanity-published books—only 14 miles from home.

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