My First Book Signing

This last Sunday I did something that I have always wanted to do: my very own book signing. Yay! Although I should probably clarify that it wasn't my own personal event (there were a lot of other authors there too). And it wasn't so much a signing as a sales table (hey, I still signed the books though). And no one knew who I was. But still, book signing!

I really didn't have any idea of what to expect going into the event. Carissa (my new wife) had done most of the work to find the event and submit an application and pay the fees and stuff (OK, she did all of the work). Given that this was my/our first book event on the author's side of the table, we were pretty much flying blind. Mistakes were made, but good times were had.

So we had no idea what to expect. We had given the event coordinator our information and a picture of the book cover, and she told us that we would be provided with a banner. Great. Our next step was ordering books, because those are kind of necessary if you want to have any sales. So we ordered some books (we were a little bit optimistic and ordered a lot more than necessary, but more on that later). Next, Carissa proposed that we make some bookmarks to hand out to people. "Good idea!" I said after some convincing. (For the record, I did think bookmarks were a great idea. It's just that whenever I get handed some convention freebie it usually ends up in the trash. So I was hesitant to spend money on a freebie, even though it was a sound investment). So we designed some kick-ass bookmarks and had them printed and we were set. We even showed them off to the family - who promptly pointed out a spelling error (I apparently cannot be trusted to proof-read my own work). There was a minor freak out about the spelling error, but in the end we decided to not worry about it.

Sunday morning rolls around and I am super excited. It's my time to shine. I've got my books and my bookmarks and some shiny new pens for signing my illegible signature. I even thought ahead and grabbed snacks and drinks and money for change. Carissa, thoughtful as ever, had acquired a card reader in case people wanted to purchase the book with a card. We were all set.

We drive down to Pismo where the event was being held. There were a bunch of tables set up outside and some more inside the hotel. We found our booth outside, but when we spoke with the event coordinator she offered to move us inside due to a cancellation (score!). So we move the banner and bring in the stuff from the car (pro-tip - books are very heavy and should be brought in all at once. Instead, bring in enough display on the table and a few extras for sales and leave the rest behind until they are needed). Set up went well. We met some other authors and put out the books and bookmarks. We immediately saw some of the stuff that other authors had set up on their table and quickly began making notes for next time (bring a book stand, have a map to display, make a sign with the book prices, etc.).

Anyways, the event started slowly and while it was exciting and fun, there weren't as many sales as I expected (I think in total we sold about 7 books). That was a bit of a blow to the ego, because my book is pretty awesome (in my own impartial opinion). Even so, we talked to a bunch of people and everyone seemed to like the book cover (thank you Alicia). We found that getting customers is kind of like fishing, and as two very shy people Carissa and I were not well suited to the task. But most of the time when one of us engaged a person who was interested in the book, we made a sale (except for one girl who got away, darn her).

Anyways, the event was a very long seven hours. We had plenty of books left over at the end (carrying those back to the car is a weight that I will bear for many years) and we spent most of our profits on other books because we can't be trusted with money when there are books nearby. But I had people ask for my signature on a book that I wrote and that made the day worth it.

I tried writing scenes out of order

This post is going to be about writing scenes before they actually take place. Essentially, I am writing things out of order to see how it works for me.

So when I was first starting book 2 of the Knight's Journey series, I decided to try my hand at writing scenes out of order, things that took place later in the book where I knew what was going to happen and I had some good ideas for dialogue and action and stuff. I wanted to try this as a test, because I've always written in a linear fashion. I write what happens as it happens, beginning at the start of a story and continuing until the story ends. I wanted to experiment with something new. I wanted to try writing a scene where I had nothing leading into it and no need to finish.

The first one that I did was a scene with Rowan in the desert. He had lost his way and was in a dire situation that had left him weakened. I wanted him to collapse and be forced to confront a vision of Baird. It was a cool scene, and as I wrote it I found that it was much easier to do because I could pretend that I had already built up the scene so that it is exactly where I need it to be to start writing. I didn't have to worry about the circumstances that brought it about or even how to wrap it up when I was done. I just started a paragraph with Rowan collapsing and went from there.

I wrote a few other scenes like this, but I like this one because it was my first attempt at writing a scene out of order and because I just reached the point in the novel where that scene takes place. I actually used it, I just copy-pasted the whole thing word for word into the chapter and went with it. I was relieved to have it while writing because it made writing the setup for the scene easier. It allowed me to work on building into something existing so I knew exactly where I was going. I hit a point where could place the scene in, and then I had it and it worked very well.

So I think I am going to try to continue this. I have a bunch of scenes where I know what will happen or how I want a specific conversation to go. I can write these scenes and set them aside when I am finished. It will help me establish areas where there is rising or falling action, or where I want to have a big hook or a reveal. So far it has been a fun exercise, and it has worked out well for me. We'll see how it goes when I reach the next scene.

Upcoming Book Signing

So I am going to have a booth at the upcoming Central Coast Book and Author Fair on September 20, and I am getting really excited and really nervous. It's really cool to finally be exhibiting my book, and I will (hopefully) fulfill my lifelong dream of signing a book for someone (it doesn't really count when you know the person). On a side note, I am a very shy person sometimes and one of the most awkward things in the world is being asked about my book. For some reason, my brain freezes at that question and I just kind of stutter some words that may or may not make sense. It is very problematic to have written a book and yet be too shy to talk about it.

So moving on, because we (me and the wife) have never done anything like this, we are totally at a loss about what to expect. How many books should we order? Do we print freebies to hand out? Will there be a lot of people or just a few? These are the things that I have never really thought about when I visit exhibitor booths. But now that I need to purchase the products that we are going to sell and prepare all of the stuff, it is a mystery how anyone ever does this without messing up. I'm sure that we'll figure it out and everything will go well, but until then I will freak out and try my best not to mess anything else up (I already spent hours making printable bookmarks only to find a grammatical error after spending ~$30 on printing - never let a writer edit his/her own stuff because it will only end in shame and error).

Anyways, if anyone happens to be in the Pismo Beach area on September 20, then come by the CC Book and Author Fair and say hi.