Recently I went to a festival that featured an authors’
village—a few tables at which local authors sat with piles of their books and
with pens poised to autograph them for buyers. The tables were all joined together
and the authors were busily talking to each other…but no buyers approached them.
Why? Well, of course it’s possible that nobody was interested in
their books, but I think the big mistake was having them all sit there in a
tribe, looking like they were having a great time chatting with each other and
not really wanting to be interrupted.
Yes, it was more comfortable for the authors, but it
would have been more productive if they’d been separated, each one alone and
approachable.
I’ve done a few signings and it’s true that it feels kind of
lonesome so the impulse is to chat with a friend you bring along (or with other
authors if any are around) but if potential buyers see you sitting
there alone they’re more likely to come up and ask a question or make a
comment—and to buy.
By all means, set up an author’s village at your local event--that’s a great idea—but then be brave enough to be lonely!
(two books to get if you're interested in marketing your writing: "Your Writing Coach" published by Nicholas Brealey and "Marketing for Entrpreneurs" published by Pearson, both by Jurgen Wolff--that's me.)
