Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Weekend book signings

A busy weekend ahead, I'll be at Creepy Crawlies Play Barn on Saturday, trying to resist the temptation to go and play on the slides, as I invite everyone to get Lost in a Book. And what could be better in the heat of a Yorkshire summer than sitting back and reading a book and inspiring a new generation of book lovers.

On Sunday it's up to Yarm, to a Baby and Toddler fair, where I'll be reading from my books, and doing a book signing.

Friday, July 05, 2013

Book signing

So what is it about the title book signing that attracts lots of page views but doesn't lead to links to a website and the purchase of a book...?

People like to meet an author in person in a bookshop or at a craft fair, and browse the books for themselves, and that's where the sales seem to lie. And yet the internet is the ideal place for buying and selling books...

A buyer can shop around, and read blurbs and reviews to their hearts content, and then order from the vast choice out there.

A seller can reach a vast potential readership that would never be possible to achieve by trying to go around meeting every customer.

An author can sell directly to the customer, and sign copies of their book.

So why the indie shop...? Because you might just find a gem of a book that either isn't available in the big shops and outlets, or is listed as out of stock, with a 6 week wait for a book.

So go on Get Lost in a Book... you never know what you might find there.

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Book marketing - when to start...

So here's the thing... I've written another book, but it's not quite ready. Then I start reading alarming articles about how I should start marketing it already, in fact I've already left it a bit late... it's enough to send an embryonic manuscript leaping off the computer screen and back into the safe recesses of a writer's imagination...! It's like a wild animal (it's even about animals who can get a bit wild at times... especially if supper is late). It has to be coaxed into a book, not just caught while it's looking the other way, and the book slammed shut on it.

So... patience. There's a new book on the way, but it still needs a bit more nurturing, then it'll get wrapped up safely in a cover bearing its name, and sent out to caring homes.