Lesson learned

[Michael Davis]

Just returned from a book signing and I learned two valuable lessons:

1. When its promoted as a multi-genre, make sure you know what that means. I though it meant sub genres within fiction (romance, SF, suspense, etc), but instead it was comedy, children, history, motivational, and one fiction (me). Made for a very split audience.

2. Always have multiple passages to choose from for your reading. Again, since I though it was all fiction, I selected a passage that was very moving. Once I got there, we were set up in the kids section and age demographics of the audience was not conducive to the passage I picked. I didn't have time to find another more youth aligned reading. I just skipped the passage reading and discussed some of the more frequent question I get in the author loops/reader chats/emails.

I know I should have know better, but I goofed up. I'll know better next time.

[JJ Cooper]

This is a great post Michael. Not because things didn't go as planned. Because you took learnings away with you from the experience. It could have been a 'doom and gloom' or 'rant' type of post, but it wasn't.

You shared the experience with others to learn from as well. Thank you for sharing. And, good luck with the next one.

JJ

[Shweta]

I agree with JJ.
I'd also like to add -- thanks for showing (not telling) how one approaches setbacks professionally :) I know it intellectually but seeing it in action is helpful!

[BigRed]

Thanks for the peek into how these things work. Since I live vicariously through the published authors on this site (until I become one in my own right, of course!), it's fun to get info on readings, book signings, etc.

[C.M. Daniels]

Thanks for sharing. I'll remember that.

[David I]

2. Always have multiple passages to choose from for your reading. Again, since I though it was all fiction, I selected a passage that was very moving. Once I got there, we were set up in the kids section and age demographics of the audience was not conducive to the passage I picked. I didn't have time to find another more youth aligned reading.

Ooooh, boy! There's a problem I'd never considered.

[Michael Davis]

What a nice thing for everyone to say.

I didn't share everything because I didn't want to hurt anyones feelings that was there. One of the questions I got from the audience, and several of the authors, wdealt with "what should newbies do", and I directed them to this forum and several others. There were some really funny things that the other authors did, My wife and I got a real chuckle. For example one of the authors came in a bug suit (I think he wouldn't mind me saying that). It was well worth the two hours to watch how diverse people interact in an audience differently. I also think its a wonderful thing B&N does for local authors to give them a chance to expose their work, because I don't think sales cover their expenses, yet they do the same type of event twice a year. My hat goes off to em..

Anyway, thanks for the accolades for the post.