Etiquette for Authors

by Sandra Parshall

Ever get the feeling that your self-promotion is annoying people rather than enticing them to read your books? How much is too much?

Do you wonder what – if anything – you should do when you get a conference panel assignment that’s totally wrong for you?

Do you wish you knew the secret to getting book blurbs from writers you admire?

We addressed these questions and more in a program on author etiquette at last Saturday’s meeting of the Sisters in Crime Chesapeake Chapter. Writer Donna Andrews (the Meg Langslow mysteries), bookseller Eileen McGervey of One More Page in Arlington, VA, John Betancourt of Wildside Press, and I made up the informal panel, with Malice Domestic programmer Barb Goffman offering advice about conferences and other chapter members chiming in. I’ll summarize a few of the topics we discussed. Don’t take it as a personal insult when I use the pronoun “you” to refer to all writers. However, if the shoe fits...

Writers marketing mostly to other writers: This bad habit, fostered by the internet, doesn't do much to build your readership.

Most mystery authors participate on multiple listservs for writers. When you post the same news on all of them at the same time, we’re going to get a little tired of seeing it. We probably won’t mind if it’s the happy news of a sale, something your fellow authors can enjoy celebrating with you. But if you’re doing a 30-day blog tour, think twice before you post a notice every single day on every writers’ list you belong to. As chief moderator of the Sisters in Crime national listserv for seven years, I’ve received many private complaints about this sort of thing. Yes, technically it’s allowed under the rules. But when other members are begging the moderator to shut you up, you are not making a good impression.

Writers are readers too. But we shouldn’t be the primary objects of your promotion efforts. Other writers are your professional colleagues. We don’t want to be bombarded with your sales pitches on lists where we go for support and information about professional matters.

So where can you reach readers? Facebook, GoodReads and Twitter are the most popular venues at the moment – but all are rigged with pitfalls for writers. Again, overdoing the hard sell will work against you with your followers. Facebook is a social networking site, and while readers will “like” your author page and “friend” you on your profile page if they’re interested in your writing, they want you to talk about other things too. They want to hear about your pets, about funny experiences you’ve had, about the terrific book (by someone else) you’ve just finished reading and the movie you saw over the weekend. Then when you have a new book coming out, or you’re appearing at an event, you can announce it without fear of a negative reaction. If you use GoodReads, be sure you know the etiquette of this somewhat tricky site, and remember that it’s a place for readers to talk about books with other readers, not a place for writers to hawk their own books. 

Social networking is an art, and some writers hate it or can’t get the hang of it, but if you know how to do it right, it will help you sell books in the long run. (I happen to love Facebook, by the way. Please feel free to send me a friend request and to like my Sandra Parshall Books page. But I have made my share of cringe-worthy faux pas there and probably offended any number of people without even realizing I've done it.)

Other obnoxious forms of self-promotion: Be careful about pressing your promotional materials, unsolicited, into the hands of strangers in public places, hospital waiting rooms, doctors’ offices, etc. Some people may be delighted, but others will be offended. You don’t know these people. You don’t know what kind of mood they’re in, what the state of their health is, what’s happening in their lives and what worries are preying on their minds. You might not get the reaction you’re hoping for when you intrude and try to sell them something.

Ask permission before leaving your promotional material in other people’s professional offices. Most libraries also want you to ask permission before leaving anything. Some libraries don’t allow authors to put out bookmarks, cards, etc., and if you do it without so much as asking, you’re making enemies on that library’s staff.

Remember that nobody cares about your new book the way you do. Not even your mother. Not even your spouse. If your book is all you ever talk about, if you’re selling every waking second, wherever you are, people will start avoiding you.

Bookseller contacts: Eileen pointed out the all too common error of e-mailing to request a bookstore event and referring the bookseller to your Amazon page for more information. In case you haven’t heard, booksellers regard Amazon as an arch rival.

Bookstore events are unpredictable – even bestselling authors talk about signings where three people showed up, or none at all. Some major publishers have decided book tours are a waste of time and money. Discuss your ideas for promoting the event with the bookseller and decide whether it’s likely to be successful for both of you.

Book clubs: The book discussion groups Eileen hosts at One More Page welcome author participation in person, by Skype or telephone. If you make yourself personally available to book clubs, those groups will be more likely to choose one of your books for discussion.

Requesting blurbs from other authors: Donna made the point that you should stay within your subgenre. Don’t ask an author of humorous cozies, like Donna, to blurb your gritty thriller. Ask a writer whose own work appeals to the audience you’re trying to reach. Be polite in your approach and remember that you're asking for a big favor; no busy author owes you the chunk of time required to read your book and produce a blurb. If your request is turned down, accept the rejection with good grace and understanding, then move on to someone else. Don’t rant about it on your Facebook page, naming the author and calling him/her an idiot.

The more books you publish and the more conferences you attend, the larger your circle of writer friends and acquaintances will be. It’s easier to ask for a blurb from someone you’ve met personally and whose own books have something in common with theirs.

Submissions to publishers and agents: John Betancourt’s Wildside Press sometimes receives submissions that lack crucial details – such as the author’s contact information. This guarantees that you won’t receive a response, and it marks you as an amateur. Be professional in all your dealings with publishers and agents, submitting clean, properly formatted material, described and categorized in your cover letter, along with your postal, e-mail, and website addresses. If someone asks for an exclusive reading, agree on a time limit that won’t leave you hanging endlessly. Again, don't rant publicly about rejections.

Conferences: Barb Goffman, who has been program chair for Malice Domestic for several years, assured us that programmers for the various mystery conferences do talk to each other and they do discuss the authors who act like prima donnas.

So what should you do if you write dark, gritty mysteries and you’ve been assigned to a panel aimed at fans of lighthearted cozies? Tell the programmer right away that you wouldn’t be comfortable on the panel, Barb advised – but be polite about it. Don’t be angry that the programmer hasn’t had time to read everything you’ve ever written, and don’t fire off an accusatory e-mail. “Tone is everything,” Barb said. A polite and timely request for a change will almost certainly be honored. If you’ve been on one too many panels about a particular topic, point that out in your author questionnaire when you register, and suggest other topics you would prefer.

Don’t make your travel arrangements until you have your program assignment, so you won’t have to turn down a panel because you have a non-refundable plane ticket and must leave before the panel takes place. If you do make your reservations early, or you have discovered that no airline has flights to your hometown on Sunday afternoon, make sure the programmer knows when you have to leave. Conference programmers are not mindreaders.

If you accept a panel, give it your all. Those people in the audience want to be entertained. They want you to be enthusiastic and down to earth. They want to like you, and if they do, they will be curious about your books. Answer every question as if you’ve never heard it before and think it’s absolutely brilliant. Don’t hog the microphone, or cut off other panelists, or act bored or condescending, or turn all your answers into a hard sell for your books. Don’t show up drunk. (It happens, and it’s not cute or funny.) Audience members notice bad behavior, and they’ll dislike you for it.

Guest blogging: Most bloggers will be happy to host you – if you make a request rather than a demand, if you make the request well in advance, if you produce original, entertaining material (not something you posted elsewhere two years ago), if you avoid doing a hard sell, and you turn it in on time and in pristine condition, with no typos and no weird formatting that has to be manually removed. Remember that many blogs, including Poe’s Deadly Daughters, schedule guests months in advance.

Don’t ask for a guest slot, then promptly forget about it. Learn how to use a calendar. The blog owner has reserved space for you, and you have an obligation to fill it. Send in your guest blog a week or more ahead of the date it’s scheduled to run.

Writers with traditional publishers should realize that their publicists often have no clue about the way blogs function. This is equally true of publicists with both small and large presses. Those of us at PDD often receive e-mails from publicists who want to schedule guest blogs on short notice, as little as a week or two. Publicists also have an annoying habit of insisting that everything go through them, with no direct contact between blog host and guest author. And some publicists seem to think they’re doing the blog owners a favor, instead of the other way around. It’s usually best for writers to make their own guest blogging arrangements and do it well in advance.

Our chapter members probably could have talked for another couple of hours about the etiquette of being a professional writer, especially as it relates to online activities. The internet has been both a blessing and a curse, offering us many new ways to promote our books while multiplying our chances of offending both readers and other writers and magnifying our every mistake.

What advice would you add to this list?

If you’re a writer, what mistakes have you made that still embarrass you? (Come on, ’fess up. We all have stories like that.)

If you’re a reader, what writerly behavior has annoyed you? And which writers do you consider gracious and pleasant?

The Truth Behind Book Signings

 by L. C. Hayden

Leave a comment this weekend and you’ll have a chance to win a free copy of When the Past Haunts You.

Ahhh, the infamous book signing filled with people, laughter, and glamour. This is the moment the authors shine—or do we? Let’s examine the facts.

First, I’ve always said that authors must dress up for the event. Call me old school if you want, but we’re representing the bookstore and all authors, right?  In my everyday world, I hardly ever wear make up, but I will to a signing. I wear church clothes and spend time grooming my hair.

My efforts have paid off. In Odessa, a man bought three copies of my books because he thought I was very pretty—did I tell you I like this man? Had I shown up with torn jeans and a t-shirt, that wouldn’t have happened.

The next day, I went to Wichita Falls, as a tourist, not an author. Since it was very hot and humid and I was just bumming around anyway, I decided to wear shorts. I didn’t care that my naturally curly hair looked like I plugged my finger into the electrical outlet, and my hair stood up.

As we were driving along, my husband, Rich, suggested we stop at Books-a-Million and sign stock. I was hesitant, but agreed.

The manager was very sweet and said she'd love to have me sign the stock. Then she proceeded to set up a table and announced that famous author--didn't I tell you I like that manager?--L. C. Hayden was in the store signing books. I had shorts on, terrible hair, and no make-up. I felt miserable and ugly. Who would want to buy a book from an author who looked like a scarecrow?

Within one hour, I sold out.

So much for having to look pretty.

Sigh.

Ugly or beautiful, the author needs to be on time. In New Hampshire, I had back-to-back signings. Although I had downloaded maps of the stores I was going to visit, I still asked for directions. I only had an hour to reach the next store and I certainly didn't want to be late. I was told to get on the freeway and at exit one the huge mall where I was to sign would loom before me.

Armed with new knowledge, I drove away and did as told. I took exit one, saw the mall, and noticed that its name did not coincide with the one I had. Being a smart cookie, I took out my cell.

“You’re where?  I haven't even heard of that mall!" the bookseller told me. "Now what directions did they give you?"

I told them about exit one.

“Oh no. You’re going to have to get back on the freeway and take exit two."
Due to construction, in order to get back to the freeway, I had to drive around several blocks before picking up the freeway. By now, I only had ten minutes to get to the signing on time. I hurried as much as I could, but traffic fought me all of the way. I finally reached exit two. Sure enough, I saw the mall—the same mall, opposite side.

Sigh.

At a recent California signing where I was proudly promoting my latest release, When the Past Haunts You, a lady approached me and stared at the promotional poster featuring me and my mystery novel. She studied my glamour shot, then looked at me, and back again at the picture. She turned to me and said, “Darling, that is such a nice picture of you. Too bad you don’t look like that.”

Sigh.

People do say the darnest things at signings. At a Houston signing, I met a very nice lady. She had checked out at least three Hayden backlist novels from the library, read them, and loved them. When she heard I was signing in Houston, she decided she’d attend. About five minutes before the signing ended, she arrived. She breathed heavily through her mouth. Her flushed features told me she had been running. “I just drove two-and-a-half hours to get to your signing,” she said gasping for air. “I’ve simply got to have all of your books.”

Naturally, I felt thrilled and honored. As we talked, my mind raced furiously. I wanted to write something very special on her book. Then, because she planned to purchase each of my titles, I had to think of several different things to say. We had chatted for about five minutes longer when she glanced at her watch, grabbed a copy of each of my books and dashed off.

“Excuse me,” I called her back. “Do you want me to sign those books?”

Her eyes widened and her eyebrows arched. “Heavens no!  I don’t like my books trashed.”

Sigh.

At another signing, this time for my nonfiction inspirational book When Angels Touch You, I walked into the store and saw a poster with a hand-drawn Happy Face, my name, and title of book, plus information on the signing. The store’s manager apologized for the poster. I told her it was cute. She said, “You don’t understand. I had a beautiful poster made. I want to show it to you.”

She took me to the back of the store where she had hidden the beautiful poster because of its one tiny mistake. The designer wrote Where Angels Touch instead of When.

Sigh.

During some of my signings, most of the customers look at everything but me, but exceptions exist. These brave souls approach me and my heart beats with anticipation. I’m about to make a sale. I smile and face Brave Souls. Then they ask me the Number One Question all authors get asked, “Where’s the bathroom?”

And that’s the truth behind book signings.

Sigh.

Leave a comment this weekend and you’ll have a chance to win a free copy of When the Past Haunts You.

*************************
L. C. Hayden is the author of the award winning Harry Bronson mystery series. Her latest mystery When the Past Haunts You is a finalist for Left Coast Crime’s Watson Award. Ill Conceived, the first in a new series, will be released in June. Visit her website at http://www.lchayden.com.

Interview with author Luisa Buehler

By Lonnie Cruse

Luisa Buehler is energetic and fun to meet up with at conferences or book signings. We ran into each other at an antique store in the Sturgis, Ky. area a while back and wound up dancing in the aisle to the 50's music piped throughout the store. If the owner was keeping an eye on us via hidden cameras, I'm sure he was reaching for the phone to dial 911. Not to mention my daughter-in-law and her mother, who were with me.

LC: I love your book covers, particularly the first. How did you come up with the story for ROSARY BRIDE?

LB: That story was easy--I lived it for four at Rosary College (now Dominican) in River Forest, IL. When you attend an all girls school you either talk about boys or ghosts! We had endless conversations about the 'haunted' areas of the college.

LC: You write a series, how are you keeping it fresh, and how many do you plan in the series?

LB: I hope I do keep it fresh. I try to keep the characters growing, developing more depth. Sometimes they exhibit less than charming habits but then no one's perfect and they shouldn't be in fiction either. As to how many in the series, I just turned in number five and I have at least two more ideas and loose, very loose outlines in my head.

LC: You're scheduled to do a program on gardening, potting and plotting, would you tell us a bit about that? And, boy howdy, do I wish I could attend!

LB: The program is a light-hearted look at how to kill characters with garden variety plants: lethal larkspur, murderous monkshood and the every popular, fatal foxglove! I use some plant poison mixed in a facial cream in The Station Master and mistaken identity between parsley and a toxic cousin in The Lion Tamer. I'm a long time gardener and when my son was a toddler I'd plop him down near me and let him browse through the flowers--until I found out some of them were toxic. I researched what was dangerous if ingested by a child or in the case of Jimson weed, inhaled by a small child. I kept a close eye on him in my garden for the next few years, but by the time he was seven I relaxed my guard--we all know kids won't eat anything green from that point on!

LC: How did you find your publisher?

LB: Sheer luck -- or maybe I was in the right place at the right time. I attended a friend's book launch party and she was there. He introduced me to her and said, "You've got to read her book, it's fabulous!" He'd never read my manuscript, he hates cozies! We struck up a conversation, I asked if I could send her three chapters, she asked for the entire manuscript. Three months later she called.

LC: Great story! Most authors would kill for such an introduction, if you'll pardon the cliche'. What authors do you read?

LB: Carolyn Hart, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Margaret Maron, Nevada Barr, Margaret Coel, Barb D'Amato, M.C. Beaton, Kent Kruger and for my darker taste, Jeffery Deaver and Stephen King.

LC: Some of my faves as well. What is your typical writing day like, or do you have a "typical" day?

LB: Since I have a 'day job' I have to structure my time. I usually get up at 5am and write for 2 1/2 hours before I get ready for work. I have an old school desk (center drawer and hutch) set up on the landing outside the bedrooms. Out there I don't bother my sleeping family. If I have an early meeting I still try to write something every day. I am not a night person so I use my evenings to answer emails and do research.

LC: What sends you running to the computer or reaching for a notebook to jot thoughts or ideas?

LB: Any time I hear or read something with a twist or odd sense to it, I'm either writing it down or recording it. I carry a small tape recorder in my car and I have one next to my bed for all those 'great' two a.m. ideas. The idea for The Station Master came from a two inch article in the local chamber flyer on how Lisle moved the old depot to the historic park. From that I leaped to a dead body in an abandoned train station trunk. Go figure!

LC: Knowing you, I have no problem believing that! We discussed this at Love Is Murder. Would you tell us how you promote your books?

LB: Promotion is always the stumbling block for writers--it's counter intuitive to what we do. I start a postcard campaign to everyone I've every known (almost) two months before the new book comes out. I try to garner names and addresses at speaking events by having a free drawing at the end of the talk. I start calling the bookstores three months before pub date to set up signings on the weekends. At about the same time I send postcards or booklets (first chapter) to librarians (about 500) and at five months before the book is out my publisher and I send out about 50 advanced reading copies to reviewers. After the book comes out you have about three months to promote the heck out of it. After that it's back to general promoting of the series by any methods, internet or print, of keeping your series in front of readers. The goal is that eventually readers are storming the book stores asking for the books. Ah, would that it were so!

LC: Yes, indeedy! You often do signings with other authors. How does that work for you?

LB: In a book fair venue it works well. Everyone is more or less standing or sitting (after 6 hours) smiling and chatting with readers walking up and down the aisles. Sort of like 'quick pitch' selling. You need to have your 30 second promo platform in top form and your 5 second 'grabber' polished to perfection. "My amateur sleuth, Grace Marsden, is obsessive compulsive-so think Monk in a skirt solving cold cases."

At a smaller event like a bookstore it is a little more difficult. Set up space is at a premium and authors can be jammed into an area that may not be in a well traveled aisle. At events like that I usually take my bookmarks and a few books in hand and wander over to the mystery section to look for unsuspecting readers!

LC: Hehe, good plan. Anything else you'd like our readers to know about you?

LB: I want to thank readers, especially any of you who have read my books but every reader who thrills at the opening pages of a new book and savors the journey.

The new Grace Marsden, The Lighthouse Keeper: A Beckoning Death, will be out October 2007. I invite you to visit my website at http://www.luisabuehler.com/ or email direct at thgrace1@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions or just want to chat.

Thank you Lonnie for the opportunity to visit with you and your friends.

Thanks for stopping by, Luisa! See you at the Schaumburg Library Author Fest on June 23. Meet me in the mystery aisle and we'll dance to Chubby Checker.