Why I Write Thrillers

Our guest today is Ian Walkley, who has had a career in social and market research, and has been writing novels, short stories, travel articles and copywriting since 2008. He has co-authored two publications on small business and his first novel, No Remorse, was published in 2012. Ian's screenplay "Deniable Justice" placed fourth in the Writer’s Digest 2011 Competition for best screenplay. Ian has travelled extensively and researched his subject, and brings a knowledge of location and technical detail to the exotic settings and big screen thrills. Ian lives in Brisbane with his wife and three children. Ian comes to us through Goddess Fish.

Ian will award a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Please follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here.

Why I Chose to Write Thrillers

When I was running my marketing consultancy I traveled a great deal, and loved to read escapist thrillers while flying. I wanted to write a book that other travelers would enjoy. Also, I like action and suspense, and get bored with mysteries that fill pages with manipulated plots designed to delay the revealing of a secret. Thrillers are about tension that makes the reader want to turn the page. Many men don’t read fiction, and I want to write stories that get men reading again, while also appealing to female readers. Readers have written to me about how they stayed up all night to finish No Remorse, or how their husband wouldn’t pay them attention until he had finished the book. So I think the answer is short chapters, lots of action, and a mix of conflict, violence and sex.

I’d wanted to write novels because I have always enjoyed reading them. But in my day, writing novels was something that mysterious people (usually in the US or UK) did. Famous Australian authors were extremely rare, and certainly not well-known to me. Looking back, I probably should have become a journalist like my father and uncle. Still, I ended up running a successful business as a consumer researcher, which I sold to make way for a new career as a fiction writer in 2008.

As you probably know, 2008 was the year ebooks began to take off. This has had an upside and a downside. When it came time to pitch my completed book to agents and publishers in late 2011, they were all scrambling to figure out whether they would survive this Amazonian revolution. The focus became on getting well-known authors to produce more money spinners, and debut authors were being shunned. I think that situation is changing now, but in the end I decided to self-publish rather than die wondering whether my writing was any good.

Fortunately, No Remorse has had excellent reviews. Here’s a selection from the esteemed Kirkus Reviews’ review:

“Walkley’s beefy prose and rousing action sequences deliver a thriller to satisfy any adrenaline addict…

With so many interweaving subplots—kidnapped girls, Israeli undercover agents, nuclear weapons and a secret underwater hideout—it could be easy to lose track of what’s going on. But the author’s deft handling of the material ensures that doesn’t occur; subplots are introduced at the appropriate junctures and, by story’s end, all are accounted for and neatly concluded.”

In my younger days, my writing heroes were Ludlum, Maclean, Wilbur Smith—action, adventure, global conspiracies—so I naturally gravitated to thrillers. When I began writing No Remorse, in 2008, I had in mind writing a Ludlum-esque prologue about some mysterious event, and weaving a story around it. I was curious about Saddam’s missing WMD’s, so I came up with the idea of Saddam passing nuclear materials to an old Saudi Prince who buried them in the Arabian desert just before the invasion.

However, over the three years I was writing the book many things occurred that kept forcing me to rewrite the story. I came to the view that everyone wanted to put Iraq behind them, and more recently Osama Bin Laden was killed. In the end, I spent a further six months rewriting the story so that it would not date.

No Remorse in its final form is the story of the kidnapping of two American teenage girls on holiday in Mexico, and the subsequent search for them by a former special operations soldier Lee McCloud (Mac). I have retained the theme of ‘no remorse’ in terms of achieving retribution for the evil that bad people have done to others.

I have enjoyed the research side of writing. I traveled to Paris, London and Dubai to help with setting, and investigated the activities of the bad guys in areas such as human trafficking, which is a massive global trade, rivaling drugs in illegal earnings. I also researched the corruption of the global financial system, computer hacking, and read many non-fiction accounts from special forces operators.

I’m currently writing my second book. It’s a different type of story, a crime thriller more like a Harlan Coben, Don Winslow or Nelson DeMille story. I have already begun plotting the sequel to No Remorse.

I love the challenge of putting together a complex plot and seeing it completed. And what I love equally as much is hearing from readers how much they enjoyed the story. That’s what writing novels is all about.

About the Book

Two men, exiles from their respective societies, take conflicting approaches in the quest to regain their place and self-respect, and find themselves at war over a kidnapped girl.

Lee McCloud (“Mac”), a special forces soldier facing trumped-up charges of murder, is forced to work for a mysterious government outfit operating outside the law.

Khalid Yubani, cast out of Saudi Arabia for an offence against another member of the Royal family, seeks revenge through ruthless acts of evil. Engaged in the worst forms of human trafficking, Khalid buys Sophia, the daughter of Mac’s best friend, who has been kidnapped in Mexico. With time running out for Sophia, Mac enlists the help of a beautiful computer genius, a British SAS soldier and a Lebanese fixer to try to find Sophia and save her from the terrifying fate that Khalid has in store.

Although starting the quest as a man with no remorse, Mac gradually discovers a side of himself that he suppressed after witnessing the abduction of his own sister years before.

Dodging assassins, corrupt generals, evil medicos, Mossad agents, corrupt bureaucrats, and sharks, Mac ignores the order to stay out of trouble and follows Sophia’s trail from Mexico to Paris, London and Dubai, and the island of Andaran, where Khalid and his henchmen are waiting…

Read an Excerpt

The girls’ fathers, Bob and Marvin, each carried a briefcase full of cash with a tiny GPS tracker hidden in a false bottom. They were both taller than the kidnappers, and through the scope Mac could read the pain on Bob’s face. The behavior of the kidnappers was still bothering him, but there was nothing he could do except watch. The leader held out his palm and waved his pistol like it was a flag. He addressed the fathers in accented English.

“You’re late. We think perhaps you do not want your daughters back, eh?”

“Sorry,” Bob said, his breathing short and sharp. “We took a wrong turn coming into the dam. The signs were confusing.”

The man grunted and glanced at the one with the knife. “Check them.”

Knife Man patted them down, searched their pockets, nodded the all clear.

“You have our money?”

“Of course.” Bob’s voice came through deep and confident in his earpiece, although the armpits of his shirt betrayed his anxiety. Be courteous but strong, Mac had advised him, otherwise they won’t respect you. Being a basketball coach undoubtedly helped. “And you have our daughters,” Bob said. A statement, not a question. He held out the briefcase. “Here’s the money. We didn’t contact the police.”

Several kidnappers gave a hearty laugh.

The leader smirked. “We wouldn’t be here if you had, gringo. But your daughters would be. With bullets in their heads.” He gestured to a kidnapper wearing a red bandana around his neck. “Abrirlos,” he ordered, and the man took both briefcases and unclipped the locks.

Contact Ian Walkley

http://www.ianwalkley.com

http://www.facebook.com/ianwalkleyauthor

http://www.twitter.com/ianjwalkley

Whatever Happened to Poetry?

Our guest today is author, poet and storyteller Branch Isole, who writes of adult issues and emotions often experienced but not always voiced. His style and presentation casts reflective identity against a backdrop of personal responsibility choice or avoidance. Branch observes and comments on the motivations of our world, both clothed and bare. Writing and publishing in four distinct genre categories: poetry, spirituality, erotica, and self-publishing. His catalogue of works includes paperbacks, ebooks, greeting cards and inspirational gift mats. Visit his website for additional information at www.branchisole.com and please stop by and see him at Book 'Em North Carolina next February 23, 2013 at Robeson Community College in Lumberton, NC.

If you are like many people, the last or perhaps only exposure you’ve had to poetry was in a high school English class. For most readers’ poetry as a viable genre is either “MIA” or non-existent.  While poetry is often viewed as the forgotten member of the literary family, a majority of its devotees and followers are aspiring poets.

Why is poetry, literature’s original art form which has been with mankind virtually since its beginning, now thought to be ‘staid and archaic’ to the point of exclusion? The historical roots of poetry go back to the first humans who sat around fires telling stories of survival, traditions and ancestry. Their oral renditions retold to successive tribal generations set the stage for epic tales, which would become the mainstay of literature and theater for evolving empires and civilizations.

Poetic fables were often short morality vignettes, which would draw listeners into the action and character plights using a variety of expositions or expressions including rhymes, songs, choral refrains and descriptive dialogues to tell the story.

Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance poetry achieved growth and glory as it provided both entertainment and education for masses of illiterate people. During the Enlightenment period of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, poetry attained a pinnacle position in literature, which then gave birth to its many diverse forms, eventually leading to the fundamentals and rejoinders of musical lyrics people have enjoyed singing since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and throughout the twentieth century.

Today most people have been exposed to or have assimilated poetic rhymes from childhood fairy tales and their earliest bed-time story experiences. Poetry’s pre-reading introduction has helped millions to form, learn and establish the foundational pillars of the reading process.

So where has poetry gone? Why does poetry currently live in the literary shadows? Poetry still offers readers opportunities for growth and enjoyment, because poetry is unique.

Only Poetry:

Can tell a story with a beginning, middle and end in bite sized, brief or concise formats and lengths.

Can offer an emotional pull and connection to every reader, regardless of age, gender, social, economic or political preference.

Can represent or jump from plot to plot, character to character, scene to scene with transitional ease.

May be employed as a style application for every other literary genre.

Makes use of themes, events, and lessons of life in quick and easy to read presentations.

Is the perfect match for a ‘Twitter’ reading world.

Where is poetry? It’s alive and well. You may have to look a little harder or dig a little deeper, but poetry is everywhere. Go ahead, read a poem today. You’ll recognize the joy of it, because a poet lives in each of us.

Book Publicity 101 - Part 2

Today's guest blog is from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the author of so-called hard-to-promote genres (www.howtodoitfrugally.com/literary_books.htm) and of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/. And, yes, she will be speaking at the Book 'Em book fair in North Carolina in February of 2013. It's part of her overall marketing campaign and a way to help other authors avoid the same promotion potholes she once fell into.

This is Part 2 of Book Publicity 101. Part 1 was posted yesterday.

How do you find the best help with publicity possible?

1. Consider what you need and how much time you can put into it. Your budget may not accommodate a full-service publicist. You may not have the time to fully participate with all of those services.
2. If that’s the case, consider people who will work with you piecemeal like BookinSync. You may need an online book tour. I like Denise Cassino's book launch service. Contact her at dencassino@gmail.com . It shouldn’t be too expensive to get help when you do it in bits and pieces. And when you work with others, many of the contacts you get from your service will become contacts for the life of your writing career. Or you may need help writing your first release so you can do it yourself. That kind of help is available, too, from people like Mindy Philips Lawence, mplcreative1@aol.com .
3. Before you hire anyone consider their Rolodex. I'm talking about a file of contacts that are real
   

   personal, working relationships with editors, radio hosts, etc. Ask what kind of publicity have they gotten for their other clients? Consider whether those contacts are people who might have an interest in a project like yours. A book publicist who has had mostly experience with mystery writers, deals mostly with books stores that dedicate themselves to stories about crime, and has a huge file of names of reviewers interested in psycho/thrillers probably won't be able to do you much good if yours is a literary novel. And vice versa.

As you have already guessed, you want someone who has clients similar to you. Check that out, but also check with the clients. Were they satisfied? If not, why not. Their expectations may have been different than yours. Further, if there were some gaps that you consider important, you may be able to negotiate with your newfound partner to include those services in the publicity package you are contracting for.

Am I speaking from experience? You betcha. And lukewarm results were not the fault of my publicist. She did a great job with what she had. She just didn't have what I needed! If you do your homework, you’ll be happier with your publicity campaign and your publicist will be able to help you reach your goals more quickly…and they’ll be happier with you.

Today's guest blog is from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the author of so-called hard-to-promote genres (www.howtodoitfrugally.com/literary_books.htm) and of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/. And, yes, she will be speaking at the Book 'Em book fair in North Carolina in February of 2013. It's part of her overall marketing campaign and a way to help other authors avoid the same promotion potholes she once fell into.

 

Book Publicity 101

Today's guest blog is from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, the author of so-called hard-to-promote genres (www.howtodoitfrugally.com/literary_books.htm) and of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/. And, yes, she will be speaking at the Book 'Em book fair in North Carolina in February of 2013. It's part of her overall marketing campaign and a way to help other authors avoid the same promotion potholes she once fell into.

This is Part 1 of Book Publicity 101. Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

If your name isn't King or Grisham or Roberts you've probably already figured out that you need to do a lot of publicity on your own because your publisher hasn't assigned a budget ample enough to shoot your book to stardom.

That publicist can be you or someone else, but somebody's got to do it if you want your book to sell.

I have a publicist friend who is also an author. He rightfully claims that he could never find a PR person who would do the same kind of job he does, including the time he spends on his own PR work. How could anyone argue with that? We all are our own best publicists, even if we hire someone else.

But what if we don't have the time or expertise?

We can learn to do it ourselves. After all, we are writers. We should be able to grasp the knack of how to write a release.

But the best way to do it is to learn a lot about the marketing of books and then partner with expert publicists or people who can help you with specific projects like online book tours. And partnering with them in a way that won’t eat up your advance or cost you more than you’re likely to make on your book.

Here are some suggestions for preparing yourself to be the best publicity partner around.

1. Join organizations like SPAN (Small Publishers of North America) (www.spannnet.org) where you’ll learn to understand the world of publishing from every angle—your, that of your publicist and that of your publisher.
2. Subscribe to newsletters sent out my experts in the field of publishing. Dan Poynter, John Kremer, Penny C. Sansevieri, and one of my favorite publicity gurus Joan Stewart are all online resources for getting online information that isn’t rooted in myth and gossip. You’ll learn tons from my Sharing with Writers newsletter, too. Subscribe by sending a SUBSCRIBE message to HoJoNews@aol.com.
3. Take a class in public relations. The only way I know how to avoid drastic mistakes in choosing a class is to patronize your local college or attend writers’ conferences sponsored by universities.
4. One of the most frugal ways to learn a new skillset is to read. Most of those who publish free newsletters like the ones I mentioned above have books that will get you off on the right foot. Find mine at www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo

The next question is how do you find the best help with publicity possible. Tune in tomorrow for tips!

Summer Reads

Please welcome our guest blogger today, Sheryl Browne, who is visiting us through Goddess Fish Promotions. Now residing in Worcestershire, Sheryl Browne grew up in Birmingham, UK, where she studied Art & Design. She wears many hats: a partner in her own business, a mother, and a foster parent to disabled dogs. Creative in spirit, Sheryl has always had a passion for writing. A member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, she has previously been published in the US and writes Romantic Comedy because, as she puts it, "life is just too short to be miserable."

Sheryl's debut novel, RECIPES FOR DISASTER - combining deliciously different and fun recipes with sexilicious romantic comedy, is garnering some fabulous reviews! Sheryl has also been offered a further three-book contract under the Safkhet Publishing Soul imprint. SOMEBODY TO LOVE, a romantic comedy centring around a single policeman father’s search for love, launches 1 July. The book, which also features an autistic little boy and his Autism Assistance Dog, has already been endorsed by Danemere Dog Rescue Centre and is currently being reviewed by Our Dog Publications with a view to future advertising. WARRANT FOR LOVE, bringing together three couples in a twisting story that resolves perfectly, is released 1 August.

Sheryl will award a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host.

Please follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-blurb-blitz-summer-reads-from.html

SOMEBODY TO LOVE

After a turbulent marriage to a man who walked off hand-in-offshoot with something resembling a twig, divorced mum, Donna O'Conner, doubts happy endings exist. She'd quite like to find herself an Adonis with… pecs …and things. Alas, that's not likely, when her only interest outside of work is hopping her three-legged dog in the park, carrying a poop-scoop. In any case, Donna isn't sure she'd know what to do with an Adonis if she fell on one. When PC Mark Evans comes along, gloriously gift-wrapped in blue, however, she can't help wishing she did.

Mark, a single father, is desperate for love. He doesn't hold out much hope, though, that there is a woman out there with a heart big enough to love him and his autistic son. Enter big-hearted Donna, plus three-legged dog. And now Mark has a dilemma. Pretending not to mind her house-bunny chewing his bootlaces, he's smitten with Donna on sight. Should he tell her his situation up-front? Announcing he has a child with autism spectrum disorder on a first date tends to ensure there isn't a second. Or should he skirt around the subject, which amounts to a lie? When one lie leads to another, can he ever win Donna's trust back? Admit that he didn't trust Donna enough to let her into his life?

Somebody to Love has been made with love... love of animals. Sheryl Browne has done excellent research on assistance dogs for the handicapped, specifically their use with autistic individuals. With a focus on romance with police officers, appealing to all readers who love our boys in blue, the author's "teasing but not telling" style makes this read appropriate for anyone, including young adults and older teens.

EXCERPT FROM SOMEBODY TO LOVE:

A Lost Little Boy…

The bell tinkled overhead. The soft murmur of voices slowed and, somehow, Mark could sense his son’s nearness. He glanced at the shopkeeper. ‘There wouldn’t be a young boy?’

‘We wondered whose he was.’ She nodded, indicating a room beyond the shop-fronting area they were in. An Aladdin’s cave, stuffed full of toys and magical to a child’s eyes. ‘We were just about to call the police.’

‘Mine. My son,’ said Mark, his throat tight as he watched Karl wander through from the back room, his clear blue eyes wide with wonder, before they alighted on Mark. Then, they grew disconcerted, as if Karl knew he was in trouble, and Mark couldn’t bear that. He knew he should talk to him. Try to instil in him through firm repetition, that he should not do this sort of stuff. Instead, he walked over to Karl and bent down to hug him so tight, he could feel his son’s heartbeat next to his own.

‘Hiya, mate. Did you get your model car?’ he asked throatily, knowing Karl wouldn’t, couldn’t hug him back. Trying hard not to mind, Mark stood to ruffle Karl’s hair. His fringe was tickling his eyelashes again, he noticed.

Time for a trim, he guessed, recalling how, with his long dark eyelashes, Karl had often been mistaken for a girl as a baby. How his wife had joked he’d grow up to be a heartbreaker. Mark’s heart seemed to have broken, that was for sure.

Karl shook his head. ‘No,’ he said, in that gruff, grainy voice that drew people’s stares. Mark didn’t care. At least Karl was speaking. He was two when he’d stopped, and Mark’s life changed forever.

WARRANT FOR LOVE:

Leanne Curtis has shared more than her heart and her home with her womanising man. She's shared her pin number. The scales are peeled painfully from her eyes when she spots female footprints on the inside windscreen of his car. Devastated, Leanne storms off into the night. He wasn't going to pay her back when he sold his flat, his bolthole, his shag-pad, probably, the absolute…! Shivering on a street corner, Leanne comes up with a survival plan. She's no choice. If she's to keep her son in PS3s, Leanne needs a lodger.

Brought up in care, Police Constable Paul Davis doesn't communicate well. On duty, he's gloomily contemplating his impending divorce. His wife sleeping with his sergeant is not helping his morose mood. His sergeant has a history, and Paul needs to find somewhere decent to live in order to gain custody of his son, fast. And to keep his job. Wrongfully arresting Leanne Curtis for soliciting, he muses, whilst avoiding five-star-freezer looks from her friends, might not be the best way to do it.

Could fate have brought them together, though? Leanne needs a respectable lodger. Paul needs a home. One thing leads to another, and Paul can't quite believe his luck. When a blackmail plot ~ cooked up by Leanne's friends ~ threatens their budding relationship, however, is Paul compelled to uphold the law? Or will he risk everything to make sure Leanne's abusive ex gets his comeuppance?

Warrant for Love is not your typical rom-com where only one gal gets the guy — Sheryl Browne brings together three couples in a twisting story that resolves perfectly. With a focus on romance with police officers, Warrant for Love appeals to all readers who love our boys in blue. Complex yet everyday relationship problems makes this read appropriate for young adults and older teens.

EXCERPT FROM WARRANT FOR LOVE

'Dad!’ James exclaimed, hurtling out the front door.

‘Hi, small-fry.’ Paul ruffled his hair. ‘How’s things?’

‘Cool.’ James grinned. ‘I got one,’ he said excitedly. ‘A Play Station Three.’

Paul forced a smile. ‘Yeah, that is pretty cool. Mum get it for your birthday, did she?’

‘No.’ James skirted around Paul to the car. ‘Uncle Dave.’

Figures, thought Paul. Motive: one-upmanship. Cummings wouldn’t give a damn about what James wanted otherwise.

‘Wasn’t that nice of him,’ he said, with bitter-edged sarcasm as Kate appeared with James’ overnight bag. ‘Guess that means I’ll have to think of something else to get him for Christmas.’

‘Paul…’ Kate began. ‘We didn’t know you were going to get him…’

‘Forget it.’ Paul shrugged. Every time he tried to put hostilities on hold… ‘Have to see if we can’t get you some games for it, won’t we?’ he called to James over his shoulder.

‘Cool. Dead or Alive. Ben’s got it. It’s ace.’

‘Great. How much?’ Paul nodded his thanks to Kate as she handed him the rucksack.

‘Forty pounds,’ said James, scrambling into the passenger seat. ‘Is that okay?’

‘Yes. No probs,’ Paul said, wondering how he was ever going to pay solicitors fees and maintenance, as well as providing a decent home for James along with the things he should as a father.

‘We can get it,’ Kate offered. ‘Dave said…’

‘No thanks. Got it covered.’ American Express, Paul thought grimly as he turned to the car. That’ll do nicely.

‘Oh, and we’ll need a second control,’ announced James.

‘Why’s that?’ Paul asked, checking his seat belt.

‘So two people can play, of course,’ James explained, wearing his parents-are-past-it face. ‘It’s no fun playing on your own.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Paul smiled, checked his mirror, and pulled out.

‘Can we have popcorn this time?’ James asked whilst Paul mentally tried to make his bank balance add up.

‘Not as well as McDonald’s, James. You’ll be sick.’

‘But Mum said.’ James flopped his head back on the seat, popcorn deprivation overriding Play Station euphoria.

‘I don’t care what Mum said, James.’

‘There’s no point going to the pictures if I can’t have popcorn.’

‘You don’t want to see Turtles in 3D, then?’

James shrugged and turned to stare out of the window.

‘Look, James. No popcorn. But, what say we stop off on the way to the pictures? See if we can’t get Dead or Alive tonight?’ Paul tried to redeem himself in his son’s eyes, whilst wondering whether PC World would hire him part-time in exchange for the computer game.

He shouldn’t give in so easily but he had to get something for James’ birthday, closely followed by an alternative to the Play Station for Christmas. The second choice on James’ Dear Santa list was a computer. At this rate, he’d have to resort to touting for business on street corners.

His mind drifted to Leanne, his mouth curving into a smile as he recalled her quip about ten punters all in one night. He laughed out loud. Still couldn’t shake the image of her making eyes at passing traffic, wearing his police sweater and a sarong.

‘What’s funny?’ James asked.

‘Nothing.’ Paul straightened his face as he pulled up at the station. ‘Forgot my wallet,’ he said, trying hard to consign Leanne to history.

CONNECT WITH SHERYL BROWNE 

Safkhet Publishing http://www.safkhetpublishing.com/books/soul/9781908208118/Somebody_to_Love.html

Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Somebody-Love-Sheryl-Browne/dp/1908208112/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340202812&sr=1-1&keywords=somebody+to+love+sheryl+browne

Author Facebook     

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheryl-Browne-Author-Page/245372252189480

Romantic Novelists’ Association

http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/about/author/sheryl_browne

A loveahappyending featured Author http://loveahappyending.com/sheryl-browne/  

Twitter: @sherylbrowne

Website: www.sherylbrowne.com

Selling Your Books at a Booth - Part 2

Belea T. Keeney is a native Floridian writer whose short stories have appeared in such varied venues as WordKnot, Sniplits, Boundoff, Florida Horror: Dark Tales from the Sunshine State, and Lycanthrope: The Beast Within. She has received two Artist Enhancement Grants from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, and works as an editor for Torquere Press, Samhain Publishing, and select private clients. Time away from the keyboard is spent in the riding ring trying to pick up the correct diagonal at the trot, collecting caladiums, and pondering the beauty of tigers. Visit her website at http://www.beleatkeeney.com/ or contact her at belea@beleatkeeney.com.

Selling Your Books at a Booth
Part II: Working the Booth

by Belea T. Keeney

As part of your marketing plan for your book(s), you may have the chance to do some hands-on selling at a festival or event with a booth vendor slot. In the last issue, we discussed how to locate appropriate festivals, make contact, and arrange to set up a book booth. Now that you've done that, what next?

Having sold books at dozens of events over the past decade, I've developed a recipe for success and working a booth to your advantage. With some basic ingredients and a generous dash of high spirits, try mixing up these tactics at your next event and see your sales go up.

1: Make eye contact and break the ice.

Your first goal is to simply get people to stop walking and look at your booth and your books. A simple "good morning or hello, how are you?" is one way to start. If you're at festival of some sort, ask how they're enjoying it. Say it with a smile and try to be genuine. Vary your greeting -- you'll get sick of saying the same thing all day long, so try variations. When you do get someone to stop, ask an open-ended question that can't be answered with a "yes" or "no". "What do you like to read?" is much better than "Do you like to read?"

If this is hard for you (and for some writers, it really IS hard), work yourself up to it by greeting every tenth person, then every fifth, then every other one. Most folks at events travel in pairs or groups so you'll have wider coverage by letting your gaze encompass everyone. You'll be able to tell the serious reader by how quickly they come up to the table, whether they grab any books right away, what sort of questions they ask, and how much they talk back and forth with you.

Some folks will ignore you and just keep walking. Don't take it personally; besides, you'll probably never see any of these folks ever again!

2: Try to stand up most of the time you're "onstage."

Standing and moving shows a bit of interest and energy. Of course, if you have to sit, work on projecting your voice (events are often noisy) and good spirits in your greetings. Smile, be enthusiastic, engage the people across the table from you.

3: Steer them toward your books!

Once you have a sense of what your prospect enjoys reading, you can steer them toward your books, remind them that friends and family may enjoy your book(s), or steer them to your fellow author(s) at the booth.

Get a book into their hands! Hand them one. (Most people will take something handed to them.) Give them a sentence-or-two synopsis--"this is about a dressage rider who falls in love with a cowboy"--then watch their eyes. Once you see them start to skim the back cover copy or interior blurb, shut up! Don't distract them from focusing on the book.

4: And, since you're probably standing, don't loom!

It's natural to lean forward and want to flip pages for people but try not to invade their personal space bubble. Even though you'll probably have a table between you, make the conscious effort to step or lean back as visitors are reading so they don't feel crowded and pressured.

If they're really interested they'll start flipping through the pages. When they look up, they may ask how much the book is. (Even if you have signs up on the table with prices, most people ignore them.) Tell them the price, (and it's always a sale price for whatever event you're at), let them know about any discounts you can offer (three for $40, no sales tax, etc.), and smile. And ask, "May I inscribe that for you?" Always double-check how to spell the name and sign away.

5: If they don't want to buy right now, that's fine.

You can still make a good impression and make a connection. Give them a business card, a chapbook, a brochure, a postcard, whatever you've brought with you to give away. It should have your name, website, book title(s), and e-mail on it so you can be contacted. Shake their hand if that feels appropriate, tell them how they can order your book online or through a bookseller, and send them on their way with a warm feeling about you and your books.

6: If you're sharing a booth with other authors, mention their books.

Maybe you've written a historical romance and your fellow author has a science fiction story. Cross-sell each other's work if the person you're talking to doesn't seem enthused about your title. And as a reminder, if your fellow author is talking with someone, don't interrupt and try to pitch your own book. Let your fellow writer hand off folks to you. Of course, if either of you make a sale; it's a nice touch to slip a postcard or bookmark from the other author into the book you've sold.

7: Make friends with the vendors next to you.

Especially if you're working an event alone, having someone keep an eye on your booth while you take a bathroom break is a big help. Offer to bring them drinks if you're making a food run. Plus, just having someone to socialize with during the inevitable lulls is pleasant. At the end of the day, get some of their business cards and pass on their info to others. They may do the same for you. If you find yourself attending events over time, you may see many of the same faces year after year. Get to be buddies with your fellow vendors!

8: Eat away from the booth or at least out of sight.

At the bare minimum, move your chair to the rear of the booth and take small bites so you can swallow quickly and respond to someone stopping by. People will feel awkward about interrupting your meal, so try to keep the food out of sight (behind a chair or something), and be ready to greet the public when needed. Remember, you've only got the booth space for X number of hours so make good use of the time you have access to the public walking by.

9: Make notes about who buys the book.

What are the demographics? Jot down gender and age range, whether they've got kids, what their interests are. If you've inscribed books to folks, keep track of their names so you can thank them on your blog/website/social page later on. The point is to educate yourself about your market and your audience, give you ideas on other ways to reach that market, and to make that personal connection that helps you win readers and fans.

10: Try to enjoy yourself!

Make up stories about people walking by, eavesdrop on conversations, make quick notes for story ideas, snatches of dialogue, etc. You've paid good money to be in attendance; you may as well have a productive time while you're selling books.

By using these tips, working a booth can be a much more profitable and enjoyable experience for you. Done well, working a booth will earn you book sales, new readers, and good word-of-mouth. Combine your enthusiasm and sales tactics with some energy and gumption, garnish with sincerity and enthusiasm, and you'll have a recipe for success at events!

More Information:

Selling Your Books at a Booth, Part I: Ten Tips for Success, by Belea T. Keeney

http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/booth1.shtml

Copyright © 2010 Belea T. Keeney