I really love doing author events.
I am one of those rare writers who’s an extrovert, and to me, there’s almost nothing more fun than getting to connect with readers and book lovers—and sometimes, other writers, too.
I always show up super early and say hi to the organizer so they have one less thing to worry about. Most writers, who aren’t super famous, never know how many people will attend. But I always figure, if only one person showed up, I’d have a good time hanging out and chatting with that person.
This past weekend, I was part of a romance author Q&A panel
hosted by Reads By the River, an utterly charming independent bookstore in the also charming town of Waterford, Wisconsin. It was great to meet with the other two authors, Shelby Saville (who I had gotten the chance to talk to a couple of years before) and Adrianna Schuh. The bookstore owner who organized it had good questions. So did the audience members—a nice group. I talked about how I wound up writing Her Knight at the Museum and the forthcoming sequel, Her Time Traveling Duke.
The bookstore owners, a husband and wife team, could not have been sweeter, and I loved hearing about how they started up the store. It was doing gangbusters on Independent Bookstore Day! If you are ever in the greater Milwaukee area, this bookstore is worth the trip.
Honestly, I’ve loved every author event I’ve done…except one.
Once, I was asked to be a conversation partner/Q&A moderator with an Awfully Popular Romance Author (we’ll call her APRA) at her book signing event. It was six days before the event, and the originally scheduled moderator couldn’t make it.
The event was organized by a bookstore owner who I had met a couple of times before. Because Apra was so popular, her event was at a ballroom at a hotel.
I took several hours to familiarize myself with Apra’s work, develop questions, send her the list of questions in advance, and so on. I did my best to look cute, and Mr. Donovan drove me out to the hotel on a rainy night, a half hour away. I arrived about forty-five minutes early.
They’d sold hundreds of tickets. Usually at an event like this, the conversation partner signs books, too. When went into the ballroom where they were setting up stacks and stacks of Apra’s books for sale, I didn’t see my book, but I figured they probably didn’t have time to order it.
I went over to the bookseller and said, “Hi, I’m Bryn Donovan. Do you need any help setting up?”
The bookseller fully turned her back to me, saying coldly, “No, we’ve got it,” and kept unboxing things.
Now, I don’t expect a lot. But I did expect a, Hey, thanks for doing this on short notice…or even a hello.
I walked away and sat in the lobby. I returned about fifteen minutes before the start time and Apra was there, so I introduced myself and we had a nice talk.
Once hundreds of readers were in their seats and it was time to begin, the bookseller looked at me for the first time. She asked, “Bryn, do you want me to introduce you, or do you want to introduce yourself?”
I said, “I think you should introduce me.”
She picked up the mic and said to the crowd, “Welcome, everybody! I’ll hand it over to Bryn!”
So of course I introduced myself: one sentence about me, and one sentence about my book. Then I began to introduce Apra, although unlike me, everyone knew who she was. But Apra stopped me. She told the audience that she was reading my book and it was the most feel-good read ever and they should pick it up. It was so sweet of her.
I asked her questions, in the manner of a talk show host, which was fun to do, because she’s talented and interesting, and it was going fine. Apra is a flawless, delicate beauty. She was wearing an exquisite artsy top with filmy sleeves, and someone asked where she got it.
And all the sudden, right in the middle of things, sitting up there in front of a big crowd, I was overcome with an acute sense of physical shame, in my beret and thrift-store tweed blazer over a thrift-store dark floral dress, just feeling old and poor and ugly and fat and unsuccessful and embarrassing, and maybe functioning as a sort of contrast to make Apra look even more perfect.
This was way out of character for me. I usually feel pretty confident. I think it had something to do with being spoken to by the bookseller as if I was a nuisance, after working hard to make her event a success.
Anyway, when I had that sudden sense of shame, I told myself, Oh, that’s what we’re NOT going to do, and I kept my chin up.
Then came the signing portion of the evening, and since I had no books to sign, I went back out to the lobby and called Mr. Donovan to pick me up. One reader found me in the lobby and said they were disappointed that my book wasn’t there, since it sounded good, which was very nice. I gave her a free signed copy. Another reader happened to have a copy of my book in her purse, even though nobody had known I would be there, and she asked me to sign it.
Apra emailed me a couple of days later to say thanks again, and she gave me a shoutout on her Instagram, because she’s a really kind person.
I don’t know why it was such a weird event.
Maybe the bookstore owner probably missed an email about the original person not being able to make it, and about me being a substitute, although Apra had clearly gotten the memo. Maybe she mistook me for one of the attendees. I know we’re all doing the best we can, and maybe I just caught the bookseller on a stressful night.
Author events are like anything else we do as authors. Nothing is predictable or guaranteed…we just have to try it out and see how it goes.
Have you ever had an author event? Or have you ever been in charge of organizing an event?
Was it good, bad, or kind of eh? Did anything surprise you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Thanks so much for reading, and have a great week!
At a library event one time, where there were eight to ten authors–I don’t remember how many–I think virtually all the sales were ones we made to each other. It wasn’t a BAD one, per se, and the other writers were so interesting and nice, but it wasn’t what any of us hoped for!
Liz, I don’t think this is all that rare, to be honest! It does happen. It’s disappointing, but like you, I always try to focus on the opportunity to meet the other people!
It’s amazing how much happier life can be if you assume the best of other people. Even if they don’t deserve the grace, it makes life better for the person thinking the thoughts. Thanks for the post Bryn! I love your outlook.
Aww, thanks, Elizabeth! Honestly, I know I make at least my share of mistakes, so I have great incentive for cutting other people some slack. 🙂 Thank you for the kind words! I hope you have a great week!
Bryn!!! Thank you so much for posting this, and for always being your real, and very lovely, self. 🙂 I’ve learned so much from you over the years and now here I am on the verge of self-pubbing my fourth book! The first three are part of a series that takes place in Cape May, NJ and the reason I wrote these books was to put South Jersey beaches on the romcom map with a series of light-hearted beach reads. I’m saying that because my primary goal was to get books into the hands of local readers who, like me, want to read something set in the coastal towns they know and love. I knew, going into it, I’d never have the kind of event that would be ticketed, or placed in a large venue, or have lines out the front door 😀 I’ve done several signings over the past two years, and the worst part for me is getting ready for it. I’m somewhat of an introverted extrovert, so I lowkey dread going into it. My biggest fear is letting down the bookseller by not bringing in a huge crowd (or anything slightly resembling a crowd 🙂 despite promoting it widely on my social media channels and email list. However, once I’m in the hotseat, I’m happy to be there, and I absolutely LOVE meeting readers. Like you mentioned, I’m thankful for each reader who decides to part with their hard-earned money and spend their precious time reading my books, and I’ve actually gained a few loyal followers as a result. I’ll probably never fill a room or have a line waiting, but each event (no matter how small) and each person I get to meet and talk with means the world to me! Thanks so much for this post, reminding us that we’re all just doing the best we can!
Kimberly!! Well first of all, as far as you ever having a big ticketed author event, let’s never say NEVER. 😀 I figure with bookstore owners, it’s not their first rodeo—they know these things are hard to predict. I really think there’s no substitute for that kind of connection you make with a reader when you meet them in person.
Congratulations on your fourth book! That’s amazing! I am always so inspired by place, so I totally understand that motivation.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. I hope you have a great week!
I love the perspective you took on the event that did not go well. I’ve been on both sides of that aisle, and the both have their challenges. Being the center of attention at author events and having to talk about myself is hard. I grew up learning not to brag on myself, so suddenly having to convince people that I am awesome goes against all of my programing. That’s probably why I enjoy organizing events more. I love putting together a plan and seeing it executed. Something always goes wrong, but I usually have a few backups for most of the big things. So, while stressful, they are easier for me to navigate than talking about myself.
Hi Erin! They do both have their challenges! Although I wrote about a self-conscious moment here, I usually feel fine being the center of attention. I may be too comfortable with talking about myself. 😀 And yeah, something or other is always going to go wrong.
I’ve always heard that introverts are better speakers, and I’m sure that’s true. And for what it’s worth, I’d love to hear you talk about yourself and your writing. 🙂 Thank you for commenting! Have a great week!
You really know how to turn lemons into lemonade Bryn. I admire your positivity and ability to soldier on and make the most of a difficult situation.
Haha, thanks, Naomi! Well, we might as well, right? Have a lovely week!
Like you, I do my best to give people the benefit of the doubt. It makes life easier for everyone. As for book events, I always apply what I learned during my college years working retail at Disneyland.
Make eye contact.
Smile.
Speak clearly.
Listen.
Genuinely say “thank you.”
Those same tactics worked wonders throughout the rest of my career in marketing, branding and now my author-entreprenurship.
I wrapping up a WWII-era love story trilogy (Hiroshima, Paris, New York City) that I’m planning to release in pretty quick succession. So I’m psyching-up for public appearances again. I still get nervous, but I don’t let it show. I remember to…
Make eye contact.
Smile.
Speak clearly.
Listen.
Genuinely say “thank you.”
Funny how some things that you learn early in life serve you for a lifetime!
PS: Thanks for sharing your publishing journey with us. Your posts are always insightful and useful.
Christopher, hi! I knew you had a varied work background, but I didn’t know it included a stint at Disneyland! I love this advice. Very exciting to hear about your trilogy! I hope the launch and the public appearances both go well. I bet they will. Have a great week! 🙂
Aww Bryn, I’m so sorry that happened to you. But, you handled it with grace and dignity, and that speaks volumes about you, and your character. It sounds like you handled a stressful situation very well. I hope you continue to have only great experiences now – selling millions on the best seller’s lists! 🙂 I love “thrift” anything, and everything! My favorite thrift shop helps the senior center where I live, and they have some of the coolest things! Way better than some of the new stuff from big box stores. It’s my go to! Take care, Bryn! Big hugs!
Aww, thanks Colleen! I mean, we all deal with weird situations now and again. 🙂 I appreciate the good wishes!
I do love thrifting. Honestly, sometimes the older stuff seems like it’s made better? And it’s like a treasure hunt! Your local thrift store sounds fantastic.
Thanks for commenting! I hope your week is off to a good start!
I’ve participated in two signings. One was for an anthology and nearly all the authors were there. But the setup was weird. In previous event photos, the event had been set with tables in a straight line and people walked down the line for autographs. This one, we were seated dinner table style. People were coming from behind. Then, the author to one side was having a long conversation with someone standing behind me, basically hovering over me–that’s how it felt. Trapped.
The other one was a multi-author event, and our tables were in a line, but not abutting. Biggest problem for that was not having a credit card reader. I had cash, QR codes for paypal and venmo, plus I could accept zelle. I lost out on a few sales due to not being able to do cards. I wasn’t the only one. If you haven’t had some success, it’s hard to justify the fees for the extras.
Denise, that setup for the anthology signing sounds so awkward! Just getting weirdly trapped in there!
For the second one, it sounds like you had good options for payment, and I know exactly what you mean about it being hard to justify extras. I’ve been thinking about getting one of those Squares that fit on your phone for an event in August where I’ll be selling books, but I should probably try to set up some other events where I can sell, too, just to make it worth it.
Squares are supposed to be nice and I know several authors who used them pre-pandemic. At one point, I had a paypal device, but they discontinued the service.