When my first book was published in 1992, I did booksignings for a practical reason. I received 1000 free books from the publishing company and I wasn't going to let them sit in my office. I learned about distributors and bookstores and had most of them placed. In addition, I scheduled booksignings to sell them. Back then, I decided I would advance my career by finding one reader at a time.
Life has changed since then. Now I interact with my readers on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. But my philosophy is still the same. Find one reader at a time. When I began indie-publishing in 2011, I had to find a whole new readership--those readers who wanted ebooks rather than print. However, I still have readers who prefer to hold a book in their hand. They like to walk into a bookstore, peruse the shelves, and maybe have a book signed.
I don't do as many booksignings as I once did. But I especially like to connect with my local readers. I still have a snail mail mailing list and inform them when I have a book signing locally. Some of them have been coming to my signings for twenty years! Those are loyal readers. Those are readers I want to talk to.
The "soft" launch of GILT BY ASSOCIATION, my third Caprice De Luca Home Staging mystery, was on January 27. E-books began flying to Kindles and Nooks. I'll be having a Facebook launch party on February 3. But February 1 is the date when GILT will be available in brick and mortar bookstores. I'll be doing a book signing at my local Books-A-Million on February 7.
...Just because I think combining the old ways of connecting and the new ways is the best strategy for the future.
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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 87th novel will be released in 2015.
Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.
Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below.
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©2015 Karen Rose Smith
3 comments:
OMG, Karen, can you imagine any publisher giving their authors 1000 copies these days? lol
It was smart, really. Meteor/Kismet knew the value of "free" even back then. If the authors just gave the books away, they were publisizing the line.
I think you're right--these days authors need to take a lot of different approaches. But it is also true that one dedicated reader (who spreads the word with enthusiasm) is still a treasure.
After all, isn't connecting with readers part of why we write in the first place?
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