California Authors

Comment

Comment by Bonnie Hearn Hill on April 30, 2009 at 8:42am

Marilyn: My publisher spend $20,000 for a publicist, and almost everything I got was from from own contacts. No one is ever going to care about our books as much as we do. And much of what happens is out of our control. My books do well in other countries, especially France and Italy (must be the covers). Don't get me started on foreign rights, though. That's one of the reasons I changed publishers.

Comment by Marilyn Meredith on April 30, 2009 at 8:29am

For most of us, we have to promote ourselves in order to sell our books. Bonnie has a great publisher and her books get out there anyway. However, I do think her books deserve an even bigger following which might happen with more promoting on her part. Not a criticism, just letting people know she's a terrific writer, right up there with some of the big names.

I do agree with her comment about reading from her work though--I don't like to do that, much prefer talking about the book, why I wrote it, funny incidents with research, that sort of thing.

Comment by Marilyn Meredith on April 30, 2009 at 8:26am

Bonnie, I've sent you two e-mail messages, did you get either one? If you use Yahoo, it doesn't like my e-mail server.

Comment by Timothy J. Desmond on April 30, 2009 at 7:17am

Hi:
That does sound like a fun thing. I haven't been on the train since 2002.

Comment by Bonnie Hearn Hill on April 28, 2009 at 10:36pm

Next time, Tim, we should all take the train together. Could be a fun pre-event.

Comment by Timothy J. Desmond on April 28, 2009 at 10:30pm

I know Sunny said that when we have our turn at the "mike" that we can say what we wanted. I think everyone up there thanked Sunny, with may be one exception. I particularly remebered terry Phillips, of Valley Public Radio and how he presented himself. Later I talked to him and he sais he has not done many of these type events, and couldn't do them all the time, but that "It really is a good thing and worthwhile to get together and meet everyone, and the whole thing." I would have visited longer with him but he had to catch the train.
As I drove home, I was trying to write down so many ideas I had before I forgot them.

Comment by Laurel-Rain Snow on April 28, 2009 at 7:05am

Hi, Everyone...It's good to hear all of your remarks about the festival, which was an exhilarating event!

Comment by Bonnie Hearn Hill on April 27, 2009 at 11:06pm

Most of you probably won't agree with me on this, but I feel, in that situation, I don't want to promote myself (and I never, ever read from my own work), but just make people feel good about being there. For me, that was publicly thanking Sunny, recognizing my 88-year-old aunt, who showed up out of nowhere, and inviting people to my table for home-baked cookies. I doubt that I spoke for more than five minutes, and when others went over their time, I cringed. (There was one author who went way over, and I cringed a lot.)

We know we aren't going to sell a ton of books at these events. But we need to make people feel good about being there. I remember the first time I ever signed books at BEA. I had the longest line that I could see. Beyond what I could see, snaking around corners beyond my range of vision. My friend, Sheree Petree, and I exchanged wide-eyed looks. How could this be happening? When I finally finished signing, I realized why. My publisher was giving away free books. They wanted to make people feel good.

I am not suggesting that we give away books (although I often do). It's all about how the people feel about us. A young mother who had seen my Channel 26 spot promoting Sunny and the bookfest brought her son and daughter to the event, and I was touched by that. No, they didn't buy a book from me. But if I can get a mother and her kids to come out for a book event, that means more than a six-dollar sale.

Sunny said it would be a wild ride, and it was. I loved it. Sorry that Larry and I had to run for the train (by way of Superior Dairy) before I heard you, Tim.

Comment by Timothy J. Desmond on April 27, 2009 at 10:41pm

The event went by too quickly. I know some had to leave earlier than my spiel at 2:10 on the stage. I felt I was a wreck up there pitching my novel. But, it was a good experience. I know everyone hasn't had the chance to read all of each other's works yet; but part of what I felt was the feeling I had in drawing class in nat CCAC in Oakland - when we had to pin the drawing on the wall in front of the whole class- and get critiqued. It is what is needed, and in the end worthwhile.Tim

Comment by Bonnie Hearn Hill on April 27, 2009 at 10:27pm

Glad you are here now, Tim. We didn't get enough time to talk in Hanford.

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