It makes an author’s day when you get to talk to enthusiastic readers. I had the joy of that over this last weekend at the fun Homeschool Idaho Convention. I shared a booth there with my author friend Peter Leavell on June 7-8, and we were in the exhibitor hall for the in-between times for workshops and sessions.
Between parents looking for good reads and teens excited to talk about their favorite books, there was no shortage of literary talk. It was an infusion of much needed fuel for writing. But I was there to sell books overall. I made good contacts and was pleased with how things went. But I learned more about a theory I’ve been mulling.
I managed to tighten up my pitch even more. It wasn’t hard to get conversations started. Yet I still can’t stick to what I’m supposed to be doing: selling my books.
Instead, I really enjoyed having Peter there to talk about his books. He had something come up that kept him out Saturday morning, so I didn’t only have to talk about Launch. I could talk about Peter’s books and point to his strengths if that seemed to connect with the person. I was reading The Story Peddler by Lindsay Franklin in-between busy times. I probably sold a couple copies of her book in the morning! If there were families with younger kids (since my book is YA) I would tell them about my publisher Little Lamb Books and promote books from our other authors. Finally, if I didn’t have a specific book to recommend, I’d point parents to the Realm Makers Bookstore where they sell fantastic stories from Christian writers.
It cemented my hypothesis: rising waters lift all boats. At least for me, I don’t like to focus on just myself. That’s boring. But if I can talk about good books, I’m elated. If I can see any of the authors from Little Lamb do well, it indirectly helps me because it helps my publisher. The Realm Makers Bookstore has made it their mission to get the word out about great speculative fiction. If more people are aware of these stories and are looking, it helps all of us.
I think the author community in general is very supportive because we love good stories and want to see more of them. The Christian speculative fiction may be even more so because we love the fact that God is glorified in fantasy or sci-fi, so we’re doubly rooting for things. If we get the word out on great stories like Peter’s or Lindsay’s, then people will remember there’s a variety to look for out there.
I may not be a gorilla marketer, only looking out for myself. But I will do what I can to lift the waters and see all the ships around me rise. It makes marketing much more enjoyable for me, and I think it gives me credibility that I’m not just about myself. We’re all in this journey, and I can’t wait to see how this genre grows in the future.