Booksellers Who Rock Our World, Part 2: Book Carnival – Orange, California

Welcome to Part 2 of a series that recognizes booksellers who have been especially helpful to my author clients as they seek to promote their books. In this series, I focus on those booksellers who are always ready to help both independent and traditionally published authors by offering signing events and meet-and-greets, promoting authors to their local communities, carrying the authors' books in their stores, and operating as advocates, advisors, and cheerleaders as authors seek to find reading audiences for their work.

The booksellers that appear in here are the best of the best, my go-to resources for events, promotion, guidance, and support for my author clients.

The bookstore featured in Part 2 of this series is Orange County’s Book Carnival, which is a genre store specializing in mystery, romantic suspense, and related fiction.  I chose this store to be part of the series because it has been a long-time favorite of my Southern California clients for author appearances.

What makes this store special are the paired book signings that the store owner, Anne Saller, creates for authors. To help ensure that signings are well-attended, Anne uses her extensive knowledge of the market, and her connections with both traditionally published and indie authors, to create combined signing events. Anne tries to match up authors who are compatible in genre, or who have some element in their platforms/backgrounds that complement each other. Oftentimes, she will combine a lesser-known author with a best-selling author, to help bring an audience to the event. At her signings, both authors benefit from the joint marketing and the camaraderie they share, and events are usually packed with patrons excited to see both authors.

Anne Saller, Book Carnival

Anne works hard to promote events at her store and to ensure that authors and attendees are comfortable and have a good time while they’re there. She is fierce about promoting the store events. both in the local community and to her customer base, and is always willing to order books, create displays, and handle event logistics for her authors. She is one of the best resources for Southern California authors today, and her store is a true treasure.

As part of the series, each bookseller has agreed to answer three questions about the store. Here's what Anne has to say about Book Carnival:

How did your store come into being?
I purchased Book Carnival in August 2010; it has been in existence since 1981, and I shopped there for a good 20+ years. My dream during my 'corporate' years was to retire and own a bookstore. The day that came true was a very happy day, indeed!

What is special about your store?

Book Carnival is a niche store - we specialize in mysteries, romantic suspense, and author events. We are delighted to have many well-known authors who return year after year, but we’re also thrilled when we find a new author and series that makes us sit up and take notice. Established authors are so generous; they are always willing to do joint events with one or two less well-known authors, who we know are going to go on to do great things. It's a special, giving community, and I'm thrilled to be a small part of it.

What words of advice do you have for authors who would like to have their books featured in your store (or bookstores in general)?

Well, generally, the book needs to be a mystery, thriller or romantic suspense novel. The author should send us an email message with a synopsis, or drop a copy of the book in the mail. Authors should also plan to speak with their fellow authors who have been here before, so they can learn more about what to expect. We receive a number of books sent to us by authors interested in events, so we often face a deluge of mail. I try to read them all but, happily, our authors are patient with us - there are just so many hours in the day!

Book Carnival           

348 S. Tustin Street   

Orange, CA 92866

714-538-3210

annesbookends@gmail.com

http://www.annesbookcarnival.com

Many thanks to Anne for participating in this series and for always being there for authors – Book Carnival is definitely one of the best bookstores for author signing events in Southern California!

Booksellers Who Rock Our World, Part 1: Mysterious Galaxy San Diego

Welcome to Part 1 of a series that recognizes booksellers who have been especially helpful to my author clients as they seek to promote their books. In this series, I focus on those booksellers who are always ready to help both independent and traditionally published authors by offering signing events and meet-and-greets, promoting authors to their local communities, carrying the authors' books in their stores, and operating as advocates, advisors, and cheerleaders as authors seek to find reading audiences for their work.

The booksellers that appear here are the best of the best, my go-to resources for events, promotion, guidance, and support for my author clients.

The first bookseller featured in this series is San Diego's Mysterious Galaxy, which is a genre store specializing in science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and horror.  I chose this store to kick-off the series because it has been a long-time favorite of my San Diego and Southern California clients. Tucked away behind a See's Candy shop in Clairemont Mesa, Mysterious Galaxy has been a welcome fixture to book buyers and book writers alike.

What makes this store special is its undying support for indie authors and its spring, fall and winter local author events. At these events, Mysterious Galaxy assembles a large (20+) group of authors, who appear for an entire afternoon to promote their work to readers. Each author is allowed 10 to 15 minutes to talk about his/her book, and then the authors can stay to mingle, sell, and sign copies of their books for customers afterward.

Mysterious Galaxy supplies food, along with beer and wine, at these events, so the atmosphere feels more like a festive party and less like a standard bookselling talk. The store allows the authors to drop off copies of the books two weeks prior to each event and keeps them for up to a month afterward; in many cases, the books are sold before the events even begin. The best part? The authors have a chance to meet online prior to the events, so that by the time the day arrives, everyone seems to know everyone else, and the atmosphere is warm and supportive. These local author events provide a great forum for authors to meet other writers and pitch their books to a reading audience, and they're one of the many reasons Mysterious Galaxy is a beloved fixture on the bookstore scene in San Diego.

Maryelizabeth Yturralde

As part of the series, each bookseller has agreed to answer three questions about the store. Here's what the store's co-owner, Maryelizabeth Yturralde, has to say about Mysterious Galaxy:

How did your store come into being?
The short version: Mysterious Galaxy's "big book bang" came in the early 1990's, when my partners and I felt there was a strong Southern California readership for the kinds of books we are passionate about: books about "Martians, murder, magic, and mayhem," to quote our tag line. We opened our doors in May 1993, and even after approximately 1104 "New Book Tuesdays," we are still thrilled each week when we unbox new arrivals and put them on our shelves (metaphorically, in the case of our ebooks, but still...).

What is special about your store?
While Mysterious Galaxy is a specialty store with a focus on genre fiction, I think what's really special about us is our staff. Our booksellers are passionate and enthused about the curated selection we carry and about helping connect books and readers in both Southern California and the Galaxy's greater genre community.

What words of advice do you have for authors who would like to have their books featured in your store (or bookstores in general)?
Be aware of two things:
1) Booksellers are enthusiastic about community and sharing the magic of books -- but they are also in the business of bookselling, and they need to ensure that inventory is available to them at standard trade terms that make sense for their customer base/readers.
and
2) Visible inclusivity is critical. If an author's internet presence only directs readers to Amazon for purchase options for the author's books, it can have a dampening effect on other booksellers' enthusiasm for promoting the authors' works. In addition to Amazon, authors should be sure to link to an independent bookstore for sales, so that they offer customers a choice for not only what they buy, but where they buy.

Mysterious Galaxy
5943 Balboa Avenue #100
San Diego, CA 92111
858-268-4747
mgbooks@mystgalaxy.com
http://www.mystgalaxy.com

Many thanks to Maryelizabeth and the rest of the crew at Mysterious Galaxy for participating in this series and for always being there for authors - this store is definitely a favorite here in San Diego!

The Introverted Author & the Art of Co-Promotion

Some authors are natural show persons; they love working a crowd, and have no problem speaking in front of groups, walking up to strangers to offer a pitch, or singing their own praises on the Internet.

You know the type – these are the authors who give multiple presentations at writing conferences, blatantly self-promote at family gatherings and business meetings, post daily blog articles about any topic related to their writing, and forgo the 80-20 rule on multiple social media sites in favor of 100% “me” talk. They’re the ones who have no problem, no matter what the venue, proudly exclaiming, “Hey, I’m an author and you must buy my book!”

We have to give these authors their due, not only because they often lead the way in demonstrating how to self-promote, but because many of them have become really successful as a result of their outgoing personalities. They manage to sell, in many cases, not because of their books deserve to be read, but through the sheer force and dynamism of their promotional efforts.

But many authors are not built that way. A good number of them tend to be shy and fairly humble about their achievements. Even if they have no problem being friendly and outgoing in their personal and business lives, when it comes to their books, they hold back. This is a common tendency of authors who are new to the game; oftentimes they’re unsure of themselves and/or their work, are not certain about how to promote, or just don’t enjoy being in the spotlight. In my publicity business, these are the clients who hire me to set up an aggressive speaking and media tour and then, once the scheduled dates get close, cancel their appearances one-by-one. I can’t fault them; they know they need to do publicity in order to sell their work, but when it comes time to take the stage, they just can’t do it. In truth, they prefer to work quietly on their books and, when finished, are hard-pressed to venture out to promote them.

Some would say that if these shy authors want to sell books, they need to get with the program and learn to be show persons. And speaking from a publicist’s perspective, I have to agree that it’s fairly difficult to obtain exposure for authors (many who don’t have much of a platform to begin with) who prefer not to do book signings or speaking engagements, who refuse to travel, who have no interest in setting up websites and blogs, and who are uncomfortable with promotional efforts that involve pubic exposure of any kind.

But I understand where these authors are coming from – they are first and foremost writers, not public speakers or social media experts. They prefer to complete a book and get on with the business of writing the next one. And they don’t want to change who they are in order to sell their work

So, what can these shy authors, especially those who are new to the game, do if they’re not natural show persons? If you’re the retiring and humble type, how do you get around your natural inclinations when it’s time to sell your work?

My answer for shy writers is to consider co-promotion. If you’re the type who really, truly hates being in the limelight, then promoting jointly, with the help of someone else, might be the solution. That someone else can be a friend or family member who is more outgoing, another author (or authors) with similar book(s), or hired professionals who can help handle day-to-day promotions.

Co-promotions can include joint or group book signings, promotional events, and tours. If you are shy about appearing on your own at a signing or speaking opportunity, teaming up with another author or a group of authors for an event might be a good way to go. Your coauthors will bring people to the event, and if you share a common topic or genre, you might feel more comfortable about selling your books to the event’s attendees. Another option is to ask friends to host events for you; a private gathering in someone’s home may feel less threatening if you’re the kind of author who is naturally shy.

Likewise, if you’re uncomfortable speaking in front of groups alone, consider being part of panel presentations, where you can hang back or stand out as much as you like, and punt any question you don’t care to answer to the rest of the panel sharing the stage with you.

Don’t like working the crowd at an event? Ask others who are more outgoing to come with you to work the room or help out with the speaking/demonstration portions of your talk.

If you’re uncomfortable appearing before live audiences, consider taping interviews or presentations and posting them on YouTube and on your web, blog, and social media sites. One of the nice features of video clips is that they can be edited to make you look better, to erase mistakes or speaking glitches, and to add in information that you might have overlooked.

If you’re shy about your personal appearance, consider creating podcasts of your work, and share those on the Internet on your own website and at other places where readers can listen in. Don’t forget to mention your book, and describe where readers can go to hear more or purchase the book. Seek out radio interviews and ask if you can give them by phone, rather than appearing in-studio, or pursue online interviews, where you can send information via email.

Those who are okay with being seen and heard, but who prefer not to travel for public appearances might consider speaking to book clubs and other organizations via Skype. You can give presentations, take questions, and have pretty much the same interactions with readers that you would at an in-person event or signing without having to leave the comfort of your home office.

Teaming up with other authors or using videos and other electronic means of communication are not the only way to co-promote. You can gain incredible traction for yourself and your work on the Internet by participating in group blogsites or guest blogging on other people’s sites. The same is true for social media sites; if you’re not comfortable with creating your own, consider teaming up with someone else to share a Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads account,

If you’re uncomfortable making personal announcements about yourself on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, a good option might be to use dashboards like HootSuite, where you can upload announcements and schedule them at a pace that feels right to you, interspersing them with other information so that they appear on your social media sites at strategic times. You can even hire professional social media experts to help create content for your sites and post that content for you.

Those who aren’t good at speaking in public, but would like to become so, might consider working with a professional coach to learn good speaking and interview techniques. There are also organizations like Toastmasters, local business networks, and other professional groups and clubs that provide opportunities for free networking and feedback to help you hone your speaking skills.

Finally, if you’re not comfortable doing your own publicity, you might consider hiring a publicist and working with her to create a promotional plan that fits your personality and budget. If you prefer not to tour or do any public speaking, be sure to indicate that up front. Discuss the options for other ways of gaining publicity. A good public relations professional should be able to help you identify unique ways to promote your work that fit your personal style.

There are a number of successful authors (many who have a long list of publications under their belts) who have become literary media darlings and are so comfortable being on the public stage that they spend the majority of their time there. Their success can be intimidating, especially to new authors, who haven’t yet developed extensive platforms or significant numbers of readers, or who struggle with being public about their work.

But authors who aren’t comfortable in the spotlight can still be successful at promoting; they just need to identify creative ways to get their message out. Ultimately, we all want authors to do more of what they’re good at, which is writing. No shame, then, for those authors who know their limits as show persons, and who find creative ways to promote their work so they can spend their time on what really matters: writing good books.