Jon Gibbs (jongibbs) wrote,
Jon Gibbs
jongibbs
  • Mood: excited

Selling books at Q&A/panels

Of all the WIPs I have going, I think the one I'm most proud of is The New Jersey Authors' Network.  The idea of a statewide network of authors came to me last year, when I was trying to think of ways to help sell the GSHW's latest anthology.  The way I see it, lesser known - and by that I mean, not yet a household name - authors get little or no help from their publishers on the promotion front, so they have to do most of it themselves.  Of course, some people are natural self-promoters, like those d-list celebrities who'd attend the opening of a cookie jar if they thought a camera crew would be present, but most of us mere mortals find it a painful experience.  I haven't even got an agent yet, but I already have nightmares about being the only one who attends my own book-signing. 


So I figured, why not dilute that pain?  If a bunch of writers do a panel/Q&A signing together, it makes for a bigger event, which makes it a more attractive proposition for Joe (and Joanne), public, a safer bet for the host venue, and a far less terrifying prospect for the authors.  So far, so what?  Multi-author signings are nothing new.  True enough, but where do you go to find other authors in your county with books to promote?  

That's where the  The New Jersey Authors' Network comes in.  It's a free to join, free to use, online database for any New Jersey author with a book to sell.  Writers in the Garden State now have a place to find each other so they can organize these things.  One such event takes place tonight at Ringwood Library, Pasaic County, New Jersey.

"THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!"
How Authors Keep You Turning Those Pages
A free panel by The New Jersey Authors’ Network
 
Tuesday, June 16, 7-9 p.m.
Ringwood Public Library, 30 Cannici Drive, Ringwood, N.J.
 
Seven novelists share their secrets:
 
Lee Barwood (environmental thrillers)
Peggy Ehrhart, Steven Rigolosi and Cheryl Solimini (mysteries)
John Grant (fantasy & political satire)
Gary Frank and E. F. Watkins (paranormal thrillers)

I plan to attend.  If you can spot me in the crowd, come over and say hi, I'm the bald, ugly one with the funny accent.

Hope to see you there.
Tags: fiction, promotion
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