Public Speaking for Authors(and everyone): Know Who Your Audience Is
This past week I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the American Bookseller Association's annual Winter Institute. Wi-14 is what I like to call the Top Gun School for independent booksellers in North America. This is a week-long event focused on the art and business of bookselling by the best independent retailers you could ever want to meet.
Every conversation is about finding better ways to serve communities and customers, creating effective programs and relations-all focused on growing an ever stronger world for independent book seller.
Now bear in mind, this event is also a limited ticket event where only 700 booksellers can purchase a ticket to attend. The number of publishers is also limited.
This conference is a very concentrated and highly effective conference that celebrates the Independent Bookseller.
One of the Keynote events for this year's Winter Institute featured a conversation between authors Margaret Atwood and Erin Morgenstern. Atwood has two new books coming to the market, The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale as well as the graphic novel adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday). Morgenstern's second book The Starless Sea(Doubleday) is due November of this year.
While the conversation was quite enjoyable things hit a bit of a sour note when Morgenstern began talking about her very first book signing at a Barnes and Nobel bookstore.
A bit of a rumble spread across the rather large room, filled with independent booksellers.
I can understand the author's excitement in her conversation with Margaret Atwood-who wouldn't be? BUT her publisher, agent and publicist should have done everything possible to remind the author NOT to mention the two primary evils in publishing: Big Retail and Amazon.
We all know books are sold into many, many places but when you are talking to a large room filled with a specific audience, make sure you talk to them and value them. Do your home work and emphasize that you appreciate the role they play in your world. Especially, when they want to sell your book to their customers. Authors, you still need INDEPENDENT booksellers on your side. Publishers and publicists, don't let your authors take the stage until you are very sure they know everything they can about the audience. Not only do they represent their book, they also represent you.