I Did Not See That Coming

So, you never know who will read your book and be so excited that they tell every one they know how good it is. I truly was not expecting what happened a couple of months ago.

I was the substitute representative of my Chapter at a P.E.O. meet and greet tonight and part of the introductions included what we “did.” I explained that I owned a small independent publishing company and that my second book had just been published. One of the women present asked what genre of book. I replied that it was a science fiction/fantasy  cross over. She responded with “I love science fiction and fantasy!”

I pulled out a business card which had a photo of the cover of the first book with a list of the awards it has received and a direct url on Amazon. After she studied the cover photo for a minute she announced “My daughter has this book! She has read it and told me that I should look into getting it quick because it was going to be a great series!”

I did not see that coming. I was skeptical that it was the same book but she insisted, saying her daughter described the cover very well and that it was just too different not to recognize. She then asked if I had either one with me. Now how did she know I had several copies of both books in a box out in the car? She pulled out her check book, asked me how much for both books and could I sign them both to her daughter. Well, I was not going to say no to that. I brought in the box and several other women passed them around – sharing the excitement and small worldliness of the exchange. Another of the attendees said she remembered seeing an article in the May issue of the P.E.O. Record about the book.

Yes, it is a small world and therefore you as an author need to make sure your book is the best it can be because, believe me, people will talk about what they read. Plus you should always have business cards with your book cover images on hand to hand out to interested people. Make these clear and concise without too many words and include a link or QR code to where they can purchase it/them. This is ESPECIALLY important if you don’t have actual copies of the book with you.

She was so excited about giving her daughter two signed books and she is planning to swipe her daughter’s current copy for herself and bring it back to Denver so I can sign that one to her. I asked her where her daughter lived. The answer? Washington state. Kind of bizarre if you ask me.

This interaction has made me aware of several things:

If you write a good story people will read it and encourage others to do the same.
Make your cover memorable – it helps with recognition.
Design a good business card and always have several on hand.
Be proud of what you write. Own being an author. Don’t keep it a secret.
Always have a couple of copies on hand.
Keep writing – because if they liked this one they will want more.