Mystery author Jenny Hilborne talks about book signings

I am lucky to have the lovely Jenny Hilborne on my blog today. She is a mystery gal with a love for suspense and the author of MADNESS AND MURDER and NO ALIBI.

Jenny Hilborne

Jenny has worked in the retail music industry, residential real estate, commercial real estate and finance. She is the second of four daughters, born and raised in Wiltshire, South West England, and relocated to Southern California in 1997. Jenny began writing novels in 2007. She is a member of Wolfwriters, a group of professional writers who meet bi-monthly in Northern San Diego. She is also a member of Sisters in Crime. Madness and Murder, her first novel, was released in July 2010. She is working on her third suspense novel, also set in San Francisco, featuring the return of homicide inspector, John Doucette. Jenny talks with us about the challenges of book signings today in a e-book world and if they are even necessary.

Book signings
by Jenny Hilborne

With the e-market explosion, I want to examine book signings. They are often difficult to come by, and are they a wise investment of our time?

Take last month. I drove over 166 miles to a popular bookstore to sign copies of No Alibi, my 2^nd novel. This bookstore is a place where celebs are known to stick their heads in the door and seek out a good read. Better still, I was invited to sign at the store. So, I was thrilled and excited to be there, not just to sign, but also for the fact a celeb might pick up my book. How cool would I look, then? Ha.

Unfortunately, competing nearby events stole a large part of my potential audience and the bookstore was almost deserted that day. Or maybe I’m just not a big enough name to draw a large crowd. YET! I sold one book, then trekked the 166 miles home.

This isn’t an isolated incident. I attend many book festivals and events, sometimes signing and other times browsing, and I see the same thing. Lots of readers I meet say they now read online (cool, most books are available for download) and tell me prefer to shop online, even for paperbacks. Some readers come to meet authors, or are drawn to a festival if they live close, but don’t buy. Some bring me a book to sign they already purchased (I love when this happens).

So, are physical book signings still worth the time and money invested? For most unknown and new authors, I’d have to say you often won’t recoup your cost, especially if the weather is crap or there’s another event going on nearby. Even if you sell well, you usually have to fork over a decent consignment fee to the bookstore, leaving you with very little if you sell books you’ve already purchased from your publisher.

Lots of people try to sell you their services at books events; editing, proofreading, publicity, and the like, all taking up the precious time you could be spending talking to potential readers. Lots of browsers don’t come to buy, they come to ask authors about the road to publication and try to pick up tips on how they can do it for themselves.

I’ve been asking myself why I still do them, why I get up early, give up my precious weekends, and drive myself hundreds of miles to stand up all day in the heat/rain/whatever and try to sell books, when I could stay home and market them on all the social media sites. The reason is I still believe face-face contact is one of the most important ways to connect.

Even if browsers don’t buy your book that day, you get something out of it. You make friends, connect with other authors at shared events, increase your social network, and raise your confidence level if you get the chance to speak on a panel. I’ve chatted with people and later discovered they are agents or publishers. Bookstore owners browse events – this is how I got invited to the signing I mentioned earlier (although I didn’t sell well that day, the owner has a new store opening and I was invited to sign there).

After some events, when I get back online, I notice an uptick in e-sales. This could happen days or weeks later, but those are sales I might never have made. I believe readers are more likely to give a review for an author they’ve met in person, and I believe they are more likely to hunt down your future works.

Catch up with Jenny Hilborne here:
http://JFHilborne.com
http://jfhilborne.wordpress.com

Write-On Wednesdays: Lyndon Haynes and This Functional Family

Today we have Lyndon Haynes with us, all the way across the sea from England!

Lyndon Haynes

His book, This Functional Family, launched this past June. From a strict upbringing in seventies Tottenham to the stage at Wembley Arena, This Functional Family is the story of ‘Lyn E Lyn’, best known as a rap artist with the band Sindecut. In his own words, Lyndon Haynes recalls the pleasures and privations of a childhood in an inner city, his lifelong battle with sickle-cell anemia, and his equally lifelong determination to succeed. Supported by his ever-loyal family, his early teenage years saw him become a successful child actor, appearing on television and the stage. In the late eighties his passion shifted to a new musical phenomenon that was sweeping the British Isles from America: hip hop.

Lyndon tells us today about his path to publication.

My Road to Publication
by Lyndon Haynes

Thank you so much for allowing me to contribute to your Write on Wednesdays.   I hope the piece below can inspire and educate any aspiring or established authors to continue their dreams and to write without fear!

After nearly eight and a half years of writing I can now say that I have realized my dream of becoming a published author. My first book, This Functional Family was published on June 30th 2011. I don’t want anyone reading this to believe this was an easy road. This is something that started way back. I first became interested in writing when I was in school, but my path in life swayed me from pursuing my passion. So instead I went into music and had a rap career.

In all the years I spent writing songs and performing I always felt I needed to express my creative mind in another way so I enrolled to a creative writing course at my local college. I felt I had the tools to build something but just did not know how to structure it. My teacher was a little old lady called Maureen Spurgeon. Without her I would not have had the courage to become an author. She taught me some excellent skills, such as narrative and single lined plots, which to be honest I knew nothing about.

Soon after I had completed my course I embarked on writing a few short stories. At first I found it easy as the words just spilled out on the page. I wrote by hand, not able to afford the luxury of a laptop or computer.

This Functional Family book launch

It took me years to continue to work on my craft until I was confident enough to even let anyone read any one of my stories. I confided in a work colleague and she asked to read one of my stories.  When she came back I could not believe her reaction. She loved it! The same person encouraged me to send my manuscripts out to publishers. She told me “have faith you have a talent don’t waste it” so I went with her advice.

I sent my manuscripts to about five different publishing companies and also contacted some self publishing websites and had no expectations. Within two weeks I had four different types of offers, including subsidiary deals and self publishing. I was amazed that anyone would even come back to me, but they did.

Eventually I signed a two year deal with Book Guild Publishing based in Brighton, England. My gut instinct told me they were the ones that were most interested in not just my work, but more importantly my potential. The whole process from manuscript to book has been a joy, and to finally have my book sitting on mine and other people’s bookshelves is an amazing feat and great realization.

I’m not about to rest on my laurels either. I write everyday and more ideas are flooding out of my mind. I’m sure there are thousands of writers just like me who humbly believe that they have a great story to tell. My advice is to keep writing and keep believing that you have a talent, and you also have an audience. I took my company name and motto from a famous movie starring Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito, Throw Momma from the Train- A writer writes…always.

My new book, This Functional  Family, is out now at all leading online book retailers on Book Guild Publishing. Visit my blog here.

Check out Lyndon’s book and appearances below:

http://www.bangradio.fm/index.php/2011/07/02/listen-again-sherry-dixon-speaks-with-lyndon-haynes-and-michael-stuart-daley-sunday-12-3pm/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Functional-Family-Lyndon-Haynes/dp/1846245788

http://peppergrain.com/tag/lyndon-haynes/

http://www.itzcaribbean.com/books-lyndon-haynes.php

http://zulunation.co.uk/

http://www.in-spirelsmagazine.co.uk/?p=5327

Thank you for the opportunity

Lyndon Haynes