My First Book Club

Posted on June 9, 2011 by anenewrites

This morning I had a new and wonderful life experience: I attended a book club. And the book being discussed was mine. You won’t know it when you read this post, but after I wrote those first two sentences, I stopped typing and let the fact of what I’d just written sink in. It’s still sinking in. As positive as the experience was, it was also disorienting: a cross between being Tom Sawyer walking in on my own funeral and meeting a group of clairvoyants for tea. Because suddenly, women I’ve never met before were talking about characters I’ve carried in my heart and mind for years—characters they also seemed to know and care about. It was a dizzying experience, and I recommend it.

As I prepared for my first book club engagement, I did some research: Checked out resources on book clubs (there are many terrific tools available and I list some at the end of this post) and I checked in with authors I like and admire.

I’ve mentioned the writer Erik Larson in earlier posts. He’s the author of numerous fine works of non-fiction and has sold millions of books. Yet, when I read his web site I was surprised to find the following comment about attending book club meetings: “I cannot be present during the actual critique of my book(s). I’m too thin-skinned and things might get ugly.” When I read that statement, it made me laugh. Then it made me think. This could happen. And then what? Would my years of writing workshops help keep my feelings in check? Would I grow defensive? Or worse?  I immediately made a mental note: Keep your wits about you. Do not drink during a book club. Later? It may be necessary. But during the meeting, it’s water only.

A few days ago I had lunch with a fellow author who told a funny story about his first book.  One day he saw a woman in the library returning it—a first in his early career—and he couldn’t resist asking how she’d liked it. Thinking he was a fellow reader and not the author (jacket photos are not usually big area of interest for most readers) she shook her head and answered, “Oh…I thought it was a little slow.” Of course we both laughed. But again I made a mental note: Do not solicit feedback from strangers who might make me cry. 

After living in an apartment for years, my husband and I bought our first house. We had no idea what to expect from the experience, and I credit our devoted and savvy real estate agent for averting more than one catastrophe. I was so in love with the idea of owning my own home that I wanted to buy every house I saw. At one property, a band of uniformed women were washing what looked like blood from the walls of a guest room. I wanted to check the closets. My agent decided it was a crime scene and rushed me back to her car. So when we finally found the house we would come to live in (a sweet little 80-year old bungalow that had just been rehabbed) I didn’t understand my luck. The owner agreed to accept our bid the night we saw the house, then had his agent hand over the keys so we could visit the house as we went through the loan process. The gesture made me love the house a little more. I have never forgotten that kindness. Or my good fortune.

So today, as I spoke with a group of engaged, intelligent, careful readers—women of diverse backgrounds and interests who share a serious love of reading—and I listened to their insights and questions,  I remembered again how I felt the night I got that key.

Book club resources you may find helpful:

• The Book Club Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Reading Group Experience, by Diane Loevy

• The Book Group Book, (edited by) Ellen Slezak

• The Reading Group Handbook, by Rachel W. Jacobsohn

Websites for book groups: www.bookmovement.com  and www.bookbrowse.com

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The Writer and Social Media

Posted on June 4, 2011 by anenewrites

I want to be clear: there is writing … which is art and craft. Gift and mystery. Work. And then there is the “business of writing” that involves, well, everything else—from MFA programs to agents and publishers and deals and walls of how-to books, magazines, conferences and whatever else some eager entrepreneur might dream up. Writing is not the noise that surrounds it. Nor is it entirely a thing apart. Because … while none of the industry could exist without the work, the work in isolation is just that. And with tens of thousands of titles published every year in this country alone, the competition for the reader’s time and money is fierce. As a writer, I want to connect with my reader. The core of that connection happens on the page, when someone reads my work. But how do readers find me in the first place?  The answer, in part, lies with social media.

I’m certainly no expert on social media, but I’ve been learning about it … ramping up, which is an approach I recommend. It’s important to understand how these tools—and that’s all they are—can be a positive force for disseminating information that has value for those I connect with. As a writer, I “pity the poor reader.” That means that I try to write my very best work. I know my reader has a thousand demands on his or her time. And I want the time and energy and money he/she invests in me to be well spent. Just because twitter is a mere 140 characters, doesn’t mean it’s worthwhile to share details about my breakfast, or dusting the living room. Nor does it mean I get a free pass to be a non-stop infomercial about me, “the brand.” Whether I’m comfortable thinking of myself as “a brand” is beside the point: the fact is that all writers need some way to get noticed. And social media offers some very potent (and relatively inexpensive) ways to help that along. I attended a presentation today about “the big four” (websites, blogs, facebook and twitter) for book promotion. The panelists made some terrific points that I’d like to share.

First, when you’re thinking connectivity, think links: that means that if you have social media accounts (and yes, you should) make sure they’re linked so that when you post a blog, notification appears on twitter and on facebook. It’s a quick way to get the word out…and it’s likely that your facebook, blog and twitter communities include different people. And don’t overlook the vlog (video blog). You can post a (three-minute or less) video blog on YouTube, link it to your other media and enhance your web presence. And by making your website (or blog) the hub of your web information, you offer a “home base” for readers to connect with you.

And remember: web presence isn’t all about what you generate. Comment on blogs that others write. Post “likes.” Re-tweet. Thank those who follow your tweets. Include links and follow individuals and groups that interest you. It’s a great way to build and refine connections.

And don’t forget tags on posts and tweets. These are the key words that show up in search engines and help guide new people to your content.

There are an amazing number of tools to help you make your web presence more effective: tools that will link to reviews about your work; or that make it easy for readers to share your posts. There are even some powerful analytics programs that help you know which of your posts is the most popular.

Social media offers great opportunities to engage in conversation with readers, to keep people updated on your work and to share information they may find useful. And in case you’re still not sure you want to commit (and it is a commitment) to the big four, try this: search out five of your favorite writers. My guess is that you’ll find they’re already using social media to communicate with readers. If they’re not, maybe it’s an opportunity for you to start a fan page (but that’s an entirely separate blog!)  

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You are HERE!

Posted on May 18, 2011 by anenewrites

I have a terrible sense of direction—as does my brother. Maybe it’s genetic. I suspect, however, that it’s more on the order of the circumstance that plagued Macon and his siblings in Anne Tyler’s Accidental Tourist.  In that novel, the siblings’ frequent relocations left them without a set place to start from, so they often found themselves lost. I read Tyler’s observation with the relief of a patient who, after years of specialists and inconclusive findings, finally receives a diagnosis that explains her symptoms. I, too, had many addresses as a child. Even now, most terrain seems equal, temporary, not worth memorizing. I can visit the same shopping mall dozens of times, and still need to consult the lighted map with it’s soothing “YOU ARE HERE” announcements as I search for a given store.  Somehow, where we start from, and where we end up possesses a mystery I cannot fully comprehend.

Last Friday evening, the writer Erik Larson gave a reading and book signing at the St. Louis County Library. Mr. Larson’s latest book, In the Garden of Beasts, has just been released by Crown, a division of Random House. The book chronicles the story of William E. Dodd, America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany. I attended the reading because I’m a long-time fan of Mr. Larson’s fine prose. I also welcomed the opportunity to make his acquaintance again: we first met years ago when we attended the same writer’s workshop at Johns Hopkins University.

Our paths have been very different. Larson’s Devil in the White City was a finalist for the National Book Award and won an Edgar Award. His books have sold millions. He’s been on the New York Times Best Seller list for years running. With five previous non-fiction titles to his credit, Larson has been proclaimed a master of narrative non-fiction—and the quality of his work bears this out.

I, on the other hand, have just published my first novel. And although I hope (and work) for its success, it’s still much too early to know how the book will fare.

So when Erik told the story of his experience as a newly-published writer, I took notice. As he described it, invitations after his first book came out were not forthcoming. Then, he was invited to do a signing at a bookstore in Pennsylvania. Although one of the bookstore staff had placed a plate of chocolate chip cookies on his table, Larson seemed all but invisible to store patrons. The few customers that came near perused the shelves behind him and above him, and avoided eye contact. An hour and a half passed. I asked myself …  ‘Who could wait that out?’ At last, a woman approached his table with enthusiasm, a promise that died with her question: “How much are the cookies?”

Of course the audience laughed. I laughed. Larson’s self-effacing humor won over the 250 people in the library’s auditorium and the 90 others in an overflow room watching on a monitor.  His charm was, by now, an easy practice. And how I admired his ease, gained through readings where few showed up.

He’s succeeded, yet he’s quick to admit the path to that success was not always apparent. My own journey still mystifies. But I’ve never had a clearer view of where I want to go.

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Talking is So Therapeutic…

Posted on May 10, 2011 by anenewrites

Not long ago my husband had the word Courage tattooed on his wrist in a font that screams J’accuse!  each time I see it. When I mentioned his tattoo and my reaction to my therapist, her eyes bulged ever so slightly in that way that says ‘Now this is information we can work with’ before she recovered herself and asked, in the most therapeutic of tones, “Courage…?” This, of course, was intended to get me talking. But I’m a debut novelist, and I’ve learned not to say what I really think.

The irony of that last statement is not lost on me. But, really….

What can I possibly say to the workshop leader who, after taking my $125, informs me that only one percent of all writers ever find an agent, and only one percent of those will ever see publication…then smiles?

Or…

The Kafkaesque bookstore manager who informs me that—even though I’ve defied the odds and had a book published—they just don’t have the space to carry my novel “unless they can be certain it will sell.”

Or

The woman who seeks me out to tell me she doesn’t plan to read my novel because she doesn’t read that kind of book (whatever that means) but then launches into a description of the book she’d like to write.

Or

The anonymous “reviewer” who dismisses my novel while giving five stars to the 9 romance novels she (I hope) read that same week.

Or

The woman (why are they always women?) who sets my book back on the table after finding there are no “study questions” in the back to guide her.

Or

The well-meaning friend who insists that unless I master Twitter, blogs, Facebook, Youtube, and subscribe to the half dozen “social” sites she follows, thus living in front of a monitor until I die, there is absolutely no hope of my book ever being noticed.

Remember “Blue Light Specials” at K-Mart? Shoppers were addressed over loud speakers to rush to a section of the store that offered minutes-long special sales on toilet paper, flip flops, or shampoo. And the shoppers ran. Marketing these days is more sophisticated.  We run even if we go broke saving money.

In her terrific new book, Bossypants, Tina Fey recounts an interaction between Amy Poehler and Jimmy Fallon when Poehler was new to SNL. Amy was in the middle of a comedy bit with Seth Meyers when Fallon, star of the show, told her to stop what she was doing. He said the bit wasn’t cute and he didn’t like it. (Read: unladylike.) Poehler shot back, “I don’t fucking care if you like it” and went back to her bit. As Fey read the interaction, Poehler was making it clear she wasn’t there to please Fallon or anyone else.  Fey goes on to write: “It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good. I don’t like Chinese food, but I don’t write articles trying to prove it doesn’t exist.”

Apparently J.D. Salinger was so outraged by the world that he holed up in Vermont and occasionally drank his own urine.  Name your poison. But I’m beginning to understand why writers drink.

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Not A Coupon Exactly…

Posted on May 6, 2011 by anenewrites

It seems that book groups are discovering Dancing With Gravity—for which I am very, very grateful. I wrote last week about the discussion questions now posted on my blog as a separate menu item. Of course you don’t need to use them, but if you’d like to choose a few, I guarantee they’ll help get the conversation started. So maybe you’re thinking, ‘Dancing With Gravity sounds like the right choice for my group. I think I’ll recommend it at our next meeting.’ Well don’t answer yet! There’s more!

Blank Slate Press has put together very special BOOK CLUB KITS. These kits include copies of my book for every member of your group. Books are available in hardback, trade paper or e-book formats—and are offered at a discount for group orders. And THERE’S MORE!  Your books are contained in a lovely tote bag that features artwork or quotes from Dancing With Gravity. AND you’ll find a special book-related gift inside too (it’s a surprise, and it varies with every club). But before you pick up the phone (or rush to the keyboard to order online…consider THIS: If you’d like to have the author present (that’s me) at your discussion, I’ll try my very best to make that happen. You can contact me through this blog or through Blank Slate Press. All at no additional cost! (Take that Ginsu Knives!)

To order BOOK CLUB KITS for your group, go to BlankSlatePress.com and follow the prompts. And just in case you’re not convinced, consider this: Not only will I sign your books while I’m there…but I’ve also been known to show up with terrific cookies from Missouri Bakery!

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