Authors,
including yours truly, will pitch their books to just about anyone who will
listen, which includes readers, agents, editors, publishers, reviewers, movie
producers, investors, and even the clerk at the grocery store. Give us an
opening and we will surely grab it! Showing your talent is certainly the best
way to win over others, but first you have to get them to listen to you and
look at your books.
There are a lot of books and articles out there which
offer advice on pitching to the major players in this crazy business, but what
I want to talk to you today is pitching your work to the average person on the
street – the prospective buyer of your book.
Your hairdresser, the clerk at the grocery store or the counter person
at your local Taco Bell could very well become your biggest fan.
Your Author
Pitch can be the difference between an average career and a profitable career. Here are some tips
I found helpful when coming face to face with a prospective buyer or fan:
Don’t try to overwhelm that person you just met by
introducing yourself as the next Nora Roberts or Stephen King. Wait for the
right opening then casually mention you are an author when the timing is right.
That is the key, unlike pitching to
an agent or editor; you have a lot more time to engage in conversation with the
person you just met. Casually mentioning you are an author usually opens the
door and they will take the lead by asking you questions like, “Oh, you’re an
author, what do you write?” Allow your new friend to set the pace of the
conversation. You will soon learn if they are a reader by their reaction and comments. Even if they are not a reader,
chances are they know someone who is and you still might have a sell if you
work it right.
Just last night, I engaged in such a conversation with a
new employee at our local Taco Bell. The young gentleman in his early twenties
has served us twice now. Shortly after we ate, he went outside to smoke. My DH
and I were also outside. I asked him where another Taco Bell employee was since
I hadn’t seen her, the last two times we had been in. He asked if we were
friend of hers.
“In around about way… I wanted to let her know I
pre-ordered my next book for her as she requested.”
The puzzled look on his face said I had his interest. My
DH took over and said something to the effect, “My wife is an author and Gloria
reads her books.”
That was all it took, he began his questions with, “what
did I write?”
Now, I write steamy adult paranormals and although I do
have a few male followers, my audience tends to be female. Mentioning the word
romance after paranormal tends to put men off or puts an end to the conversation.
Heed the warning, paranormal romance
writers.
Before too long, my DH and the young man engaged in a male conversation, after he mentioned my
books had enough action to thrill most male readers and enough sex to turn his
girlfriend on. By this time both my DH and I knew he was hooked. Ten minutes
later he purchased three of my books. I still don’t know if he purchased them
for himself or his girlfriend.
Now we don’t always have an opening like the one above,
but if you listen carefully to the person(s) you are around you will find an
opening similar to the one below.
I was having my nails done and three other clients were
receiving pedicures. They were snowbirds who were discussing their planned
trips home. When they mentioned a particular road closure, I jumped into the
conversation, asking, “When did that route close?” I added that I had been out
of town for the past week. One of them asked if I had been on vacation. BINGO--that was the opening I was looking
for. I told them no, I’d been on a
book signing tour. It was followed with, “Oh really, you’re an author?” I was
immediately bombarded with questions by all three who wanted to know what I
wrote, what were my titles, and eventually, “did I have any of my books with me?”
It just so happened I still had the remainder of the
books from my book signing tour in my trunk. I brought four in, one for each of
the three in regular paperback and one in large print, just in case any of them
might have a reading/vision problem. I not only sold the four I brought in, but
two more as each purchased another signed edition for a friend who they would
give to when they went home.
Engaging in casual conversations with strangers has been
a wonderful experience for this author and I’m happy to proclaim that I
personally have sold more signed editions while meeting total strangers than I
have on Amazon. Between January and the writing of this article (April) I have
sold over 400 signed editions merely by engaging in conversations with people I
didn’t know. Now that is not putting me on the best selling list by any means,
but it has gained me a wonderful following of readers who have touched my
heart—ones I am happy to say, I have met and vise versa and I know a large
majority of those individuals will be back to buy more. Readers love engaging
with authors and they in turn, will brag about the experience to their friends,
just as though they have met some famous actor. They will remember the meeting and
will do more for your career in the long run then some publicity campaigns. You
would be amazed how many of them have written me and thanked me for allowing
them to purchase my book directly from me then asked that I keep them informed
of upcoming releases.
I hope I have given you some
insight on how you can increase your following and increase your personal
sales. I’d love to hear your experiences when meeting total strangers and their
reaction to you being an author.
V.S. Nelson has always had a fondness for history,
mythology, the occult, and the unexplained events which have occurred on this
world we call home. It was no wonder she found herself writing a paranormal
series.
Raised on authors like H.G. Wells and Jules Verne and
coming from a long line of oral storytellers, Ms. Nelson work has been defined
as innovative and fresh. She will take you by the hand and lead you into the
depths of her imagination as if you are sitting next to her on the couch one
minute and alive within her fantasy world the next.
She has always enjoyed reading stories with strong
relationships and happy-ever-after-endings and it is reflected in her work. Even
her commercial fiction, Sins of a Man,
the Memoirs of a Mafia Hit man, is layered with romantic elements. I’ve heard
her say she is in love with love more than once and that too is echoed in her
stories.
Landing in Arizona ,
after an exciting teaching career, which took her to the Middle East for
several years, she lives in Arizona
She enjoys hearing from readers, fans and people with
similar interests. They are more than welcome to contact her through her
website http://www.authorvsnelson.com
Her latest paranormal adventure,
Eternal Nights – Sekhmet’s Guardians – Book Two was released May 1st,
2013. Here is a snippet/blurb from that book.
With each passing day, Jessica’s
consciousness grew stronger. For twenty years, she was content to remain as she
was—trapped inside another. The life she led came to an abrupt end the moment
she laid eyes on Raphael. At first, she
suspected they were destined to be together--his gentle touch confirmed it.
Although he didn’t know it, he ignited waves of a fiery passion that burned
deep into her soul. It became brighter every day, giving her the strength she
needed. Somehow she would find a way to free herself from her grandmother’s
powerful magic.
For weeks she managed to enter his
dream state where they interacted with one another as if they were awake.
Although no real physical activity took place, he took her to the heights of
passion she had only dreamed about. Where
they on inside another dimension? She believed so. His mind saw her as she
should be--a woman walking on two legs with two arms to hold him and a body
that was made for loving only him.
To have a human body again was
more than she had ever hoped for.
All of author V.S. Nelson’s books
are available in Kindle format, regular paperback and large print (for those
with less than perfect eyesight), through Amazon. You can find her titles and your selections
by accessing her Amazon author page. http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00AXYLHF0
She, of course, offers signed
print editions to fans by contacting her through her website. http://www.authorvsnelson.com
You can also find V around
cyberspace at the following places.
Wendy, thanks so much for hosting me on this very special Memorial Day. Always, V
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