Rainy day

[jhetley]

Again. Light rain so far, nothing alarming, just a general pervasive gloom. Though I haven't checked the basement, which might offer more specific gloom....

Wife has some stuff going on at the nature center, all-day affair that should have included some outside features but probably won't. Guess those trees won't get hugged today.

Apparently I'm supposed to do a reading as part of that book signing that comes up in a few weeks. Great. Now I have to think about _what_ to read -- just start in at the beginning of DRAGON'S EYE and keep going for ten minutes or so, or what? Never done this "Author as Public Figure" gig before, and I am _not_ an extrovert. That's the kind of sense of impending doom that rainy October days bring on.

Comments

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Advice from someone who occasionally listens to readings: Pick a specific scene, one that's fairly self-contained and has some humor in it, and read that. If it's too short, pick 2. It's a better "teaser" for the audience.

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

Didn't you submit a "chunk" of something to LJ around nanowrimo time last year? As I recall, that was a good length, and had some good "hooks" in it. Something similar in length and feel to that might work well (I can't remember if that chunk was from the opus under discussion or not)

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Apparently I'm supposed to do a reading as part of that book signing that comes up in a few weeks. Great.

Whist. Reading's fun. And I'm not an extrovert, either. If I'm reading, I don't have to, y'know, talk to people.

Did they tell you how long they expect you to read? Ten minutes seems pretty short; the "usual" least length of time is a half-hour, but Borders may have its own idea of an optimum time, and it pays to check so you can time yourself properly.

Also check to find out where this reading is supposed to take place. We walked into one Borders to a reading-and-signing and found out then that we were going to be on mike (hate microphones! Hatehatehate them!) and piped throughout the entire store. There is much to be said for eliminating surprises beforehand.

I think we most often start at the begining of the newest novel on hand, and read 'til time's up. This is mostly because I don't like to hear scenes from the middle of a book, which are hardly ever self-contained, and therefore don't make any sense. YMMV.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I have an email off to the publicity person at Ace about this -- since the Borders bureaucracy seem to like to handle contact through her. Whatever happened to walking into a store and talking to the manager? I _know_ the nice manager lady at B. Daltons, but they don't do signings any more....

Half an hour? Oh, hell.

Reading

[alisamccune.livejournal.com]

Don't fret about reading. Most authors just read the first chapter or so during a reading - just enough to wet the appetitie of the listeners. You don't need to read for an entire 10 minutes - just make sure the section you read doesn't give too much away. Think of it like a movie teaser or tv preview. You want to get everyone interested, but not give anything important away.

Hopefully, Ace will finally send you off on a tour. I have personally given your books to many friends insisting they read them. All have enjoyed the books and keep asking me when your next book will be published. I still have
Dragon's Eye
in my pile to read. I think I may have to bump it up to the next book. I have been eyeing it for some time.

reading

[alisamccune.livejournal.com]

Also, please let me know if you will be reading in the Chicago area. My last trip to Maine did not leave a moment to spare for anything other then a family wedding. Curse my cousin for deciding to get married during our family vacation!

Re: reading

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Not much chance of book tours or readings in Chicago -- I don't travel much. That's the "sedentary" bit in the LJ bio, and I'd guess my sales would need to take a quantum leap before Ace would send me out on their nickel.

Hope you like the book, or at least keep your mouth (and word-processor) politely quiet if you don't...