One of the best memories I have of the publication of
Akeldama was the book signing I did at Park Road Shopping Center. It wasn’t packed, but folks came out to talk
and get me to sign their books. All in
all, I had a blast, as not only did many of my friends come out to see me, but
I got to meet new people I’d never met.
Unfortunately, times have changed. In the age of Coronavirus, how do we get out
to meet fans. I enjoy blogging and
responding to the (few) comments I get, but that doesn’t match the feeling of
meeting face to face and chatting. So
much gets lost, from facial expressions to body language, that gauging
enthusiasm is challenging. Moreover,
talking to a reader face to face can also generate enthusiasm and get more
people interested(how do you think I built my initial mailing list?).
Now, however, most bookstores are closed, or limiting
capacity severely. Writers are only
seeing faces through masks, and we have to stay at least six feet apart. No more handshakes, no more hugs, no more
fist bumps. It makes connection with an
audience difficult in a business where establishing a connection is already
hard.
I hope we come through this soon. I’m not totally altruistic – I want to be
able to connect so I can sell – but I enjoy the connection with even a single
reader. Are those days behind us?
No comments:
Post a Comment