Engaging with Local Readers

By Elaine L. Orr

After moving several times over a ten-year period, I found myself living in places where I knew no readers. Obviously, I met lots of them in local libraries, where I hang out to write and find audiobooks to read. I miss having a lot of friends who celebrate new books with me.

What to do? These ideas may sound simple, but they require willingness to always put yourself out there.

1) Tell everyone you meet that you write books. It may not be the first thing you say in a grocery line, but anytime you talk to someone for more than a couple of minutes, work it into the conversation. 

2) Business cards are good, but I find simple bookmarks are better. I have one for each series -- just the name of the series, a few covers, and my website address. I keep them in my wallet and glove box. I think seeing sample covers is more memorable than the text of a business card.

3) Visit every bookstore within 20 to 50 miles, and leave bookmarks -- also a card for the manager. I never ask them to stock my books, but let them know they can be ordered through Ingram, and ask if they would mind if I let people know the store would be willing to order a book on request.

4) Make friends with librarians, and donate a book or two. I donate large print books, because they will almost always put those in their collections. This also gets your book in the Online Public Access Catalog. This may be for the library, but it's more often part of a library consortium, so lots of readers can find your book if they are searching by a category.

5) Watch for craft fairs during the holiday season. I sell a surprising number of cozy mysteries this way, but it's also better than paid marketing -- IMHO. People stop to chat. I say a sentence or two about what I write but never imply people should buy a book.

6) Don't stop visiting bookstores or libraries just because you've lived in a place for a while.

I plan to keep adding to this list. It's easy to get complacent, so part of what I'm doing here is lighting a fire under my writing chair. :) 

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