Library Visits - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
I am officially, the Queen of Library visits.
Okay, slight exxageration. But having done ten visits in the last 30 days, it sure does feel like I should be. Having done them in such an intense burst, I thought I'd share my insight:
The Good
1) Come on, it's a library! Libraries are where readers come to worship at the altar of the book. What's not to love about hanging out where books are appreciated and loved?
2) It gets you out of the house. Let's face it, if given a choice, us writers would be more comfortable behind our PCs in our sweats than the center of attention. But doing visits keeps us up on our social graces (no talking and mumbling to people who aren't actually there) and ensures we attend to hygiene that we could otherwise cut corners on.
Your computer may not care if you have onion breath, but the library patrons might.
3) Extra income! I'm a pretty cheap library visit date. But if I were writing full-time and needed a good income supplement, this would be it.
4) The exposure is killer. All of my visits have been within one county's library system. The library branches worked hard to promote my visits (surreal to see your name on the marquee) and even when the visit didn't yield many patrons, the name in lights and posters with my big head picture on them throughout the library likely picqued some people's interest enough for them to check out the book. How do I know? Because I checked the system's catalog and since my mini-tour, my books have consistently been checked out. Sweet!
But with some sun usually comes a little rain. So...
The Bad
A. Have you ever held a smile for a really long time waiting on the photographer to snap the daggone pic? You're smiling but you start thinking - Take it already! because your mouth hurts and you just want to go back to being yourself. That's what being at a visit is like. You have to be "on" - no easy feat for someone who normally works in total seclusion.
Furthermore, whether twenty people show up or two, you've got to engage the patrons. Just because only one person shows up, you can't tuck away your A game and only bring out the C. I won't say it's as tough as digging ditches, but definitely there's a degree of mental exhaustion that comes from being "on."
B. Planning time = no writing. For me, at least.
I suggest, planning like you're going to have a big audience but prepare yourself for way less.
With that in mind, planning an interactive presentation (the only type I like to do, because you've got to be incredibly charismatic to make talking fun) to keep teen patrons interested is no joke. Teens have been in school all day, the last thing they want to do is spend their evening hours hearing you talk. So my presentation always involves getting them up, out of their chairs and participating. Thinking of ways to do that means I can't focus too much attention on much else for fear I'll drop the ball on either my prep or my writing.
So split your attention at your own risk. Teens smell fear and lack of prep a mile away.
The Ugly
There's only one really...picture this: you've spent days/weeks preparing for this visit. You've gotten all your giveaways together. You know what you're going to say. Have timed it so you don't go over or under. And the day comes and the room is packed with you, the librarian and silence.
Not much you can do about it. It happens sometimes.
Of my ten visits, I've had one where no one showed up until the last five minutes and another where only one person showed.
I still gave my presentation, all the same. It's not pretty, but that's the biz.
Oh, one more ugly - I haven't written a lick since early October. So I'm looking forward to taking my promo hat off for awhile and getting back down to the business of writing. In the midst of promotion, it's easy to forget that you're in this for the writing.
As for these library visits - I'd recommend them to anyone who has a library system eager to sponsor them. Bring your "A" game though - teens can be a tough audience. Me, I'm taking a small break but plan on getting back on the library trail in the spring and summer.
Whew...light a candle for me.
Okay, slight exxageration. But having done ten visits in the last 30 days, it sure does feel like I should be. Having done them in such an intense burst, I thought I'd share my insight:
The Good
1) Come on, it's a library! Libraries are where readers come to worship at the altar of the book. What's not to love about hanging out where books are appreciated and loved?
2) It gets you out of the house. Let's face it, if given a choice, us writers would be more comfortable behind our PCs in our sweats than the center of attention. But doing visits keeps us up on our social graces (no talking and mumbling to people who aren't actually there) and ensures we attend to hygiene that we could otherwise cut corners on.
Your computer may not care if you have onion breath, but the library patrons might.
3) Extra income! I'm a pretty cheap library visit date. But if I were writing full-time and needed a good income supplement, this would be it.
4) The exposure is killer. All of my visits have been within one county's library system. The library branches worked hard to promote my visits (surreal to see your name on the marquee) and even when the visit didn't yield many patrons, the name in lights and posters with my big head picture on them throughout the library likely picqued some people's interest enough for them to check out the book. How do I know? Because I checked the system's catalog and since my mini-tour, my books have consistently been checked out. Sweet!
But with some sun usually comes a little rain. So...
The Bad
A. Have you ever held a smile for a really long time waiting on the photographer to snap the daggone pic? You're smiling but you start thinking - Take it already! because your mouth hurts and you just want to go back to being yourself. That's what being at a visit is like. You have to be "on" - no easy feat for someone who normally works in total seclusion.
Furthermore, whether twenty people show up or two, you've got to engage the patrons. Just because only one person shows up, you can't tuck away your A game and only bring out the C. I won't say it's as tough as digging ditches, but definitely there's a degree of mental exhaustion that comes from being "on."
B. Planning time = no writing. For me, at least.
I suggest, planning like you're going to have a big audience but prepare yourself for way less.
With that in mind, planning an interactive presentation (the only type I like to do, because you've got to be incredibly charismatic to make talking fun) to keep teen patrons interested is no joke. Teens have been in school all day, the last thing they want to do is spend their evening hours hearing you talk. So my presentation always involves getting them up, out of their chairs and participating. Thinking of ways to do that means I can't focus too much attention on much else for fear I'll drop the ball on either my prep or my writing.
So split your attention at your own risk. Teens smell fear and lack of prep a mile away.
The Ugly
There's only one really...picture this: you've spent days/weeks preparing for this visit. You've gotten all your giveaways together. You know what you're going to say. Have timed it so you don't go over or under. And the day comes and the room is packed with you, the librarian and silence.
Not much you can do about it. It happens sometimes.
Of my ten visits, I've had one where no one showed up until the last five minutes and another where only one person showed.
I still gave my presentation, all the same. It's not pretty, but that's the biz.
Oh, one more ugly - I haven't written a lick since early October. So I'm looking forward to taking my promo hat off for awhile and getting back down to the business of writing. In the midst of promotion, it's easy to forget that you're in this for the writing.
As for these library visits - I'd recommend them to anyone who has a library system eager to sponsor them. Bring your "A" game though - teens can be a tough audience. Me, I'm taking a small break but plan on getting back on the library trail in the spring and summer.
Whew...light a candle for me.
posted by Paula at 9:44 PM
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