It’s been three weeks since my little book escaped into the world. I was interviewed by Polygon. It just made The Guardian’s list of the best recent SciFi and Fantasy novels. The reception has been amazing, but I particularly have to thank Lisa Tuttle for writing me up in a magazine my mother has heard of, because that’s going to make the holidays a lot easier on me.
But this entire experience has been spiritually nourishing. I can’t thank you all enough, for every reading and rating and review. It’s amazing to hear so many people are connecting with my monster.
While I’ve been on the road, I’ve been keeping a journal of the things I’ve learned. Today I’d like to share six things I’ve been mulling over.
1. Give yourself a tradition.
My seven-year-old nephew is too young to read my novel right now. His mom would probably kill me if he did! But he’s an avid reader, and loves when I read to him at bedtime. On a recent visit, we actually ran out of stuff to read together.
So now whenever I visit a store to sign books or give a talk, I get a new book for him. This is my new tradition. It’s a treat to myself, and for him. That way the next time I see him, I’ll have a present that he is allowed to read.
This tradition also lets me talk to booksellers about something other than just my book. Each bookseller has been unique in their sensibilities, and each has led me to new things I hadn’t heard of before. I’ll remember them all so much more fondly, because they’ve contributed to the good times my nephew and I will have together.
No matter what else happens on such outings, it’s good to have a repeated tradition. Something you do for yourself—or someone you love. Make each occasion distinct and part of a pattern.
2. Ask about accessibility in advance.
Spaces could be more upfront about their accessibility. If the signing space is on the second floor, is there an elevator? Do I have to stand at the podium, or may I bring up a chair to sit? Can they mandate N-95s and give them to the audience as they arrive?
Having done several events now, you have to ask about what you’ll need. If your publisher is willing to ask for you, that’s great. Otherwise you can usually find contact information on a store’s web page. Upon contact, from my experience, people will just tell you what they can offer. Sometimes they’ll sound guilty to tell you “No” (nobody likes failing accessibility), or they’ll say they’ll ask about it. But it’s better that they ask their boss for info rather than you finding out once you’ve showed up.
Asking is actually how I met one disabled bookseller who was terrifically excited to meet a disabled author. We’re both partially deaf and enjoyed mishearing each other for a while. I loosened up after we’d discussed it. In fact, I always felt I could trust a place more after we’d had an accessibility conversation.
I’ve yet to turn down an event for lack of accessibility, but if that happens? That’s a lot better than finding out on the day-of.
3. What do you do if nobody shows up?
One of the good things about having a long path to publishing a book is that I’ve heard all the bad stories already. I knew that just about every writer eventually has an event where attendance is minuscule. While I won’t name which event, there was one stop in the last few weeks where only one stranger showed up.
I didn’t pity myself, in part because so many fellow writers had told me stories to know to expect it someday. The weather was frightful. Nobody abstained from attendance to spite me or to express hatred of my work. It just happens!
I had a great conversation with my host, and with some local booksellers. I also had a great chat with the one stranger who showed up, talking to her about the Fantasy she enjoys and what gets her reading. I had all the time in the world to personalize her copy for her. I signed all of the local store’s stock of my book. Not a minute was wasted. I had a great time, and made sure that everyone around me did, too. You want to brighten the days of the people who are available to you.
4. What do you do if too many people show up?
Lots of people showing up is the dream! What writer doesn’t want lots of readers? And even better: you get to meet them!
At one event, the room was completely packed with readers. But the store had to close by a certain hour, and that meant emptying the space earlier than that so the staff could tidy up. They told me this three times before I got to the room we were doing the event in. They weren’t being rude; they have a job, and the longer my event went, the harder their job would be.
So even though I would have stayed until midnight chatting with every person, I had to be timely. This is probably also good for the people waiting in line who had somewhere else to be later than night, or had work the next morning.
The first thing I did was to thank the staff for their work and their patience every time we bumped into each other. These are hardworking people, all of whom were very friendly. When I got my first wrap-up signal from them, I tried to hustle things along.
But how do you treat all of the people who came out? Some were friends who I made sure to hug and ask after. Some came to an after party with me, which meant we didn’t have to get all our chatter in right then. With others, I made sure to ask them something about their love of reading or cool clothing they had on, or to come up with a fun personalization for their books. Some people got one-of-a-kind doodles, not great art, but unique and spirited. Some got ridiculous selfies. With each person, though, I tried to look them in the eyes and treat them with the gratitude I could, within the time the store gave me.
I hope I brightened everyone’s day at every event. I feel like when there’s a time crunch, it’s especially important to take a moment and be grateful to the people there. Those moments are still with me as I write this. They’re keeping me warm on this rainy night.
5. Book pics will never, ever get old.
Nearly every day since launch somebody has tagged me in a picture of my book either on a store or library shelf, or in their hands. These will never get old. I could live carb-free by just consuming these pictures.
Now, I am blown away by the context in some of them. Some have shelftalkers—notes from booksellers about why they recommend this book. Some are in displays that an indie store has it as one of their Picks of the Month. These aren’t things anybody ran by me. I’m discovering them by seeing the images. In fact, I didn’t know my book was on sale in Australia yet until an Australian reader sent me a shelfie.
It’s like my soul has left my body and is on tour. Thank you all for being such lovely tour guides.
6. All streaks end.
When I first read from this book at Readercon in 2023, it stormed all weekend.
The next reading was in Bryant Park in NYC, in August 2023, and I was greeted to the city by a tornado warning and arrived with my entire luggage soaked.
My launch event at The Strand saw pouring rain that made us have to move that after-party. I started joking that every reading I did would be stalked by clouds.
When I drove to Woodstock to read at the Golden Notebook? I had my windshield wipers on the entire drive.
But when I hit Barrow’s Intense Ginger in Brooklyn, New York, it was finally a clear night. Even as my train pulled in, I didn’t trust the sky. But it was balmy and beautiful as I walked into the bar. I sat outdoors with readers and writers for hours chatting, before and after.
A funny part of me thought it would rain on me wherever I tried to share this book. But just like every novel, every streak ends.
You're the kind of author we always enjoy meeting when we attend conventions. These are such good points for anyone to keep in mind when meeting fans.
Thanks for sharing all this, John. I
So glad you had a great launch. 💖