Even better than I expected

On a bookstore tradeshow and how to prepare like a pro.

Unveiling my debut novel, Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary, at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association tradeshow earlier this month surpassed my dreams, my wildest hopes. Booksellers stood in line to pick up autographed advance reader copies. They oohed over the title and cover and congratulated me.

Tegan Tigani, of Seattle’s Queen Anne Book Company, brought me celebratory lanyard stickers, which I shared with others so they could take part in the delight. Later she surprised me with photos of me signing. (Including this one!)

Christina Vega of Blue Cactus Press helped me through my one anxiety attack—and I got to play peek-a-boo with their adorable baby.  

Joe Biel of Microcosm popped by to hand over a royalty check for Sad House, my zine.

Bailey Potter, who copyedited Dispatches from Anarres, helped staff my table and we both got to see Alex Gonzales, now with Tin House. Bailey and Alex were students of mine in the PSU publishing program right before COVID.

Annie Carl of The Neverending Bookshop in Edmonds, Wash., brought me an early Christmas gift—a handmade, linen-stitch cowl with ruby and gold tones.  

Annie and Jonah Barrett of Olympia’s Orca Books pitched Forest Ave titles to browsers while I sat at the Lanternfish table, signing Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary.

My fellow Lanternfish author Stacy Flood (The Salt Fields) exuded joy and good humor over dinner and during our time at the table.

Kim Hoobyer of Third Place Books in Seattle flashed a copy of my novel when I was trying to take a candid photo of her at the Lanternfish booth. I didn’t realize until afterwards and then it made me so happy. (Savvy booksellers: always promoting books. Even when you don’t think they see you with your camera out.)

Author Cai Emmons stopped by the show floor with her spouse and I got to sign a copy of my novel for her.

My publicist, Feliza Casano, is incredible with talking to people about Lanternfish titles and making connections. I learned so much tabling next to her.

Also, just being around these humans! The usual fabulous PNBA volunteers, the powerhouse booksellers, the sales reps, the other authors and publishers. I felt like not only did I get to go to the ball, but I got to hang out there for a few days. The show was vaccination mandatory with the mask mandate in place as well, so I felt as safe as I could have expected.

Then I came home and crashed, and I still don’t have my energy all the way back. Maybe because I’ve been at home for so many months. Maybe because I’ve lost my knack for socialization or haven’t gotten as good at limits as I thought. Even though I did eat throughout the show and take breaks as needed, I overextended. I nearly lost my voice trying to have meaningful conversations through masks in a loud environment, but—unlike every other tradeshow—I didn’t get sick. Phew.

My advice to authors for tradeshows, after participating in this one as a debut author, is as follows:

• Pace yourself. It’s okay if you can’t attend everything, or if you have to sit down and rest between shifts at the table. Listen to your body.

• Bring snacks, especially if you plan to be there for a while or if you have dietary restrictions.

• Practice asking, “Would you like me to personalize this?” Some booksellers prefer a signed copy that’s not specifically addressed to them. Asking “Would you like a signed copy?” still doesn’t address whether that person wants their name on it, so then you have to ask them to clarify exactly what they might want you to sign—their name? someone else’s name? the bookstore’s name? just your own name?

• Bring extra masks, and if your glasses fog, add lingerie tape to the fabric. It’s hard to enjoy signing your book if you can’t really see what you’re writing.

• Choose an outfit that complements your jacket cover—perhaps related to your novel’s themes or style. I wore a bird dress the first day and on the second, a bird headband with a mushroom jumpsuit that picked up a lot of my book cover colors.

• I brought special pens, but ultimately I grabbed whatever I could find when my signing times happened. If the right pen means a lot to you, put it someplace you can easily grab it when a signature is requested—or if you have a signing slot, leave it out on the tradeshow table for the duration of that time.

• Decide on a new signature for your books that’s different from your usual legal signature. This was new to me. But when Feliza said it, I realized it makes so much sense. I don’t want tons of books out there all featuring my legal signature, because it could be used for fradulent purposes. I’ll start telling all my authors this.

• Come up with a signing line (or several) so you don’t panic when people you know ask for autographs. As I mentioned last time, I really wanted to personalize each book but suspected I wouldn’t be able to come up with clever original ideas for each person, especially during the hourlong signing events. So instead I relied on a tip from Forest Ave author Stevan Allred: picking some sentences out of the book. Every time someone said yes to personalization, I chose a phrase from my list that reflected my relationship with the bookseller (if I knew them) or acted as a hook or a point of intrigue (if I didn’t). It made me feel prepared and helped me not panic, and while I took those extra seconds to write out a phrase, Feliza my publicist engaged them in conversation about the press. It worked out well.

Next up in this space, I’ll share a detailed post about book contracts; it’s not legal advice, but it’s a look at some of the common components and what they mean. Special thanks to the reader who requested this post!

I also hope to do a future post on pitching your book verbally to booksellers. I had a five-minute slot at the virtual PNBA after the tradeshow ended, and I have some tips to share.

In the meantime, if you want some inspiration, or more thoughts on the interplay of writing, reading, and grief, please listen to my hourlong Words and Pictures keynote speech about why books can save the world. It starts at about 23 minutes in after several student contest winners share their work. I’m so grateful to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library system and Christy Peterson for giving me this opportunity.

YOUR BRIGHT SIDE INVITATION: As creative people, it’s easy to imagine what an event or a calendar milestone will bring. Our brains get all busy and excited and our hearts feel near-to-bursting with hope. But so often there’s a huge disconnect between what we want and what we get. Especially when it comes to art and commerce, because the two often don’t match up. I came into PNBA with the hope of signing some books and not getting sick, and that was my baseline wish list. The actual experience far exceeded those modest demands. But it’s okay to dream big too. As I said to a friend about to send his novel on submission, aim for the sky, but if you get a tree instead, please admire and acknowledge the tree. It’s huge to have anything happen in this competitive industry. A tree is great! We all love trees! There’s so much to honor and appreciate about a tree. So: What are you dreaming big about? What’s your sky in this metaphor? What might the tree be—an achievement you might grasp that isn’t as big as your vision but is still pretty great and gorgeous and worth celebrating? How can you rewrite your internal narrative about what success is in a way that allows space for different kinds of success than your big-picture dream?   

Feel free to leave a comment! I started this newsletter to create an intimate but accessible conversation space about creativity, grief, and the societal reset that the pandemic has offered creatives like us. I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can reply to this email to have a conversation just with me, or you can comment on the post to connect with other readers. You’re also welcome to forward this to any friends who might like it. 

For those of you who are new: Thanks for joining my newsletter community! I publish new pieces twice a month or less. Being transparent about publishing is my jam—as a publisher and now as an author—and I’m equally passionate about building creativity into everyday life. If you have any questions or topics you’d like me to address in future issues, feel free to drop me a note. I’d love to make this space as interactive as possible.