Rethinking Book Signings : One Writerly Dude’s Approach
I’ve always wanted to build a better book signing, and with the launch of my book tour this past weekend I think I may have done it (cue Dr. Frankenstein’s laughter of the demented). There are valid reasons why I wanted to change things up this time around.
When I published a very small book years ago, I went on a mini-tour that included about 7 signings, most at mom and pop bookstores, and a few large chain stores. I had mixed results. The majority involved me sitting behind a table, hoping someone would look my way and take a peek at the book. I’ve noticed that a lot of people are wary of approaching authors. Trust me, we’re happy to talk to you, and almost all of us don’t bite! I was usually able to sell a handful of books at the mom and pops.
I had two nightmare signings, both at major outlets. One was on the 4th of July. Naturally, no one was in the store! To make things worse, they put me under a sky light so the 95 degree sun could melt me to the chair. The only thing I succeeded in doing was convincing the lone customer not to buy Hilary Clinton’s book that was on display behind me.
The next one was even worse. I’m not a public speaker. Well, when I got there, they had set up a podium and about forty chairs and expected me to read from my book. Lucky for stammering me, the only people in those chairs were my wife, her friend and a support group for people with hepatitis-C, who were busy holding their own meeting and not paying attention to me. I sold 1 whole book that night, which was an improvement over the zero sold on Independence Day.
I’ve attended my fair share of author signings and have come to the conclusion that I hate author readings. Unless they are classically trained in the art of acting and public speaking, their voice interferes with the voice I then bring to the book when I read it. Very few enhance the experience.
So as I geared up to promote Forest of Shadows, I feverishly tried to come up with a unique way of making a book signing a bigger, better experience for those who come to see me. Heck, they’re going out of their way to attend, I better give them a show to justify their precious time.
To erase my bad experiences of the past, I made sure I got a signing at a Barnes & Noble. Big time, big pressure. 🙂
What I did next was examine my genre, the topic of my book, and other things I have done to promote it all along and combined them into what I felt was a fun, informative evening. Here’s the game plan:
- My book is a fictional story about a ghost hunter. So, I decided to focus on ghosts in general, not just the ones in my book.
- I do a video podcast called The Monster Men where my buddy and I talk about all things horror and scary. We went back to look at episodes where we talked about ghosts and created a 10 minute video. It centered on my ghost trips to The Queen Mary, The Manhattan Bistro and my own experience in a haunted hotel room in Spain.
- I created a slide show that showed all kinds of ghost pictures, as well as intermittent slides showing my website and logo. I added some sinister music to it as well. As people filtered in, I had the slideshow and music going to get and hold their attention.
- I started by asking what people believed in (Bigfoot, UFOs, Ghosts) and handed out candy prizes for those brave enough to raise their hands. This got them involved and gave them sugar rushes! I also kept a bowl of cookies on the table.
- I talked a little about the book and wove humor with the horror throughout. I showed the video, stopping every now and then to add a funny anecdote or two.I also made sure I was on my feet and walking around, making eye contact with everyone. As an added benefit, it helped me burn off nervous energy.
- After the video, I talked a little more about the book, just for a couple of minutes, and asked people to share their own paranormal stories.
- Then it was time to sign! I also created a posterboard of the cover of my book at Staples for $10 and asked them to sign it for me as I signed their book. Now I have a great keepsake and they had a blast signing it. How many authors ask their readers for their autograph?
- Lastly, I created postcards that promote my next book, website and Monster Men podcast and put them in each book.
The key to everything was to have fun and make it a great night. I keep thinking I’ll bring a smoke machine to the next one, but my kids roll their eyes on that suggestion.
Best of all, I started with a table loaded with books and came a hair from a total sellout. There were only a couple left by the end of the night, which I signed so they can display them prominently in the store.
Now, I’m not saying this is the definitive way to do your own signing. You have to do what you’re comfortable with. Be creative. Make ‘em laugh. Be interactive. If you can do all three, you’re in for a hell of a night.
The Book Tour Has Begun!
I’ve been gearing up over the past week for the launch of my book tour. It was tough waiting for winter to vacate the premises so I could get started. Big thanks to Monster Man Jack Campisi who worked his tail off creating a special Monster Men episode just for the tour. It’s a ‘best of ghost stories’ that will spark some interesting conversations with those who come down for the fun. I’ll also talk about some of my own experiences with the unknown and how they inspired Forest of Shadows. 
So, if you’re in the Yonkers, NY area on Saturday, March 24th, come on over to the Barnes and Noble at 2614 Central Park Avenue at 7pm.
I’ll be adding more dates in more states very soon, so stay tuned. If you have a bookstore in mind, let me know and I’ll see what I can do about getting there!
Good news is always elusive, but I have 2 things to be happy about today. My story, ‘Commandment Eleven’ is in issue #7 of Dark Moon Digest. You can get a copy for under $8 at Amazon. There are a lot of great writers in this issue. You won’t be disappointed.
Here’s a little snippet to get your horror engine running:
Commandment Eleven
A sparrow sang just outside the basement window and it almost made Norm’s heart break. He could still smell the sharp, sulphuric odor of burnt matches riding hard over the musty pall of the cramped underground room.
He strained to catch the tune of a song as it warbled from the transistor radio he’d left on upstairs. Was it Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett? What he wouldn’t give to be up there with that radio. Man, that voice sounded like heaven.
Since the incident, he loved just about any sound: kids fighting, garbage trucks rumbling, the buzzing of a curious bee. The thought of losing all of those delicious, everyday melodies sickened him with dread. Acidic rivulets of bile hit the back of his teeth and seeped from the corners of his mouth. Instinctively, he went to wipe it away but his hands were held fast by duct tape.
There was a shuffling of slipper-clad feet on the unfinished cellar floor and a stack of old wood boxes went clattering to the ground.
“Son of a biscuit eater!” his wife Chastity yelled.
God, even her infantile cusses (because good Christians don’t cuss) were glorious to hear.
“Didn’t I tell you to move these somewhere else? You do have working legs and arms, don’t you? Just because I’ve made you right with Jesus doesn’t mean you’re right with me.”
Ready for more? Click the cover to get your copy today!
All Hail Comic Book Men!
As a dude who collected comics as a kid and has a Captain America tattoo, I was happier than a Mississippi leg hound on hump day when AMC announced its new show, Kevin Smith’s Comic Book Men. It’s a brilliant idea to keep all us comic geeks tuned in after we get our Walking Dead fix.
Naturally, the Monster Men had to give our take on the show. I promise you, this is the funniest, best episode yet. And if you don’t like it, well, you’re probably way cooler than us.
I’d also like to take some time out to thank some wonderful folks who have been supportive of me and my book over the past few months : Diana Navarro, Annaliesje & Pink Kitty Paranormal, Anthony Ventarola, Tobi Delacruz, Tom Wolstencroft, Aniko Caremean and the mainstays of the Westchester Writers Round Table, Shai, Rod, Casey, Robert, Jackie , Ellen and everyone who has ever gone to at least one gathering. I couldn’t do this without all of you and so many more!
And now, on with the show!
Big Anthology News : Kicking The Bucket List
I’m pretty damn good with secrets, but this particular one was killing me. Cemetery Dance Publications just announced the lineup for their newest anthology : Shocklines : Fresh Voices in Terror. My story, Cry, will be surrounded by the work some utterly fantastic writers I admire like Norman Prentiss, Rio Youers and Brian James Freeman, just to name a few. Click on the cover image (makes me think of Sinbad movies) to learn more. 
You see, for me, this is no small feat. This is one of the things I had put on my bucket list back when I got the crazy idea that I wanted to become a writer. “Buy a pipe and smoking jacket” was the first goal I put on that list, but I’ve since opted for cigars and motorcycle jackets. I’ve been an enormous fan of Cemetery Dance Magazine for about twenty years now. When people ask me what it is, I tell them, “It’s only the New York Times of horror.” I mean, duh!
If you want a Who’s Who of horror, all you need to do is visit the Cemetery Dance website and you’re in the thick of things. I was just asked by another uber talented writer how I landed a spot in the antho. The key is, it came when I wasn’t looking for it. I was at the Horrorfind convention last September and started talking to a writer who informed me at one point that he was on the Cemetery Dance staff.
He asked, “Have you ever submitted to them before?”
“I sure have, and I have a folder of rejection slips to show for it,” I replied with a sense of pride. Rejection slips are like war wounds to a writer.
“Even though they’re closed to submissions, I’d be happy to take a look at your stuff .If I think it’s right, I’ll show it to the editors.”
So, a few weeks after I got home, I wrote a story and sent it off to my new friend, hoping it would at least get consideration for the magazine. I doubted it would make it, and kept my hope stick mega-limbo-low.
A couple of months later, I get the acceptance email, only it’s going to be in one of their amazingly produced anthologies! Score! The hardest part was keeping it on the DL until they had the final lineup in place. Well, I can finally open my big fat mouth about it.
Publish a story with Cemetery Dance : check.
And I get to check it off because I went to a conference, talked to as many people as I could, and happened to meet one of the nicest guys in the biz who just happened to be connected to the Vatican of horror. (On a side note, going to at least one conference a year is a must and a hell of a lot of fun) That and I had to bust my ass to write the best, tightest story I could dream up.
Now I’m reconsidering tossing the pipe idea out. Hmmm…..
Check out the book that made this possible, Forest of Shadows! You always need that first domino to fall.
Dance With The One That Brought You
“You gotta dance with the one that brought you.” – Lyric and title to a Shania Twain song and a much older adage.
Everyone reading this has someone in their life that set them on their current path. Right now, it’s time for me to hit the dance floor.
When I was a kid and people asked me what I wanted to be, I usually gave one of two replies. I was either going to be a radio DJ (thanks to WKRP in Cincinnati) or a Playboy photographer. Mom was so proud. As I got older, my future plans grew fuzzier until my only goal was to make it to the next day, hopefully employed.
Did I want to ever be a writer? I think there was a three month period around the time I was 16 when it sounded like a pretty cool idea. After hammering out a couple of quasi-sci-fi stories, I opted to go cruising and hitting on girls instead.
So who brought me to the writing dance? I have one person to thank for that. His name is Norm Hendricks. I’ve mentioned him in some interviews in the past. It’s about time I gave him his full due.
You see, Norm and I meet when we got a job in customer service at the phone company. That job sucked so bad, I still have mental and spiritual scars as pink and fresh as the day they were made 20 years ago. It was a terrible place, run by dolts that would make Dilbert cringe. Norm was one of a handful of people who made going to work worthwhile. Plus, he was a fellow Mets fan, elevating him to the top of the good guy list. Better still, he made me laugh my ass off, daily. Case in point, in a department meeting with our new director, for shits and giggles, he introduced himself as Nemo Cranston. I nearly had an aneurysm holding in my laughter when the director replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Nemo.”
One day, I spied Norm working on a book and was intrigued. I thought writers all lived in cabins somewhere and lived full, rich lives that didn’t involve descending into the 7th circle of hell each day, hawking Friends & Family. Yet there Norm was, a guy with one of the funniest and most unique minds I’ve ever come across, working at his novel.
He took writing seriously, and I was blown away by his skill. With his encouragement, I started to dabble, terribly, but it became a wonderful escape from the banality of real life. Plus, it strengthened the bond between us. It was a win-win before that asinine phrase came into being.
Since that time, Norm has published three books: Forever Indian Summer, Monstrous and The Forgotten Sleeper, which I’m reading now and slack jawed with amazement at the concepts he’s woven within its pages. He hits on heavy topics with a poetry all his own, expressing ideas that I could only guess at in fever dreams. I read his work with a real sense of pride. And where others may only get to know him through his work, I’m one of the lucky ones to have watched him secretly throw Certs into people’s drinks at parties or performed with him on stage with a band of merry, musical misfits.
What inspires me more than anything is the fact that Norm writes because he loves to write. He doesn’t give a crap about what he could potentially get in return for his hard work. He is a true writer. He’s given more to me than he’ll ever know.
So yeah, my dance card will always have Norm’s name on it.
Who’s on yours? It’s never too late to dance.
Staring Down The End
Before I talk about the topic du jour, I wanted to let you all know that there’s some exciting news on the near horizon that I hope to share in the coming weeks. I’ll give you a hint. I’ve been writing quite a few stories for various anthologies and things are lining up quite nicely. Over the holidays, I also finished the first draft of a follow up to Forest of Shadows and I’m putting the finishing touches on an adventure series for kids. 
Yet, I still found time to watch the entire first 2 seasons of Justified, which I now declare the best show on TV. (American Horror Story and The Walking Dead come in a close second) Raylen Givens is a complete, all American badass.
As I look up at my Vampirella calendar, I can’t believe the Super Bowl is already here. 
I was out and about today picking up food, beer and selecting some damn good cigars for the big day’s festivities. As a Seahawks fan, I have no skin in the game, but you can’t beat a day of drinking and eating with family and friends. And no, I don’t live in Seattle or the west coast, for that matter. I grew up a Steve Largent fan, plus the helmets were bitchin’.
Last but far from least, the Monster Men tackle the devil, possession, exorcism and a review of The Devil Inside in our 13th episode. Check it out, but make sure you hold onto your rosary beads.
OK, on with the show….
I’m going to attack this particular subject from the angle of a horror writer, but this applies to anyone who creates something, whether it be a book, painting, video game, whatever, and gives it up to the world to see and, inevitably, critique. As human beings, we all just want to be loved. That’s why the Beatles are the greatest group of all time. They understood. When we create something from our soul or gray matter if you want to be pragmatic, putting it out for general consumption is a lot like streaking through the quad at lunch time. (Feel free to chant Frank the Tank at this point.) You’re utterly exposed, your stomach cramping, waiting for the worst, and odds are, there’s some shrinkage.
Every writer needs a very thick skin. (Gift idea for those of you looking to get the person who has everything!)You have to absorb rejection like a Shamwow. You have to work with agents and editors as they pick apart your words, fine tuning it until it’s something not only readable, but saleable. And when you’re done putting a spit shine to your book or story or poem, presto!, it goes out into the great beyond, available for all to read.
From that point on, all that’s left is the feedback, reviews, tweets, posts, and on and on. You pray that it will all be good, but you know deep down you can’t please everyone. There will always be people who don’t like your book. Hell, some will even hate it and ask Jesus in their prayers why He ever let you think you could become a writer in the first place.
And this is exactly what stops a lot of aspiring writers dead in their tracks. Sure, some of them will say they just need to give their manuscript a little tweak (possibly the 132nd revision in what seems as many years), but deep down, they’re terrified of what people will say. So they never get to THE END, constantly worrying that it’s just not good enough for everyone. Some folks will even change their theme or message, worried that it may offend some or cause even the slightest controversy. Any writer will tell you, you can literally tweak a work for the rest of your life. It’s up to you to end it.
For those of you who are struggling to face this fear, the only thing I can advise is to just stare it down with your best Raylen Givens squinty eyes and tell it to get lost. Even the very best writers have their critics. I think we can all agree that Stephen King is at the top of the horror game, and he gets a healthy dose of crappy, some downright nasty, reviews. Whether it’s love or hate, it’s an emotion, and isn’t that really what art is about; evoking an emotional response? So let it rip, scatter it to the winds of public opinion, and get to work on your next book. The End is just six key strokes away.
A Monster Day for The Monster Men
Yesterday was a very busy day here on the Ponderosa. My Monster Bud, Jack Campisi, came over so we could film a boatload of Monster Men podcasts. We made it through 7 before fatigue and too much beer consumption wores us down, where we then sat on our asses for the rest of the night watching two movies (the sad Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie and the tense, Aussie shark drama, The Reef). Then it is was on to random episodes of Tosh.0 (always hilarious and politically incorrect), Monster Quest, and a few more beers.
Despite all that, Jack did manage to get up early and finish the edits for a quickie rant we did on the new Underworld flick, and the franchise in general. Just click on the Monster Men logo below to see what we think. If you like it or hate it, please forward it so we can get the villagers good and rankled. It’s been a while since I saw a procession of torches coming up the lane.
Underwhelmed by Underworld
Winner, Winner, Free Book Dinner & Radio Interviews
A big thank you to everyone who entered this weekend’s contest (and so many of the nice things y’all said). Well, I pulled out the little post-it pad, wrote all the names and put them in a basket. My daughters each drew a name and we have our 2 winners. Congratulations to Ahsley Applebee and Cate Gardner! You each win a signed copy of Forest of Shadows.
For those who didn’t win, I’d like to send you a signed promo card for the book. There aren’t many left and who knows, if the book ever becomes a classic, you’ll have something valuable to pawn off on eBay! Please send your mailing address to me at huntershea1@gmail.com and I’ll send them all out ASAP. And don’t despair. I plan to give away more books and other fun stuff over the next few months.
On another note, I’ll be interviewed on a couple of radio shows this week. Hopefully, I can censor myself. If you’d like to hear me ramble on about whatever flies into my head, please stop by.
Tuesday, 1/17/12 @ 6:30pm ET : A Book and a Chat
Thursday, 1/19/12 @ 9:00pm ET : Live Paranormal
Signed Copy Giveaway and the Latest Updates
First, I want to thank everyone who has come to this blog, FB, Twitter, offered words of encouragement, bought my book or helped get the word out. Sales have been great and as of today, I’m still haunting the top spot with my publisher. Your support and responses have truly made my heart grow 3 sizes.
Since the NFL playoffs are going to be starting soon and I still have to get the beer for the day’s festivities, I’ll make this quick. My debut novel with Samhain, Forest of Shadows, is now available as a trade paperback. I’m all for the whole e-book thing. I 
know it’s the wave of the future…or more like the reality of the present. I even have a Kindle (as does one daughter, with wifey owning the lone Nook in the house). But man, there is nothing like the feel and smell of a new book. I know I’m not the only one who takes a good long whiff as I flip through the pages for the first time. Come on, you can tell ‘ol Uncle Hunter.
To celebrate the print release of Forest of Shadows, I’m giving away 2 signed copies to random folks who comment on this blog post. It’s that easy. “But what should I say in my comment?” Well, anything that comes to mind. Let ‘er rip, or be short and sweet. Winners will be announced Monday night, 1/16/12.
In other news, I finished the first draft of the sequel to Forest of Shadows, tentatively titled Double Walker. For those of you who already read FOS, I leave it to you to guess which character the follow up will focus on. We’re just 5 months away from the relase of my next book, Evil Eternal. Guaranteed to blow your mind. Last but not least, a short story of mine, Commandment Eleven, has been picked up by Dark Moon Books and will be unveiled in time for the World Horror Convention.
Okay, enough of Mr. Big Mouth. Comment away and good luck!
Hunter Shea 