Sometimes it’s best to let your work speak for itself.

When someone approaches your booth at a book fair, do you?

Read the cues, enjoy the sales.

A: Greet them and back off.

B: Load them up with book cards, candy or other tchotchkes (defined by Urban Dictionary as “something a burglar wouldn’t steal.”)

C: Quickly engage them in conversation that leads to a sales pitch.

Okay, it’s a trick question, in that the smart strategy is to observe a moment of silence and quickly assess body language. Some browsers want to read your signs and posters. Some want to test the heft of your book. And some want to shake your hand, look in your eyes, and hear the pitch right away.

Your visitors will come in all sizes, so it’s silly to think you can tailor one approach that fits all. A few observations:

Dial It Back, Pal: I once saw an author post himself in front of a booth and nearly accost every person who walked by. “May I give you a bookmark?” he’d say like Forrest Gump. If the kind person accepted, he took it as a green light to pitch his book. Other nearby authors at this book fair wanted to vote him off the island.

Takeaway: Leave the hard sell to those who peddle mattresses and used cars. Readers expect and deserve a more thoughtful approach.

Opposite Bookends: At a recent book fair, I found myself between a woman with a wondrous way of turning new friends into new readers, and the most subdued author I’ve ever seen in public. This guy had good stuff on his table, but he sat behind his table for hours, rarely smiled, and didn’t say a word unless someone spoke to him first.

Takeaway: Think about the negative cues you may be sending to thousands of potential readers who can stop and talk or keep walking. Show some energy.

Time and Space: A guy stopped by my booth. No smile, no hello. He picked up my book, looked over the cover and read the back. I stayed quiet. He thumbed through the pages, looked at me, and then back at the book. “Anything I can tell you about the story?” I offered after a couple of minutes. He said no, reached for his money, and gave me a warm handshake before walking off.

Takeaway: As much as you may want to share the story of your story, sometimes people want to be left alone. Give them their time and space.

Anyone else have a booth story to share? Oh, and here are some pix from a recent festival.

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Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

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To Hank…

If you could spend Happy Hour with anyone you wanted, dead or alive, who would you pick, what would you drink and where would you meet?

I was warned ahead of time that I’d be asked those questions during a live interview on Big Blend Radio. It didn’t take long to make my pick. I chose Hank Moss. Hank is the missing character from Bella, my first novel. Some quick background before we shift to the bar.

Hank and Bella had only been married a few years when he died on an Afghan battlefield. The military told Bella he was killed by the enemy; an anonymous source said it was friendly fire. Hank, a rising pro tennis player, had joined the Army after his sister was killed on 9-11. Everyone urged him not to do it. Except me.

Here’s how our talk went down over a few beers at a quiet country bar.

SP: So I’m drinking with a ghost?

Hank:  You’re asking if an imagined man killed on an imaginary battlefield now drinking imaginary beer at an imagined bar in an imagined conversation is real?

SP: You’re right; forget I asked that. Was joining the Army a mistake?

Hank: They killed my sister. It felt silly pretending it was still important to hit tennis balls. I didn’t really have a choice.

SP: Seems you did. Seems you chose revenge over your wife and daughter.

Hank: Anyone ever kill someone you loved? If not, you don’t know; so don’t judge.

SP: I’m guessing you know they lied to Bella. What did you think she’d do when she found out it was one of our own soldiers?

Hank: Try to prove the truth. Nothing would stop her. She’s got a side no one knew about. Now they know.

SP: But you’re talking about routine stuff, like which movie or which sitter. This thing put her up against generals and congressmen.

Hank: Fierce is fierce. She’s smart and beautiful and dangerous when she’s angry.

SP: Are you proud of her?

Hank: I love her and what she did for me, so yeah, I’m proud.

SP: Besides being proud, what else would you tell her?

Hank: Watch close over Katie. Don’t let anything happen to her. She’s still a scared little girl. It’s going to be hard for her.

SP: Thanks, Hank; sorry this has to be so quick. I’ll pass it on.

Hank: Tell ’em I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Tell ’em to remember the good times, but to move on. There’s lots of life to live, lots more stories…

Do you ever talk to your characters? Have they ever surprised you?

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So tell me about yourself.

What rattles through your head when someone utters those five little words? Do you go on auto-pilot and deliver a few well-rehearsed lines? Do you grapple with the personal you versus the professional you? Are you different online than you come across in person?

Self-published authors should become adept at personal branding before venturing into cyberspace. Social media offers tremendous opportunities, but there are best practices to observe and pitfalls to avoid. I hope you’ll join me on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 7:30 p.m. EST for a free webinar that will help you bolster your brand and strengthen your online persona.

Here’s the sign-up sheet.

(To subscribe to my blog, please click the green or orange icon on the blog homepage).

Pinterest dog lovers like “Workout Buddies.”

A little while back, I posed a question about mixing personal and professional on Pinterest.

All but one of my boards relate to my two novels, Bella and Bootlicker or to my adventures in self-publishing. The exception is “Dog of Gold.”

As I wrote in the first post, before any of our (now adult) children arrived, we got a dog. Now, I know people love to talk about their dogs. And people with dogs and kids? Settle in; you’re going to spend a lot of time listening.

I’m no exception. Merlyn was one of the special dogs, a brilliant, athletic Golden with, well, you get the idea. There are times these many years later that I still miss him. (Don’t worry, I miss the kids too now that they’ve moved away, but that’s another post).

My question was whether the doggy board was undermining my brand. I asked if it belonged in another collection, or if I should keep it with the author boards.

The unanimous response was to leave it alone. Those who offered that advice look pretty smart right now. One of the pins – a picture of Merlyn after a day at the dog beach – has already been re-pinned 25 times. Photos from my other boards are starting to get some traction as well.

Authors should be on Pinterest because women love the site, and women happen to buy the most books. Plus they apparently love dogs. Be assured that a handsome canine will turn up in my next novel.

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Entice readers with a compelling bio.

“About the Author” should be fun to read, and fun to write.

Too often I see author bios that read like boring resumes. Consider the signal that sends to prospective readers who visit your website. If you’re clever enough to write a novel, you should be clever enough to turn your life story into a compelling  narrative that will get readers interested enough to check out your books.

For more specific tips, check out: http://goo.gl/i9Uz6

If you have more ideas or samples from your own “About the Author,” please share!

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Join me Thursday for free webinar!

In the old days, most politicians, athletes and artists knew better than to argue with people who bought ink by the barrel, meaning those who wrote for newspapers. Today the people with the megaphone – meaning those who can help or hurt you as a writer – don’t even need ink! So if you’re thinking about responding to a negative review, think again. If you give in to the impulse, you’re extending a conversation you’d rather have die a quick death.

I’ll be covering this tip and a lot more in a free webinar next Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7:30 p.m. Sign up here: http://goo.gl/sfQ7X

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If women love Pinterest and also buy the most books, where should authors be?

If you’ve written a novel, you’ve already told plenty about yourself. But social media sites provide authors the chance to reveal a lot more. How far should you go? How far is too far? Should you post pictures of your kids and dog on Pinterest?

This is one of the topics I’ll be discussing in a free, fun webinar on how authors can use Pinterest on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Please sign up and drop by: bit.ly/MLzN1P

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Sharing a laugh with Trevor Dennison at Scranton library.

During the wild year about to fade into history, I learned:

- The art and romance of literary speed dating;

- That “message” may be more potent as a verb than a noun;

- To understand the angles that help or hurt in photos, and to aim for the former.

I launched a second novel, a prequel to Bella titled, Bootlicker, and learned:

- Unveiling your book at a trade show in a region of the country where your story takes place makes good sense;

- Even bookstore owners have limited attention spans. That puts it on you to pitch fast and effectively, to stand out or step away.

- No one cares if you have one official launch party or half a dozen. Target different audiences and party your pages off.

I commissioned a trailer for the second book and learned:

- To turn a novel into a script, imagine pitching your story to a commuter whose train has just pulled into sight (You’ve got about 30 seconds);

- Backstage photos from the shoot make a great Pinterest board;

- Everyone’s making a trailer. Go the extra mile and make a little art.

Jeffrey Madison plots the Bootlicker storyboard.

I used my website and at least five social media sites, but learned:

- A handshake seals the bond between author and reader better than anything that currently exists in cyberspace;

- Online followers are terrific, but people you meet in person become advocates, and possibly surrogates;

- When wine appears at book clubs, questions get pointed. What would YOU do if a woman like Bella grabbed you under the table?

I did dozens of interviews and learned:

- Making assumptions, like perhaps the interviewer read your book, is a mistake;

- Back to back to back interviews are challenging, but your enthusiasm and belief in your work must come through loud and clear every time;

- Interviews and reviews are different animals. An interview should be a conversation. Don’t drag out answers and hog the time.

In analyzing nearly 70 reviews of my two novels, I learned:

- Great reviews don’t translate to great sales, at least not right away;

- A great review can send you soaring; a lousy one can send you into a funk. Resist both extremes, and never argue with a reviewer.

- If someone says she loved your book, say thanks, (insert person’s name). Then quickly ask her to please post a few lines on Goodreads and Amazon. (So easy to forget!)

With Natasha Barrett on Let’s Talk Live!

There’s more, of course. This year I experimented with tools like Viddy, Storify and Wordle. I revamped my website, adding new illustrated excerpts and a Skype book club option. I jumped on a free Vocus trial and fired out a press release that got some attention. As my first novel, Bella, was winning a couple of awards, I also hosted several webinars for the Author Learning Center. I took a road trip to South Carolina and learned the value of leaving time to follow an impulse.

The water is rough and crowded here in the Indie Ocean, but that’s the way I like it, and can’t wait for the New Year.

How about you and any lessons you learned in 2012?

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Writing, journalistic ethics and self-publishing were all on the menu in my recent radio interview with Johnny Tan, host of “My Mama’s Kitchen.”

Click to listen: