A question of identity

by Carola Dunn

When I speak to an audience of readers, the question I hear most often is: "Where do you get your ideas?" The second most frequent is: "How do you pronounce your name?" That's much easier to answer!

Carola--just like Carol or Carolyn or Caroline. NOT Ca-Roll-a, let alone Corolla, Crayola or any similar trademark. However, I do forgive people who say it wrong--the first four or five times.

The next thing people say is "I've never heard it before. Did your mother make it up?"

No, she didn't. If I remember correctly (which I frequently don't), she once told me she named me after a favourite book called Life as Carola, by Joan Grant.

This is one of an interesting series supposedly describing one of her own incarnations, as was her first book, Winged Pharoah, set in ancient Egypt. I read and loved Winged Pharoah, but I could never quite bring myself to read Life as Carola--altogether too weird!

I've met several Carolas, too. My godmother had a cousin called Carola. After I left school (Friends' School Saffron Walden), I understand another Carola arrived there. When I lived in Carlsbad, California, I had a call from a lady called Carola who'd read about me in the local paper. And in Eugene, where I live now, the head of the area's forestry service police turned up at a book-signing, not because she was interested in the book but because her name was Carola. So we're not common (Heaven forbid), but I am not alone.

I've met a Carola in at least one mystery series: Robert Barnard's Charlie Peace has a daughter of that name. And another mystery connection--this is an old poster for a phonograph, owned by Larry Karp, author of The Ragtime Kid.

Here are some other Carolas:

Carola's Parotia Bird of Paradise. Do check out this link and see them dance.

Historian Carola Oman, author of one of the best biographies of Nelson ever written, or so I understand.

Another queen: A Swedish princess who became queen of Saxony. There's a port in New Guinea called Queen Carola's Harbour, which I think must be named after her, but I couldn't get a picture of it. The Parotia may also be named for her. I like the look of her!

I just googled images of Queen Carola's Harbour and found a pic of me and several of my book covers! Also a painting by Paul Wyeth, on sale at Christie's, of his wife and daughters, Mrs Titula Wyeth, Carina and Carola in the Studio.

And then there's the Swedish singer Carola, who won the Eurovision song contest in 2006!

So, you see, I'm in good company, though I have to admit I don't know how any of these Carolas pronounced our name.

PS I hate to boast, but I just heard from my UK editor that according to The Bookseller:

"This week's number one [on The Accelerators list]... is A Mourning Wedding, Carola Dunn's 13th 1920s-set Daisy Dalrymple mystery [increase in sales 406%]. Publishers Robinson has just completed its mission of publishing all 19 books in the series, beginning with Death at Wentwater Court two years ago. Book 20, Gone West, hits shelves in February."
[And Die Laughing is at #5!]
The accelerators chart comprises books that have been out for at least two full weeks and have experienced the biggest week-on-week sales boost. All data derived from Nielsen BookScan

I'm not sure of the significance, but it sounds good!

To Sign, or Not To Sign, That Is the Question

By Chester Campbell

Okay, so it doesn’t sound too Shakespearian. The Bard didn’t have bookstores, so he never faced that problem. There’s a lot of discussion in the mystery world about whether a writer should or shouldn’t do book signings. Some say it’s a waste of time and money. A “tour” takes several days and involves travel expenses. The royalties on books sold will hardly cover the cost.

If you’re with a large publisher that gets your books in all the stores, the idea of skipping the signings makes a little sense. You’ll still need plenty of other promotional efforts to get your name out there so people will pick up your book and look at it.

When you’re with a small press that doesn’t have total distribution, you need to get out there and make yourself known among the book buyers and sellers. You won’t always sell a lot of books, but you’ll meet a lot of people who will remember you later. And you can impress the store staff with your upbeat outlook and warm and friendly treatment of the customers.

I’ve had several instances where a Customer Relations Manager at a Barnes & Noble store recommended me to a colleague. That helps and makes the task of lining up signings a lot easier.

Each author has his or her own method for conducting signings, and you need to find what best works for you. Anyone who’s been around the lists I’m on knows how I do it, but I’ll repeat it here for the uninitiated. It has worked well.

I print small promo folders, two on a sheet, that we use for handouts. You can find detailed instructions for doing it yourself on my website under the ON WRITING link. When we do a signing, my wife, Sarah, stands near the store entrance with a supply of folders. She greets customers with a smile and “Do you read mysteries?” If they do, she hands them a folder and tells them the author is signing books at the table over there.

Sometimes they’ll ask her questions about the books, sometimes it’s “Where is the rest room?” If they make eye contact with me, chances are they’ll come over and talk. I hand them a book and discuss whatever interests them. If they really came in to buy a book and not just browse, I have a good chance of selling them.

Most of those who accept the folder from Sarah take it back into the store. After reading it, some will come back to my table and buy a book. A lot will walk out the door with it still in their hands. Hopefully, they will remember my name the next time they see one of my books.

I don’t do bookstore events. Lacking a good speaking voice and being mostly unknown among the general public, I wouldn’t attract many listeners. With a signing, I have a shot at everyone who comes into the store. What determines how many books I sell is the store traffic that day. If lots of people come, I’ll sell lots of books. If few come, the sales fall off. If nobody shows—well, I’ve never had that, though it’s been close a few times.

As for the travel costs, I do a lot of signings in the Nashville area, where I live. When I go on the road, I try to line up several stores to make it worthwhile. Most of the time I do signings along the way when I’m traveling for other reasons, like visiting family, attending a wedding, or going to a mystery conference.

I have cards for several hotel/motel chains and use them at overnight stops. I usually get enough points to spend a free night a couple of times a year.

Of course, some of the best signing opportunities are not at stores but at book fairs and similar events. I try to hit those whenever possible.

About that photo at the top, that was my signing last Saturday at Mysteries & More, a small independent in a Nashville suburb. Mary and Gregg Bruss, the owners, are great people. They had hot apple cider, dips, crackers, and cookies. And who should walk in but Santa Claus (he bought a book). We were also entertained by a talented group known as the Pizazz Quartet. That’s them surrounding me at the table. It was a great day and we sold plenty of books. Stores like that make signings fun.

www.chesterdcampbell.com

Fair Weather

By Chester Campbell

Outside it was cold and rainy, but inside the Frankfort Convention Center warmth and coziness prevailed. Conditions obviously weren’t as favorable as in years past, what with the economy sliding down the tubes.

So the question arises, is it worth an author’s time to weather the storm and trek off to a book fair?

I journeyed to Frankfort the past weekend for the 27th annual running of the Kentucky Book Fair. Despite the weather, a respectable number of buyers showed up for the Saturday event. But as one man told me apologetically, “Last year my wife and I spent $400. With the way the economy is now, we won’t do nearly that much today.”

Everybody came with the idea of buying books, however, and a few toted away bags full of them. Some authors had an inside track by being well known in Kentucky. Others by being well known in their field. A children’s author at the same table with me had a constant stream of kids, parents, and grandparents stopping to get his colorfully illustrated books signed.

Sitting beside me was Judy Moffett, a science fiction writer who lives part-time in Kentucky and the rest in Pennsylvania. Her paperback books sold well, but the hardcovers bombed, which was a sign of the times.

Book fairs like Kentucky’s bring in 200 or more authors, so there’s plenty of competition. You can’t just sit there and smile. Half the people look the other way and many more seem to be hurrying by on their way to catch the next bus.

If you’re not a household name, it can pay off to put in a little extra effort. Following my usual policy of ignoring the chair at a book signing, I stood behind my table from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except for the time it took to eat my sandwich. Anybody who came within range of my voice, which isn’t all that strong, unfortunately, got the smiling query, “Do you read mysteries?”

I talked to enough of them to sell 39 books. Not a bad day, all things considered. The Wall Street Journal recently quoted Barnes & Noble’s chairman as saying he had never “seen a retail climate as poor as the one we are in.” Simon & Schuster reported store traffic was down and fewer customers were buying more than one title.

I had the luxury of four books in my Greg McKenzie Mystery series lined up on my table at Frankfort. A couple of people bought all four.

You never know what will push someone’s hot button. When I told one man that in Deadly Illiusions the Federal Reserve chairman is murdered at the Opryland Hotel, he grinned and said, “I’ve got to have that one.”

It’s always nice when a reader comes by (in this case a member of the DorothyL listserve) and says, “I’ve read all of your books and really love them.”

But the name of the game at a book fair is to sell books. It can be done if you play your cards right.

The Editor - a Writer's Best Friend

By Chester Campbell

I just received the edited manuscript for my fifth novel, The Surest Poison. Some writers might think that’s an appropriate title for a bunch of pages with red marks scattered about. I view it as an opportunity to make the story more exciting and more compelling for readers.

I’ll admit I was a bit intimidated back in 2002 when I got the edit of my first published book from the editor. It looked like the Wreck of the Hesperus, figuratively speaking. Some whole pages crossed out. Three pages of notes referencing various points. It took two more revisions before I got the all clear.

But I learned a lot in the process, and the edit marks showed up less and less in the next three books.

I’ll have to confess I’m not the best of editors, except when it comes to grammar and punctuation. I honed my craft in that phase as a copy editor on a newspaper. That part of the process involves mostly superficial stuff. It’s the more subtle aspects of character motivation and relationships that sometimes pass me by. I don’t read with a critical eye. As long as the plot is plausible and the story is entertaining, I’m not disturbed by characters who get a bit quirky at times. If they get overboard ridiculous, that’s different.

Some readers are as critical as editors, however. They are turned off by characters whose actions don’t fit the picture of them that has been drawn in earlier scenes. So I’m headed back to the drawing board (or laptop) to make a few actions appear more in line with the dictates of logic.

One thing my editor appreciates is words and phrases that paint vivid pictures. I try to use them wherever possible, though I occasionally find I’ve gotten a bit too flamboyant and wind up applying the old delete key. It’s easy to fall in love with a beautiful phrase, but chances are it will end up sounding a little too cute. When that happens, it’s ax time.

Another of the editor’s jobs is to look at the big picture and decide if the story flows properly from beginning to end. Sometimes switching a couple of scenes can heighten the tension. Occasionally, a chapter might be switched to another location.

With my first book, I was a bit intimidated by the editorial process. I had to admit the editor was right on nearly everything he suggested, but I wasn’t sure what to do when I strongly disagreed. I talked to the publisher and was told, “It’s your book. Do what you have to.”

On those few points, I had my way, but overall the book was infinitely better for the editing it received. My friend Chris Roerden’s books, Don’t Murder Your Mystery and the updated Don’t Sabotage Your Submission, give lots of good advice on self-editing, which has helped improve my writing in many respects. But it takes the unbiased eyes of an outside editor to get the story ready for the printer.

Thank God or good editors.