How to Have a Fabulous Author Event

 

What do you get when you mix a local bookstore, an enthusiastic manager and her staff, twenty-seven Aussie authors, 25% discounts and lots of customers looking for Christmas bargains? A fabulous 'Meet the Author' event, that's what!

The Koorong Christian bookstore in Toowoomba recently held an author event in conjunction with their nationwide Family and Friends Day. Twenty-seven authors were initially scheduled, though two were unfortunately unable to make it on the day due to unforeseen circumstances. But that still leaves twenty-five who were in-store. That's a lot of authors! 

Most of the authors came from southeast Queensland, though we also had two interstate visitors from the ACT and Victoria.

It was a very successful day, with lots of customers coming through the store from the first minute it opened at 9.00, and interesting conversations still being had during the last half hour before closing at 5.00. There were a lot of sales overall, and the manager was very happy with the way it went, but the conversations and connections were also key.

So What Goes Into an Event Like This?

We're very fortunate in Toowoomba because the Koorong store manager, Kirsten Hart, really champions the cause of Australian authors. She and all of her staff were enthusiastic about the event and put in a lot of work beforehand to ensure it was a success.

Here are just some of the tasks the staff did beforehand.

• Building these events up over a number of years so that they got bigger and better each time. 
• Coordinating dates so that it coincided with Koorong's family and friends day and associated discounts.
• Contacting authors months in advance to obtain photos and blurbs that were used in advertising memes on social media and professional posters on the day.
• Ordering everyone's books well in advance so they were in store on the day.
• Taking care of logistical issues such as catering for the authors, hiring extra chairs, liaising with other store owners re parking.
• Rearranging the whole store and setting up everything needed for the day, and I'm sure there were many more activities behind the scenes. These events are a lot of work and not something you can throw together in five minutes.

Kirsten also organised for local radio station, 92.9 The Voice FM, to broadcast from right outside the store all morning. A number of authors were interviewed, and it really did make a difference. I spoke to several people during the day who said they came into the store because they heard about the event on the radio. One person even came up to my book table and said she had heard my interview. Apparently the station also got some leads for future interviews, so it was mutually beneficial.

Although the staff did so many things to help with the day, it's also essential that the authors do their bit by promoting the event on social media, inviting people to the event, sharing photos on the day and so on. The store is doing a lot to promote us, so we need to also help them.

It's probably also worth mentioning that the Koorong store in Toowoomba is in a central location surrounded by other stores, a cafe next door, and not far from the CBD. So the visibility of the store also helps with random or spontaneous drop-ins. Bonus!

Importance of Prayer

Although I'm mentioning this after the other tasks, it's crucial at every stage. I know the staff and authors were praying in the lead-up to the event and on the day. Prayers have also continued for the people who bought books, that God would touch them with His love and that the seeds planted through the stories would continue to grow and bear fruit. All the marketing and preparation in the world are to no avail unless God is in the plans from the beginning. We're full of praise and thanks to Him for what was achieved through the event and the many blessings we saw and continue to see. To God be the glory.

An Author's Perspective

Vanessa Foran was one of the interstate authors who travelled up for the event. I asked her if she could share a few words about her experience of the day and this is what she wrote:

"As a new author I was excited to attend the 'meet the author' event. I wanted to experience my first book signing, as well as meet some other writers. I was thrilled to see how much effort had gone into organising the event. The store manager appeared to have thought of everything, including a 'passport' to encourage customers to engage with authors (to qualify for a free hot drink from the cafe next door customers had to get their passport "stamped" by each author). Authors were seated according to their writing genre, and I had some wonderful conversations with Linda Watt, Ruth Bonetti, and Stephanie Walters, all fellow memoir writers.

Throughout the day, visitors engaged with the passport activity, got books signed, or asked about our writing journeys. As well as the joy of signing books, connecting with other writers and readers, and even praying with one customer, perhaps the most valuable moment in the day occurred when I noticed the reaction of two young Mums to my book cover. They seemed very interested in my story of my travels with young children, Travels of a Wimpy Mum, but their expressions changed when they noticed the subtitle: 'Finding courage through the Book of James'. My older readers tell me the book is funny, engaging and inspiring, so I wish more young parents would read and be encouraged by it. Based on the reaction of those two mums, I'm now considering a more general interest sub-title, such as 'Finding faith on the road', that I'm hoping will appeal to a broader age-range of Christian readers, and introduce them to the life-giving wisdom of the Book of James. So the day was beneficial for me on a number of levels."

Thanks for sharing that, Vanessa. It's always interesting to get on-the-spot feedback and reactions to your books at events like this. I spoke to many of the authors and know they were blessed by the event in various ways, and we trust that God will continue to minister to the readers through the stories we've shared in our books.

Full List of Authors

I'm sorry I couldn't include photos of all authors in this post, but here is a full list of those involved: Adele Jones, Anne Hamilton, Ben Boland, Hannah Currie, Ingrid Dacker, Jeanette Grant-Thomson, Jennifer Mistmorgen, Jessica Kate, Jo Wanmer, Judy Rogers, Karen Roper, Lexia G. Mackin, Linda Watt, Lucy Khan, Lynne Stringer, Nola Lorraine, N. R. Eccles-Smith, R. A. Stephens, Rebekah Robinson, Rian Roux, Ruth Bonetti, Sarah Alison, Stephanie Walters, Ted Stubbersfield, Vanessa Foran; and in absentia, Frances Prentice and Glenn Cox.

Thanks and Disclaimer

Thank you so much to Kirsten and the team at Toowoomba Koorong who made it all possible. It's amazing what can be done when you have booksellers who care about Australian authors. 

Also, a little disclaimer. I was a participant in this event, but I am not a Koorong employee and therefore cannot speak on their behalf. If you are interested in other questions, such as how to get your books into Koorong, it is best to contact them direct.

If any of the other authors who were there on the day would like to share their experiences, please add them in the comments section. We'd love to hear what you thought.

___ 

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her books include the inspirational historical novel Scattered, the Christian devotional book Comfort Zone, and the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light which she co-edited with Jeanette O’Hagan. She also has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She loves sharing the words and stories God impresses on her heart, and prays that He will use them to bless others.

www.nolalorraine.com.au

Rules? What rules?

 I am glad I went to school in the fifties and sixties, for various reasons. Back then, we learnt 'proper' cursive handwriting that few younger people seem able to read today. We did not have the luxury of calculators so mastered the art of doing simple mathematics in our heads. But, above all, we were taught those many punctuation and grammar rules involved in communicating via our English language. What a bonus for me as a writer today!

Perhaps you disagree about those pesky punctuation and grammar rules. After all, language changes or evolves over the years in all sorts of ways and, if we insist on continuing to use all those commas and apostrophes today, our writing could seem unnatural, stilted and pedantic. I understand that – and, as writers, we want today’s potential readers to be able to connect easily with our books, stories and blogs. Yet how much easier it can be, it seems to me, if we know those punctuation and grammar rules well. Then we can make wise decisions about whether and where we use them or not in our writing in this day and age.

As far as punctuation is concerned, take this sign, for example, that I saw recently outside a café:

Perhaps there was only one scone that came with jam and cream? Or only one sausage roll? And what was inside that the open fire could possibly possess? How tempted I was to march in and proceed to explain to the owner that simple plural nouns ending in ‘s’ do not need an apostrophe. At that point, I remembered Lyn Truss’s (yes, an apostrophe is needed there!) clever book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, and wished I had handy the ‘Punctuation Repair Kit’ she mentions so that I could easily plonk a sticker over those unnecessary apostrophes or rub them out.

In the case of this sign, at least we still know what it means. So why the fuss, some may ask. But when it comes to our use of commas, that can be another matter. Take the title of Lyn Truss’s book, for example, where that comma after ‘Eats’ makes all the difference. With it there, we understand that the panda walks into a café, proceeds to eat whatever, then shoots someone, then leaves. Much more exciting than a sentence about pandas eating shoots and leaves!

At times when editing manuscripts, I have to reread certain sentences to understand their meaning, all because a few commas were missing in relevant spots. Take the question, ‘John was that difficult?’, for example, or the statement, ‘I know Mary.’ Without a comma after ‘John’ and another before ‘Mary’, the intended meaning of both is unclear until we perhaps read on further or work it out from the context. How much better if we remembered the simple punctuation rule that, when we are addressing someone, their name (a ‘proper noun’) needs a comma (or perhaps two) to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

I understand not all writers have had the opportunity to learn those pesky punctuation and grammar rules well at school. But all is not lost – there are plenty of books and courses available on the subject, so why not check them out? This may well save editors’ or proofreaders’ costs in the long run, as well as stop future generations from writing signs like the one above outside cafes!

Jo-Anne Berthelsen is a Sydney-based author of seven novels and four non-fiction works. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked in teaching, editing and local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves encouraging others through both the written and spoken word and is a keen blogger.

Jo-Anne’s latest book, God Moments, is available via her website, Koorong Books and Amazon.

Omega Writers Retreat: Views from the Pews

On 10-11 October, many of us tuned in to the Omega Writers online retreat. Omega Writers is an Australian Christian Writers network that helps to encourage one another, and provide skills and resources to help others in their writing journeys. This year's theme was 'Transformation: Renewing Our Minds, Sharpening Our Skills, Writing With Purpose'. We had the chance to hear some amazing speakers and network with fellow writers flung near and far.

It started out on the Friday night with the annual AGM and writing workshops in our smaller genre groups. Then the main retreat day on the Saturday included:

• A keynote address by American author Lori Roeleveld, with some insights from the book of Nehemiah to strengthen our writing.
• An action-packed advertising and marketing presentation by Carolyn Miller.
• An AI panel with Pete Court, Karen Brough, Susan Bruce and David Rawlings.
• A panel on publishing models with Meredith Resce, Jenny Glazebrook, Rochelle Stephens, Carolyn Miller and Gina Walters.
• More time in our genre groups.
• Later that night, we capped off the event with the CALEB awards for unpublished manuscripts.

I asked some of the attendees if they could share something they got out of the retreat and here are their responses.

Barbara McKay, Southeast Queensland

As iron sharpens iron, so likeminded people can sharpen and challenge you, refine you, and strengthen you. This is what I experienced from the girls in the Toowoomba Omega chapter who warmly welcomed me to the Online Retreat last Saturday. Their kindness was overwhelming.

As an octogenarian with physical challenges, I loved fellowship with these girls and others in Omega Writers online. Our speaker, Lori from Rhode Island in the USA, shared insights from the book of Nehemiah highlighting how she coped with adversity. I love this Old Testament book. Her words did encourage me to keep writing. I will listen again to her words, and like Nehemiah, take on board those Biblical principles of prayer, total dependence on a living God and planning, to help me achieve my writing goals.

Donna Gains, North QLD

It was so nice to see faces I haven't seen for a year and to be able to spend time with my tribe—writers with similar hearts and connecting beliefs. Lori's words spoke to my core reason for being a writer; God has called me to this, I am assigned and designed for these times, and I'm needed to build my part of the wall. So encouraging, like a vitamin shot in the arm.

Sara Powter, Central Coast NSW

Having never done an online retreat, I was somewhat fearful of what to expect. I had no idea whether there would be ten people or a thousand (not that it really matters). But I loved it. Due to various family commitments, we couldn’t attend the face-to-face conferences, but having them online was great. Although meeting other known names was fabulous, I selfishly wondered how this would help my writing. Well, it did!

I loved the talks from Lori and Carolyn, but the completely new area of AI—something I have NEVER been game to experiment with—was eye-opening. Consequently, I have been playing with ChatGPT using an incognito window. Ask it, 'What sort of books does so-and-so write' (in my case, Sara Powter), and it's amazing what you can find. I then asked it more questions—How many books has she written? How can she improve her writing? How can she improve her visibility (re advertising)? Potential areas for improvement & strategies for growth? And lots of other questions. This is BRILLIANT.

Then I played with shortening blurbs (I have done this through Grammarly Pro before). Once I had the blurb, I entered my draft title and asked it to suggest other options. I’ll probably stick with my original, but their suggestions make great subheadingss for advertising. When asked about other plots, it supplied those and suggested both how to make the main characters stronger and how to make the secondary characters more interesting. So, to the Adelaide team who led the AI panel, I bow with thanks. I still won’t use it for my writing, but for a dyslexic girl like me, this is a game-changer. (N.B. You can find Sara's books here.)

Adam Collings, Tasmania

There was a lot to love at the Omega Writers Online Retreat last weekend, from the many useful tips shared by Carolyn Miller in her marketing session, to celebrating the amazing winners of the various CALEB prizes. But for me, the standout was Lori Roeleveld’s keynote talk. I especially connected with her second point: “you were specifically designed and assigned to these times and this place.” While we can sometimes feel out of the loop here in Australia, I feel that doubly so in Tasmania. I love my state with a burning passion, but I sometimes identify with Luke Skywalker’s words. “If there's a bright centre to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from.” We don’t have comic-cons or a large assortment of author markets (although we do have the biggest dedicated indie author book fair in the southern hemisphere!) But while I may not have the same opportunities as others, God chose me for here and now. And that’s exciting. (N.B. Adam writes as Adam David Collings)

Wrap-Up

Thanks for those comments, everyone. I can reiterate what everyone has said. I too got a lot out of Lori's talk, especially regarding writing the assignment God has given you without fear. Carolyn shared a lot of helpful tips on marketing. The AI panel was thought-provoking. I'm probably one of those who had looked on AI with trepidation, so it was good to hear more about the pros and cons and how you can think through ethical uses of AI that could help in your writing tasks. I appreciated that the publishing panel also explained a bit more about how to tell the difference between genuine author services that help you to self-publish your own work versus the vanity presses that rip you off. And the genre groups were a great way to liaise with others who are writing in a similar area.

Thank you to the Omega president, Carolyn Tonkin, and to all of the office-bearers, committee members and helpers who organised the retreat. Thank you to all of the presenters and genre group leaders for your efforts, and a big shoutout to Tamara Wenham and the judges who did so much work towards the CALEB awards.

Next Year's Conference

The 2026 Omega conference will be held  at the Nunyara Conference Centre in Belair, Adelaide from 16-18 October. Guest speakers have already been lined up from the US and the UK, and local speakers will be announced at a later date. So mark your calendars now.

If any of the other retreat attendees would like to share what you got out of the retreat, we'd love you to add a comment below. It was a blast!

____ 

Nola Lorraine has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her books include the inspirational historical novel Scattered, the Christian devotional book Comfort Zone, and the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light which she co-edited with Jeanette O’Hagan. She also has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She loves sharing the words and stories God impresses on her heart, and prays that He will use them to bless others.  http://www.nolalorraine.com.au

The Meta-Narrative

Hello everyone, this scribbled reflection came to light in a drawer of documents in my bedroom. I read through it wondering who wrote it, then realised that I did, some time ago. This sort of surprise doesn't happen very often, but I thought it worth sharing again, especially since 'doom scrolling' social media seems to yield increasingly bleaker results in the areas of climate change, politics, social structure disintegration, and natural disasters.

 I believe as Christian authors, the thing that ties our work together is the meta-narrative. In other words, it's the far broader story into which our smaller stories fit. This is true whether our fiction has overt Christian themes or slides more covertly into secular markets. Our stories share some of the following points, or at least never deny them.

 

* Jesus died for us on the Cross and all who look to him receive forgiveness of our sins, eternal life and covenant care from this moment forward.

 

* God is the higher power shaping history behind the scenes. This includes the broader brush strokes of world history, as well as the more humble, hidden histories of individuals.

 

* There is no need for us to worry about anything, when we decide firmly in our hearts that since we see a limited picture, we will trust entirely in the creator and caretaker who sees the whole. For he stewards us just as he endorses us to steward the world.

 

* There is WAY more going on than what we perceive with our five senses or read in the media.

 

I think it's easy to sense the difference between our writing and the writing of others with a different, bleaker, more Nihilistic or pessimistic meta-narrative. While our writing offers hope and encouragement, theirs may fit the type of literature which makes readers feel hopeless and despondent, for no apparent reason.

 

May God bless you all, as you go ahead and spread joy and peace through your written words. Have you ever sensed the subtle difference I'm speaking of?

Paula Vince is the award-winning author of several Christian fiction novels set in her state of South Australia. She also has Post Graduate Diplomas in Divinity and Creative Writing. Once based in the Adelaide Hills, Paula now lives in the breathtaking coastal region. Once a homeschooling parent, she and her husband are now very recent empty-nesters.

  

Indie Publication – A Study in Patience and Pitfalls

Last month I released my first indie novella, Flare Up (yay! 🥳). In so doing, I joined the body of authors who have dipped their toe into (or for some, plunged right in!) hybrid publishing. Hybrid refers to an author who has some books released by a traditional publishing house, and some independently (self) published.

Some readers were super excited—not in the least because there was finally a story featuring Jett Faraday, a much-loved character from my Blaine Colton trilogy.

Various writing peers offered encouragement for venturing into the brave new world of indie publication. (And those with wisdom beyond my own kindly answered panicked questions as I stared at yet another gatekeeper option blocking my goal.)

I also had questions of whether I’d abandoned traditional publishing. Er, no. But I can assure you this process has given me renewed respect for my publishing house’s team.

So why go indie?

Simply, Flare Up as a novella wasn’t a suitable length for my traditional publisher. So, I decided to embark on the journey of indie publication. Sounds breezy, right? But no. This story had been latent in a file for a while, waiting for me to decide what to do with it. It took a lot of mustering for me to pluck up the grit to launch down this path.

The indie publishing market is growing incrementally and I can appreciate the appeal, especially for those who have a story that doesn’t quite fit with the majority of publishing houses. However, I can also see the pitfalls of temptation that could lure a writer to release their work too early or launch out without taking upon themself sound advice, such as a need to kill one’s darlings or restructure etc.

Image Credit Hermann Traub, Pixabay

As for the indie publishing process, I’ve bumped up against the “how hard could it be?” attitude. I’d even tiptoed down the self-publishing road a few times before, but swiftly found myself with more questions that I knew how to answer. For every step forward, there seemed to be even more blind stumbles back and questions I’d have to go away and dig into further.

It was only after my fourth (or was it fifth? 🤔) workshop on self-publication and after talking to numerous writing friends that I finally felt competent enough to at least give it a shot. Was it what I expected? Yes and no.

After my most recent self-publishing skills training, I felt reasonably confident I could bring a book to market—as to what quality it would be, well … The advantages I had included having my manuscript professionally edited and a beautiful cover designed by my talented friend, Kirsten Hart. However, on launching in, I was promptly required to consider production, distribution and market-related aspects I’d not even heard of, let along thought about.

I had no idea about distribution restrictions based on book dimensions, which also dictated the production options of paper type and finish. If releasing the book on multiple platforms, you could inadvertently double up on distributor for certain regions, and if the wrong box was ticked, it would make other distributors unhappy. (Insert stern emails about said book.) For example, agreeing to make your book available on Kindle Unlimited on Amazon means you cannot have it released on Kobo or other such e-sites. I also learned there were different breakpoints for pricing in relation to royalty rates.

Photo Credit: Bruno, Pixabay

My experience with traditional publication had at least given me knowledge of key words, catalogue descriptions and category codes (BIC, BISAC, Thema). Yet, just when it seemed I'd succeeded and the book was published, I’d receive a notification that something wasn’t right. For example, one time the cover wasn’t the correct dimensions—yet it was. The difficulty was that the way the layout is done means the file is not centred. Would it not make sense to centre a document designed to align from the mid-point out?

I’m still wrangling with Ingram Sparks, but slowly, slowly I’m creeping through the minefield of braille-like learning points. What I do know is I’ve figured out a lot and made some notable mistakes. Successful indie publication is not as straightforward as it sounds, but I’m certain with practise the process will get smoother. Most of all, I have a deeper appreciation for my wonderful traditional publisher. Thanks Rhiza Edge team!!! 💗💗

Adele Jones writes fringe and near young adult "Science fiction for the real world". Fuelled by her passion for family, faith, music and science, she tackles complex teen issues including self-worth, disability, loss, domestic violence, youth crime and more. To learn more visit: www.adelejonesauthor.com