Anything Can Be an Opportunity

 

By Claire Booth

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. There was a farmer’s market, and foot traffic, and lots of leisurely strolling. What better place to set up a table and sell books?

Me, Danna Wilberg, Richard Meredith, and Cindy Sample at Rick's table outside Face in a Book.

My home bookstore, Face in a Book, uses its location on the main thoroughfare to savvy and generous effect during the summer. Savvy, because it’s capitalizing on the weekly farmer’s market crowds that flow right past its entrance. Generous, because it’s inviting local authors to share in the bounty. They’re the ones on the shady bench outside, getting the chance to talk to readers and showcase their books.

Is there a local bookstore in your area that’s doing something similar? Not capitalizing on a Sunday street market, necessarily, but rather—looking at one beneficial thing and seeing if another beneficial thing could be added to it?

I know many booksellers are already doing this. But if you’re an author, are you? We all could probably do better at looking at unrelated activities/events and seeing if there are hidden opportunities to connect with readers. For example, Cindy Sample (in photo above) once arranged to have a table at a large chain wine and liquor store on National Daiquiri Day (yep, that's a thing) and sold copies of Dying for a Daiquiri, a book in her cozy mystery series.

If you've done something like this, or have a local bookstore that has, I’d love to hear more about it.

 

Me and Face in a Book's Bookseller Extraordinaire Janis Herbert.

Normalcy!

 

Look at this! A book signing! More than that, even—a launch party. In person. 

 

James L'Etoile sent his new thriller, Black Label, into the world yesterday at our local independent bookstore, Face in a Book. There were stacks of books. There was swag. There was wine. And most importantly, there were people. The delight was palpable as people mingled and chatted. 

I left with not only a bag full of new books (who can leave a bookstore with only one?) but a springier step and lighter heart. If you're able to safely do it at this point, gather together. It'll make you feel better. It sure did for me. 

Thanks to Jim and the wonderful staff at Face in a Book for a completely normal afternoon. (You can find out more about Black Label in this previous post.)

It wouldn't be a L'Etoile event without a Corgi.

#indiebookstoreday

By Claire Booth

This coming Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day. For an author, there are no better friends than independent booksellers. They host book signings, promote local authors, and contribute to local economies. And they’ve been hit hard this past year. Now, as things start to open up, many are putting together safe in-person activities or online events to celebrate the day. I’ll be at my “home store,” the wonderful Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills, California (where they’re going to do well-ventilated sidewalk tables and I’ll be wearing a mask). 

A pre-Covid local author event at Face in a Book. That's me on the right with fellow local crime fictioners James L'Etoile and Cindy Sample. (Remember when we could stand so close? Sigh.)

So why should you venture out to your local bookstore that day? Here are a few good reasons:

They’re always friendly and kind and put a lot of work into everything they do.

They’re psychic—they can figure out what you’ll like within two minutes of talking to you.

They’ll broaden your mind, by recommending books you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

Dashiell of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kan.

They often have furry employees (see photo).

They see nothing wrong with having a five-foot tall TBR* stack.

Who else can you use a literary pun with and have them think it’s funny?

They’ll special order pretty much any book you want.

They let you serve wine at book signings.

The events they host are a vital part of community life.

*To Be Read

And if there isn’t one located near you, consider ordering from an out-of-town store and having it shipped. You can find bookstores or place orders across the country at either www.indiebound.org or www.bookshop.org. Shop local, shop books!

New Year, New Book

I’m interrupting our regularly scheduled holiday hiatus today to do some blatant self-promotion. My next book comes out Tuesday.

I, like everyone who’s had a book come out in the past nine months, won’t be able to do in-person events. This breaks my heart, because I love luring people to my favorite independent bookstores.

Face in a Book, El Dorado Hills, Calif.

Sundance Books, Reno, Nev.

So if you’re interested in Fatal Divisions, or any other book for that matter, you can still patronize your local independent bookseller. IndieBound can help you find one. Or you can go straight to my hometown store, Face in a Book, which will be happy to ship to you wherever you are.

Here’s more about the fourth book in my Sheriff Hank Worth series.

Hank Worth has always been committed to his job as Branson sheriff, so getting him to take a break is difficult. But to everyone's surprise he agrees to take time off after a grueling case and visit a friend in Columbia, Missouri, leaving Chief Deputy Sheila Turley in charge. She quickly launches reforms that create an uproar, and things deteriorate even further when an elderly man is found brutally murdered in his home.

As Sheila struggles for control of the investigation and her insubordinate deputies, Hank is not relaxing as promised. His Aunt Fin is worried her husband is responsible for the disappearance of one of his employees, and Hank agrees to investigate. The search for the missing woman leads to a tangle of deceit that Hank is determined to unravel . . . no matter the impact on his family.

And in celebration of the fourth book’s release, I’m running a sale on the first two books in the series. 

 

 Book 1, on sale.

Book 2, on sale.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming. The whole DSD crew will return starting Jan. 9 with Scott D. Parker. In the meantime, from all of us, Happy New Year and happy reading.