This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under
GDPR Article 89.
Re: Authors: How do you handle chatty people?
You have a very nice problem. If you can add a half hour to your
visit to the book store, ask them to set up a coffee and cookies
table with a sign "chat with Debra". Then during the signing, refer
all chatters to the coffee server and say you'll see them in about
twenty minutes. If they really want your opinion, they will hang
around.
Jeff Ball
jeffball@usol.com
810-724-8581
Check out my daily blog at www.gardeneryardener.blogspot.com
Check out my extensive web site at www.yardener.com
On Jun 4, 2007, at 5:04 PM, Debra Lee Baldwin wrote:
I know I should be thrilled to have this "problem," but my biggest
challenge at book signings is that people want to talk. They seem
unaware
that there's a line behind them, and pull out photos of their gardens,
unroll landscape plans, or launch into stories. There's Q&A after my
presentation, but this is different, more personal. For example, a young
woman opened her wedding planning notebook and asked my opinion on table
centerpieces. Such an important decision, and all I could give her
was one
minute! (I asked, "What are your colors?" She replied, "Magenta, pink
and
white." So, I thought: What would Martha do? and told her, "Put teal
echeverias in magenta glazed pots.")
I've explained to chatty people I'd love to be able to
respond, but
now's not a good time, because others are waiting. They glance over
their
shoulder, look embarrassed, and shuffle off. I've tried telling people
they're welcome to email me, so I can give some thought to an answer,
but
only one out of a dozen has done so -- I'm afraid the rest felt like
I was
blowing them off. I've also tried interrupting them and asking, "How
do you
want me to sign this? To you? What's your name?" then I sign the
book, hand
it to them with a smile, and make eye contact with the next
person...which
usually means the first person stops talking mid-sentence.
I want to give people a good experience after buying my book, not
fluster or frustrate them! I'm wondering...how do the seasoned
authors among
you handle this?
Thank you,
Debra Lee Baldwin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Debra Lee Baldwin
Garden Photojournalist
Author, Designing with Succulents
(Timber Press, 2007)
www.debraleebaldwin.com <http://www.debraleebaldwin.com/>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters
GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters
Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos
Post gardening questions/threads to
"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters
GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters
Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos
Post gardening questions/threads to
"Gardenwriters on Gardening" <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
Other Mailing lists |
Author Index |
Date Index |
Subject Index |
Thread Index
