Pitchapalooza

I had so much fun and learned so much at Pitchapalooza at the Clinton Book Shop on Thursday night. Well these two authors (Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry) are pitching their new book about how to get published (The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published). Arielle is an agent-at-large from a fairly large literary agency ( http://www.levinegreenberg.com/arielle-eckstut/ ) and together she and David have a business called The Book Doctors.



For this book tour the local book store recruits two local authors and the four of them do an American Idol style (without Simon) workshop where the audience gets one minute to pitch their book and the panel critiques the pitch and then decides who gets a free hour at a later date with Arielle and David to hone their pitch or just to pick their brains.


I was going to pay my $25 (which includes a copy of their book) to pitch them In Season, but when I called Rob (who runs the Clinton Book Shop) was desperate and he asked me to be one of the locals on the panel. It was fun! Arielle and David were kind but realistic with the presented pitches. Two standouts. One had a really good pitch for a book and the other was a book for which I wish the pitch had been better.  Since this was a pitch contest the good pitch won. I also sold a copy of my book and gave a copy to David and to an independent book store owner who was there with her husband to pitch books.


All in all a night of networking and fun.

Sometimes ya gotta show your face...

For those folks, you know who you are, who are not on FB...you wanted a pic from the signing.

I know this is getting truly boring but...

In Between Goodbyes is now available at Barnes and Noble.com

Of course the Clinton Book Shop is still preferred.  In what alternate universe do you think Barnes and Noble will give me a signing?

Networking

I guess because most of my life I worked for the same company I never saw the value of networking.  Now, suddenly, I'm trying to sell books and it is all in the network.  Some of the results:  a friend offering to show my next book to her agent, a bookstore in Washington listing my book on the strength of a purchased commercial review, getting networked to Indie bookstores because I publicized my signing at the bookstore in Clinton.  

The world gets smaller as you network.

Announcement

Local book signing!

I am excited to announce that I will be signing In Between Goodbyes at the Clinton Book Shop on Saturday June 12, 2010 from 1PM to 3PM. 

This is exciting in two ways, the store has just moved down the street from where they used to be into the historic Grandin Library and I love the new store.  (If you follow the directions to the store on the site it is to their old store on 36 Main Street so facing that store, turn left and walk down a full block - crossing Leigh St. - and you will find the new store at 12 Main on the same side of the street.)

Additionally, for those of you who are members of the PHS Class of 64, I will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the class scholarship fund.

Clinton is a fun town.  Come out for the day.  Bring the kids or the grandkids and go to the Museum or the Art Museum and have lunch or dinner in one of the myriad of restaurants.  

Hope to see you all there!

And THIS afternoon...

My first sale through a book store.  Thank you Kris and the Clinton Book Shop.

And this afternoon...

The Clinton Book Shop now has my book in stock.  Get ye there if you need a copy!