Welcome to All Things Stacey Longo
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Bibliography
  • In the News
  • Contact

Dos and Don'ts for Meeting an Author

9/4/2015

 
I do a lot of events. Conventions, fairs, craft shows . . . you never know when my smiling face is going to pop up from behind a table. Over the years, I’ve found that some fans are wonderful, and some of them are maybe not so much. Want to know the “dos and don’ts “ for meeting an author? Here they are:

  • DO feel free to talk about your favorite books. Writers love to read. Some of my favorite conversations have started with “So, what are you reading right now?”
  • DON’T feel free to trash famous authors on the sole premise that they’re successful.  If you don’t like James Patterson’s writing, that’s fine, and a valid opinion (though I’d encourage you to read Kiss the Girls). If you don’t like James Patterson because he’s one of the world's best-selling authors yet hires writing partners because he really doesn’t need to work hard anymore, okay, you don’t like James Patterson, the man. But please don’t go off on a diatribe about how Patterson’s writing sucks because he hires writing partners. Learn to hate correctly, I always say.
  • DO tell an author that you liked their book. That’s always wonderful to hear. I also encourage you to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
  •  DON’T tell an author that you like their boobs. That’s inappropriate.
  • DO feel free to ask for a signature, a hug, or a photo with your favorite author. That’s quite flattering, and many of us are happy to do it.
  • DON’T go in for a hug:
  1.   without asking;
  2.  when you’re sweating like a runner wearing a parka who just did the Boston Marathon in August and smell like a rotting whale carcass;
  3.    and do the reach-around to cop a feel.
  • DO ask the author what their book is about and the intended audience. If you’re looking for a book for your pre-teen, I don’t want to sell you a copy of Ordinary Boy. You’ll be angry that the content is too old for them and inappropriate, and I’ll lose a potential returning reader. But beware: there are some unscrupulous writers out there who will lie to you just to get the sale. If they’re coming across as a snake-oil salesman, don’t trust them.
  • DON’T tell an author what they should’ve written or done with the plot/characters instead. A lot of blood, sweat, tears, editing, and revisions happened before you read the final book. Telling us how you would’ve done it instead is insulting and demoralizing.
  • DO stop and chat for a few minutes . . . if there isn’t a line. My favorite things to talk about are writing, editing, and reading. I have a few (okay, two) close friends that I originally met when they stopped to talk at an event.
  • DON’T ask for a phone number, home address, or a date when you meet us. That is creepy and stalkerish, and the answer will always be no.

There you have it. I think I’ve covered everything—wait, another “don’t” is don’t look down my top (or if you are, don’t be so stinking obvious about it). There. That’s everything. Feel free to print out this list and carry it around with you so you’ll be fully prepared for your next author encounter.
Photo by Kristi Petersen Schoonover
Also, it's never a bad idea to bring an author some coffee.
http://www.dissertationworld.biz/ link
10/8/2015 05:01:10 pm

Meeting with authors is the best work for students as they'll learn how to start writing from short texts to books. Your post is helping people to which points should be discussed and which are avoided by meeting with authors so that one can learn more and more. This sounds awesome work :)


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Pretty and perfect in every way.

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010

    Categories

    All
    Aging Gracefully
    Andy Kaufman
    Art
    Bad Actors
    Bad Habits
    Bad Life Choices
    Batman
    Beauty Tips
    Birthdays
    Block Island
    Bloom County
    Bookstore Owner
    Bucket List
    Celebrities
    Christmas Tv Specials
    Connecticut
    Conventions
    Dating Advice
    David Bowie
    Death
    Dieting
    Disney
    Downton Abbey
    Driving
    Duran Duran
    Easter Candy
    Editing
    Etiquette
    Exercise
    Family
    Fashion
    Father
    Fishing
    Gardening
    Generation X
    Greek
    Halloween
    Holidays
    Horror
    Illness
    Iphone
    Kennedy
    Life Lessons
    Love Songs
    Lyme Disease
    Marriage
    Mother
    Mother Nature
    Movies
    Movie Stars
    Music
    News
    Painkillers
    Parenting
    Penn State Football
    Pets
    Philanthropy
    Pms
    Politics
    Potluck
    Presidential Assassination Theories
    Psychic Abilities
    Reading
    Relationships
    Resolutions
    Restaurants
    Ron Jeremy
    Science
    Sexy Actors
    Shopping
    Sisters
    Social Media
    Star Trek
    Stephen King
    Telephones
    Television
    The Storyside
    Tick Removal
    Travel
    Truman Capote
    Vacation
    Weather
    Working
    Writing
    Zombie Apocalypse

Web Hosting by iPage