The door opened.  Two steps forward.  Stop.  Two to the left.  And a scurry down the nearest aisle.  This dance, repeated person after person, was choreographed to avoid me, seated at a table that the manager had placed near the front door.  I learned during my recent book tour that authors intimidate book buyers the way Jehovah Witnesses, cameramen, psychologists, and government agents frighten others.  “Be aggressive,” one store manager advised me, but my greeting people as they came into the store only resulted in a faster dance into the bargain book aisle.  Soon I adopted a different strategy by taking a few steps away from the table to browse through another display.  Within seconds of my “disappearance,” a customer would approach the table to page through a copy of Captivity.  As long as people did not know that the author was near, they were drawn to my novel.  After a few minutes of letting them examine the book, I would approach with a friendly, “Hi.”  Some made excuses to drop the book and run, but others stayed to chat.  Those conversations I had with readers were always lively and interesting, full of laughter and serious discussion.  But afterward the question haunted me:  Why did I have to sneak up on my potential readers?  Why did they fear my presence in the bookstore?

The answer probably differs from person to person, but I suspect the two biggest reasons are the unwillingness of people to reject an author face-to-face (“Sorry, I don’t want to read your book”) and intimidation.  For the first case, the answer is simple:  authors deal with rejection on a daily basis, so most of us don’t take it personally.  Go ahead––take a look and, if you aren’t interested, move on. The second reason is more difficult to conquer, especially since readers don’t often get a chance to meet authors.  One person said to me, “I can’t believe I’m talking to a novelist!” Clutching Captivity against her chest, she said that she couldn’t wait to tell her book club about the encounter.  But talking with an author at your local bookstore does not require any special skills.  We are ordinary people who just happen to be blessed with creativity and an ability to express it in words.  We don’t bite –– and we won’t force you to buy books. 

One bookstore manager told me that her store had hosted a reading by a famous, bestselling novelist –– a favorite of book clubs across the country––and only nine people showed up.  The manager could not believe that her customers had passed up the chance to meet this author, especially since so many of them had read her books, but I’m sure this author was not surprised.  As a veteran, she probably knew all too well the bookstore two-step and its cousin, the skirt-the-corner waltz.  Although the attendance embarrassed the store manager, I’ll bet those nine people who did show up are still talking about their experience.  Having attended author readings before I had published my first book, I know how exhilarating a brief connection with an author can be.  Just hearing the voice and the unique cadences that go with it takes the book to a different, more personal level.

I wish more readers would take advantage of the opportunity to meet and talk with an author.  We love meeting readers, even if they don’t buy our books, and readers, once they get over their initial fears, love meeting us.

Copyright 2008 by Debbie Lee Wesselmann