I ended my spring “book tour” of 4000s by 40 last weekend, with a book signing at The Country Bookseller in Wolfeboro, NH. If you haven’t been, it’s a great bookstore with a terrific owner. Three other local authors joined the signing, and I had a great time getting to know them and chatting with customers about all things books.
This was my first real book signing, strictly speaking. I’ve done some speaking engagements and hosted a vendor table at the AMC Awards Night in April, but I’d never actually sat down for a traditional signing event. This writing thing keeps you on your toes—there’s always something new to experience.
Scoping out The Country Bookseller before meeting readers.
Learnings on the Book Trail
So there’s been a lot to take in since writing this first book, in what’s really felt like a trilogy of lessons. First, there was the climbing, of course. Then came the writing, which actually took longer than climbing all the 4000-footers. Now we’re in phase three: the “what happens after you’ve written the book?” stage. This part has taken up much of the last eight months and taught me a lot about the world behind the scenes. Some of it’s been stressful—maybe even a little scary at times—but I’ve tried to treat it all as part of the learning process. And if you’re learning, it’s fun. And fun it has been.
Lesson 1: The Speaking Engagements
My first talk was at Bookery in Manchester—another great bookstore in New Hampshire. They asked me to present for two hours, but I couldn’t imagine what I’d say for that long, so I opted for a one-hour talk explaining why I wrote the book. I also shared a couple of excerpts before opening it up to a Q&A. A ton of friends and family came out to support it, and it was so helpful to have them there because I was stressed. I didn’t realize how anxious I’d be until the day of, but I definitely felt off before it started. Once it did, I eased into it—but man, were my nerves cooking beforehand.
In one of my old jobs, I used to present to upwards of two hundred people, so speaking in front of an audience isn’t totally out of bounds for me. But even though this crowd topped out at maybe sixty people, I was more jittery than I’ve ever been before a speech. I shared this with a couple of relatives after the event, and they quickly pinpointed what was going on.
“Because this was personal,” they said.
When you care about something—and you’re facing the responsibility of having dragged a bunch of people out in a snowstorm to talk about what you created—there’s a lot more pressure to make it worth their while. When you’re talking to a couple hundred employees who have to be there anyway? That suddenly doesn’t seem like such a big deal by comparison.
Lesson 2: Book Messaging
At the AMC Awards night, I had my first “vendor” table, and it was clear I was a total noob. Everyone else had carts to haul in their stuff, while I schlepped boxes of books in one at a time. By the time they opened the doors to customers, I was a hot mess. My table was too.
Before the event, they said they’d have six-foot tables, so I brought a tablecloth that only covered half of the ten- or twelve-foot monster they actually provided. It looked terrible. But I still had this big poster of the book, which I figured might generate some excitement. Instead, it mostly drew commentary. Things like, “Tackling middle age in your forties? Come back to us when you’re sixty”—usually followed by a chuckle and a quick exit. I was striking out left and right. If my wife hadn’t been there, I probably wouldn’t have sold a single book.
Yeah, this needs work.
But I learned a few things from that night. One, set your expectations low. The point is not to leave with a ton of sales (although that would be preferred), but rather to make some great connections—which I did. I got to be on a podcast, made some new friends, and got to hear about a ton of great adventures people had. I had some sales, but my messaging didn’t meet the needs of most of the attendees.
Keeping My Ears Open
The AMC Awards night usually fills up with people north of sixty, for the most part, followed by a sizeable group of people south of thirty. There aren’t a lot of middle-aged guys walking around the event—hence all the commentary. But that commentary helped teach me that my message wasn’t registering because of the title of my book. The book is about so much more than middle age; it’s really a quest about tackling challenges at any stage in life, when someone decides to reevaluate what’s important to them. That can come at forty, fifty, one hundred—you name it. The AMC Awards night made it clear that I need to do a better job communicating that purpose.
Maybe I need to give out more bookmarks explaining different aspects of the book!
It had been eight years since I last attended an AMC Awards night—back when I first completed the 4000-footers and subsequently began my writing journey. It was fun to see all the hikers come in and hear their stories. There are so many desires, struggles, and questions that bring us to the mountains; it’s amazing what people carry with them up the trails. As I listened, I was reminded of the real reasons I went to the event—and why I want to be a writer.
Lesson 3: The Journey
At The Country Bookseller, one of my fellow authors told me to expect some days where you hardly sell a book at all, and others where you might sell thirty to fifty. You just have to keep going. That’s exactly what I’d been starting to feel over the last several months, and I was happy to have those thoughts confirmed. I didn’t know what to expect when I started this journey, but now that I’m in it, I’m realizing it’s a lot like what Jason Robards’s character says in the movie Parenthood about parenting: There is no end zone. You never cross the goal line, spike the ball, and do your touchdown dance. Never.
“There is no end zone. You never cross the goal line, spike the ball and do your touchdown dance. Never.” – Jason Robards in Parenthood
There have been moments this past year when I’ve felt excited about the idea of being an author—but I’m not “there” yet. I’m not sure if I ever will be. All I know is, I just want to keep going. And much like being a dad, I’m probably going to be learning on the job until the day I die.
Books and stories and poems and articles are, after all, things you give birth to—created from nothing but welcome aberrations of thought and interest. When they’re sent out into the world, those messages come back to you, teaching you things you didn’t know you needed to learn. I’ve learned so much so far, my head is overloaded. And now I need to take a little break from the circuit so I can get back to… writing!
Next Steps
Book 2 is underway—a fiction piece this time—and one thing I’ve learned from all of this is that I need to dedicate a large swath of time to write it! I’ll still be posting here at wanderingmatt8.com, but I’m putting book touring on hold for a while so I can focus on finishing this one. I’m looking forward to sharing it!
So much to learn.
Open Book
If you like to know more about the writing journey, head over to In Writing. I’ve got no secrets, and I try to share a bit about what I’m learning as a writer each week.