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Malice day 2: Mary Stanton likes my name! Squee!
I'm caught between "I want to tell you EVERYTHING!" and "that's a shedload of typing." So let me sum up.
BOOK SWAP
Informal swaps keep popping up. I also have encouraged several people to write in a feedback comment, and been encouraged to whine at length to someone who sympathized. (And because![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
beledibabe is a better person than I, there wasn't even a hint of the subtext "For God's sake, take it out on each other before I kill you both and spork out my eardrums for the sweet, sweet relief of never hearing about the subject again!")
Apparently this was a wildly unpopular decision when it was made last year... although the true depth of the issue wasn't made clear to me until I rather hopefully followed someone down the hall as she took non-regulation books to the box for soldiers. When she got there, she actually *pointed to books in the box* and said "See? We aren't giving these out. Someone brought them from home."
That there's someone at this con wrapped so tightly over the rules that she doesn't like donations from home going straight to CHARITY is worlds beyond "power trip" and into "OMG, get a gallon of therapy, you just scared the shit out of me."
MARKETING
There are the things that are eyecatching, and the things that effectively tempt me, and the things that make me pick up the book. Which are three separate categories.
Eyecatching but ineffective included:
Tempting... by which, I mean I picked up the thingie, understand what it is for, and will keep it for a while. I may or may not get the book, but I'll always see the advertising.
To be brutally honest, the only things that I picked up that have inspired me to run right out and actually get a book are the ones that have download codes on them - one handed to me by the author, one from Starbucks.
No, what inspires me to pick up books are the authors.
BOOKS
Every Media West, there'd be that vid that introduced me to a song and I'd run right out and buy it. Every Malice, there's one author I've never heard of who charms me into her stuff due to a reading/description at a panel. This year there were 2.5 of them.
1) Sarah R. Shaber has started a WWII homefront series; at the "Things We've Done for Research" panel, when they were asking the audience to vote on whether a reading was due to research, personal experience, or total fiction, Shaber read a section about a woman being hauled off to be forcibly checked for VD. ("It's not meant to be funny," she told the giggling room.) The immediacy of the scene made me go buy Louise's War & Louise's Gamble, which I then had signed.
2) I wouldn't have touched this on my own, but when it was discussed in the Paranormal panel, it was made to sound so much fun that I scooted out and picked it up: Lennifer Harlow's Mind Over Monsters in which a new FBI agent gets put in the Federal Response to Extra-sensory And Kindred Supernaturals squad. (Work out the acronym.) Before she was sent to battle a zombie uprising, the character had been a 4th grade teacher. The general consensus of the panel was that 4th graders to zombie fighting was "not a big stretch." Alas, I missed the signing to buy the book, so now I'm slightly stalking Harlow in hopes of getting an extemporaneous autograph.
.5) Bailey Cates was also on the paranormal panel, but I didn't have to buy the kickoff to her new series because it was in my tote bag. A good find too - it has *not* shown up in any of the informal swaps.
In handouts, Charles Todd was signing copies of A Duty to the Dead; the intent was that giving away book #1 of the series would pull in people to buy 2 through the just released 4. And when I said that I couldn't find a copy of Writers Gone Wild, a very kind person gave me his, which only goes to show thatif you show up at a table whining often enough about there being no swap, people will do anything to shut you up there are kind souls who want to see books in the hands of those who will enjoy them.
I bought more cozies than I thought I would have a taste for (and I may prove myself right), even though I went to the con promising myself that I'd only get Holmes books. And to be honest, I've done that too:
In addition to the handout of Mystery Magazine 123 with a Holmes pastiche story, a set of magnetic bookmarks that includes the covers of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hound of the Baskervilles, and the fact that my first subscription issue of the Baker Street Journal arrived at my house.
At the big afternoon booksigning, I went first to Claudia Bishop, aka Mary Stanton and gushed all over her about the Beaufort & Co Angelic Investigations series. (Very interesting things happen in the latest. She's really developing the universe.) It is one of the most unique things out there, and I was wibbling about how it made such a change from the "cute, cuddly, over-sweet cozy" before I realized that I was talking to Claudia frikkin' Bishop and that, like everyone else who belatedly blurts "no offense!", I'd just been offensive. (But honestly, reading all those sweet cozies for RtE gave me diabetes of the soul.) Fortunately, she took it in stride, and then she wrote my name down and raved over it, because she liked it and she needed a name for her next book. I told her I'd be thrilled, although I could imagine that after *that* bout of foot-in-mouth, the character named after me will come to a very sticky end! But she still signed Avenging Angels "To Linnea with the lovely name."
This is getting way too long again, so I'll stop. However, I have been taking notes at all the panels I attend and at some point there will be a quote list/panel description. I'm assuming that y'all want to see that.
BOOK SWAP
Informal swaps keep popping up. I also have encouraged several people to write in a feedback comment, and been encouraged to whine at length to someone who sympathized. (And because
beledibabe is a better person than I, there wasn't even a hint of the subtext "For God's sake, take it out on each other before I kill you both and spork out my eardrums for the sweet, sweet relief of never hearing about the subject again!")Apparently this was a wildly unpopular decision when it was made last year... although the true depth of the issue wasn't made clear to me until I rather hopefully followed someone down the hall as she took non-regulation books to the box for soldiers. When she got there, she actually *pointed to books in the box* and said "See? We aren't giving these out. Someone brought them from home."
That there's someone at this con wrapped so tightly over the rules that she doesn't like donations from home going straight to CHARITY is worlds beyond "power trip" and into "OMG, get a gallon of therapy, you just scared the shit out of me."
MARKETING
There are the things that are eyecatching, and the things that effectively tempt me, and the things that make me pick up the book. Which are three separate categories.
Eyecatching but ineffective included:
- Rubber Duckie Knights. (Seriously, the one I picked up - jousting on a little inflatable horsie - is so darling that I'm not sure that I'll be able to give it to M. However, it almost immediately popped off the card it was attached to, so it fails as advertising.
- Lip Gloss. Not only am I a bit wary of smearing something from a murder convention on my lips, the tube is so small that it's very hard to read the title and impossible to read the author.
- The stuffed puppy toy, the pen with the homicide outline topper, and the magnets. Individually, darling. Collectively, I realized they were all for the same book and instantly felt it must be a dog if the publisher has to work *that* hard.
- The 6-inch ruler with a website on it. Yeah, I need rulers, but I'm not tempted to check out the site.
- The Post-it pad with only an author's name on it.
Tempting... by which, I mean I picked up the thingie, understand what it is for, and will keep it for a while. I may or may not get the book, but I'll always see the advertising.
- The bookmark with a pretty picture of a cat sleeping on a book
- The bookmarks with recipes on the back
- The Post-it "Things Accomplished" lined pad with website and series name on it
- The publisher's doorknob hanger with the current lineup on one side and on the other "Back Soon. They asked me to solve a crime. AGAIN."
To be brutally honest, the only things that I picked up that have inspired me to run right out and actually get a book are the ones that have download codes on them - one handed to me by the author, one from Starbucks.
No, what inspires me to pick up books are the authors.
BOOKS
Every Media West, there'd be that vid that introduced me to a song and I'd run right out and buy it. Every Malice, there's one author I've never heard of who charms me into her stuff due to a reading/description at a panel. This year there were 2.5 of them.
1) Sarah R. Shaber has started a WWII homefront series; at the "Things We've Done for Research" panel, when they were asking the audience to vote on whether a reading was due to research, personal experience, or total fiction, Shaber read a section about a woman being hauled off to be forcibly checked for VD. ("It's not meant to be funny," she told the giggling room.) The immediacy of the scene made me go buy Louise's War & Louise's Gamble, which I then had signed.
2) I wouldn't have touched this on my own, but when it was discussed in the Paranormal panel, it was made to sound so much fun that I scooted out and picked it up: Lennifer Harlow's Mind Over Monsters in which a new FBI agent gets put in the Federal Response to Extra-sensory And Kindred Supernaturals squad. (Work out the acronym.) Before she was sent to battle a zombie uprising, the character had been a 4th grade teacher. The general consensus of the panel was that 4th graders to zombie fighting was "not a big stretch." Alas, I missed the signing to buy the book, so now I'm slightly stalking Harlow in hopes of getting an extemporaneous autograph.
.5) Bailey Cates was also on the paranormal panel, but I didn't have to buy the kickoff to her new series because it was in my tote bag. A good find too - it has *not* shown up in any of the informal swaps.
In handouts, Charles Todd was signing copies of A Duty to the Dead; the intent was that giving away book #1 of the series would pull in people to buy 2 through the just released 4. And when I said that I couldn't find a copy of Writers Gone Wild, a very kind person gave me his, which only goes to show that
I bought more cozies than I thought I would have a taste for (and I may prove myself right), even though I went to the con promising myself that I'd only get Holmes books. And to be honest, I've done that too:
- All issues of The Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine
- The Pirate King (Laurie R King; Holmes, Mary, & Gilbert & Sullivan)
- Michael Dirda's On Conan Doyle
- Sherlock Holmes in America
- Murder in Baker Street
- A Study in Sherlock
In addition to the handout of Mystery Magazine 123 with a Holmes pastiche story, a set of magnetic bookmarks that includes the covers of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Hound of the Baskervilles, and the fact that my first subscription issue of the Baker Street Journal arrived at my house.
At the big afternoon booksigning, I went first to Claudia Bishop, aka Mary Stanton and gushed all over her about the Beaufort & Co Angelic Investigations series. (Very interesting things happen in the latest. She's really developing the universe.) It is one of the most unique things out there, and I was wibbling about how it made such a change from the "cute, cuddly, over-sweet cozy" before I realized that I was talking to Claudia frikkin' Bishop and that, like everyone else who belatedly blurts "no offense!", I'd just been offensive. (But honestly, reading all those sweet cozies for RtE gave me diabetes of the soul.) Fortunately, she took it in stride, and then she wrote my name down and raved over it, because she liked it and she needed a name for her next book. I told her I'd be thrilled, although I could imagine that after *that* bout of foot-in-mouth, the character named after me will come to a very sticky end! But she still signed Avenging Angels "To Linnea with the lovely name."
This is getting way too long again, so I'll stop. However, I have been taking notes at all the panels I attend and at some point there will be a quote list/panel description. I'm assuming that y'all want to see that.