When my book Legends
and Lore of Cape Cod officially came out on May 23, I had a full
schedule of events from book signings, talks and readings lined up.
The last two months have been busy ones. In the months leading up to
my pub date, my History Press rep, Mercedes, e-mailed me daily with
invites to book signings at local bookstores and talks at local
libraries. The only problem was that as the author of two poetry
books, I had only done a handful of signings and had never given a
talk about my newly published book. I was in panic mode!
As a poet, I have
taken part in many readings. These range from open mics where the
poet is limited to one poem or five minutes. Other times, I have
participated as part of a group and usually given more time to read.
Sometimes there is a theme. When our Steeple Street poets went to
Salem in the spring of 2015 to attend the Massachusetts Poetry
Festival, our poems were chosen to explore the theme of a “sense of
place.” Sometimes I have been the featured poet and given fifteen
minutes to read my poems. My favorite reading was the book launch for
my first book, Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter. I read
poems from my book and also heard from fellow poets who read a
favorite poem they had chosen from my book. It was a wonderful
experience!
Now I am doing
something that is quite different – giving talks about my book of
historical non-fiction. My first talk was scheduled for May 31 at the
Osterville Library. To prep for this event, I attended a talk by
fellow writer Barbara Eppich Struna, author of The Old Cape House.
She gave a power point presentation with photos and text that related
to her research of a famous pirate, “Black Sam” Bellamy, the
famed captain of the doomed ship Whydah. She seemed very comfortable
at the podium and I was impressed with her talk. However, I was going
to have to wing my talk as I didn't have a visual component to my
event.
On the afternoon of
my talk, I dressed in what I hoped were stylish but comfortable
clothes. My husband came to give me moral support and my
sister-in-law, Karen, showed up, too. A fellow poet, Judy Askew, also
was in attendance. It helped to have some familiar faces in the
audience. I had decided to break my talk into several parts. First, I
would give colorful anecdotes from my childhood growing up in an old
house in East Orleans to show my early interest in Cape Cod history.
Next, I would talk about my years working as the newsroom librarian
at the Cape Cod Times and starting my Cape history blog, “Cape
Rewind.” I also wanted to cover the months of research and writing
my book and some of the pitfalls of publishing. For example, the
manuscript I initially submitted was too short and I had to add
19,000 words. The finished text was much richer for adding new
material. I would end with a Q & A session.
I had some stage
fright as I approached the podium. My years of teaching helped calm
my nerves since I am used to getting up to speak in front of a
classroom. I had brought old newspapers that covered big events: the
assassination of John F. Kennedy, coverage of Hurricane Bob, etc. My
husband later told me these were distracting to my talk, so I didn't
bring them with me for later talks. The talk was very well received
and I even sold a few books. All in all, it was a good time.
Book signings are a
whole different experience. It is important to arrive early and make
contact with the bookstore owner or manager. I bring promotional
materials: bookmarks, business cards and postcards featuring my
book's cover to catch the public's interest as they walk by my table.
When I gave a signing at Titcomb's Books in Sandwich, I discovered
that I was expected to give a talk as well as sign my books. There
was a mob of people in the store, so I was encouraged by all the
interest. I was also the invited author guest for a local book club
in Chatham. The members had all read my book and peppered me with
questions. The meeting took place in a large house overlooking
Harding's Beach. It was heavenly to sip wine, talk about my book and
take in the beautiful view. The dinner party consisted of foods
inspired by Cape Cod: stuffed clams, clam pie, clam chowder finished
by strawberry-rhubarb pie.
I guess my
take-away is to be flexible. Every event is different and the writer
has to adapt to each unique situation. In the coming weeks, I
will be giving talks at the Hyannis Library and the Orleans
Historical Society, as well as signings at Eight Cousins and Market
Street Books in Mashpee. I will bring a good pen, a willing heart,
and a smile. As Judy Blume said, “I meet people on the street or at
book signings and they tend to treat me as if they know me, as if
we're connected. It's great.”
