Open forum invitation

[webmaster]

Well, we have our seed members and hopefully this forum will encourage
everyone to send constructive critique. Here are a few questions I
thought might start us off:

1. Is Imagicopter accomplishing what YOU thought it was meant to?

2. Is Imagicopter useful to you on a personal basis?

3. Are there too many Imagicopter events? Too few? Why?

4. What do you think of Imagicopter "piggy backing" on established
events?

5. What are your suggestions to improve Imagicopter events?

Over to you...

[DebraP]

1. I believe it has great potential.

2. (as above)

3. Well, I've been going nonstop to events and wearing myself out,
since Aug 22nd I've only had two Saturdays off from book events, but
on my calendar only two of the events were Imagicopter, so maybe I'm
not the best judge of this. I do think we need more readers attending
which is maybe a different issue. And it is incredibly time consuming
contacting stores to set up signings and putting an event in place.
I've had signings where it got press and lots of people showed up and
a signing where the store did nothing, not even a flier posted about
the event and the only people who came were people I invited. So
that's not a store I'd go back to when there are others in town, but
this is my first novel and I'm on a huge learning curve. I've been
pushing pretty hard and saying yes to everything which is probably why
I'm wearing myself out. Was thinking just the other day, I need to
work smarter not harder and get some down time once in a while.

4. Piggybacking on events is fine as long as the event staff doesn't
mind or the key author doesn't mind. I think it's cool everyone is
coming to Shadowcon and it doesn't take away from me in the least.
Now, if I were having a book launch party I'd want that all to myself,
but that is more an author celebration of each new release. More like
a birthday party I guess. But this is just the way I see it.

5. Well we need to get some press somehow. And I worked at a weekly
paper and know most press releases end up in the trash so I really
don't know how best to accomplish it.

Corey at Burkes posted that he was signing books at the midtown
festival this year. It brings in thousands to shop. We ought to be
there next year if he'll go for it.

There's a national poetry event coming to Memphis. Don't know much
about it, or how many poets we have in the group, but I just heard
last weekend at Ozark Creative Writers weekend that it is going to be
here.

As far as when we are at an event I think we'll get better at it as we
go. I know I need to practice reading because my nerves kick in and
my tone could be better. Also time them so they don't go over the
length allotted. Though I'm not entirely convinced that reading sells
books and wonder about it.

I've learned to give a quick blurb of what the book is about. If I
only get a few minutes to talk I want to be sure I'm not meandering.
I want to be sure they remember what my book is about if they forget
everything else I said.

For being a new group I think we're doing very well. And I'm enjoying
getting to know everyone.

[David]

I would like to know how we can attract more readers as well. I have
been sending press releases out to the local newspapers, TV stations,
and radio stations, as well as on Facebook. Not sure what else can be
done. Getting media attention is tough, and, as Debra says, the press
releases aren't always taken seriously enough.

The midtown festival sounds interesting. What exactly does that
entail? Any details?

Any other suggestions?

David