It’s summer, time for annual community yard sales. If you are familiar with my Eve Apple mysteries you know I created a protagonist who is as passionate about used items as I am. Eve is the owner of a consignment shop but likes solving murders almost as much as she likes selling used merchandise. Yesterday we attended a nearby community yard sale event. Not only was I delighted to be there, but I was surprised to see that at one of the residences selling items there was a display of books on a table. It looked familiar, like the way I displayed my books in the past at the yard sales held in my own community, so I picked up one of the books to look at it. A woman approached and told me she was the author. I replied that I was also a writer. I thought I’d stumbled onto a great opportunity to connect with another author in a community near mine. Here’s the resulting conversation:

In reply to my announcing I also wrote, she said, “Oh.”

So, I tried to get the ball rolling by saying I wrote mysteries.

She: “These aren’t mysteries. They are romances.”

Me, smiling: “Who is your publisher?”

She: “Big name Publisher (she named the publisher), but I also self-publish.”

Me, nodding, about to agree with her.

She, looking away from me and about to leave the display, turned back and said: “However, I made $150,000 last year from self-publishing and only $40,000 from–here she named her big-name publisher— (I think my mouth dropped open at this information). But I’m not stupid. I’ve left the door open with said publisher because you never know when Amazon will reduce what authors earn with them.”

Me, nodding: “Uh, huh.”

She: “I write military stuff that is contemporary, and I need to get it out immediately. Big publisher takes two years, and I can do it in two months.”

Me: “Yes, that’s…”

She: “My books are hot steamy romance.”

Me: “Great.”

She, turns from me, moves to the side and looks in the other direction. I had been dismissed.

I would have asked her other questions, but her comments and body language made it clear she wasn’t interested in having a conversation with me.

I smiled and departed. I felt deflated that I couldn’t get her to engage with me. She never asked me a question or seemed at all interested in anything I might have to say. I think she quickly ascertained I wasn’t going to buy a book from her, but she didn’t seem interested in selling me one either. For an author selling as radically well as she did, I was shocked at her lack of professionalism. Did she really sell that well?

Perhaps telling her that I also was a writer made her feel competitive. She didn’t ask me any questions, and she seemed uninterested in me as one of her own. Authors read also. I might have considered a book if she had talked about her books rather than her earnings. If she was honest about what she made, then she didn’t need me to buy one of her books. Okay. I know that’s sour grapes on my part because she wasn’t friendlier.

Not all writers are so abrasive and self-oriented. Most of us understand the business and welcome the opportunity to smooze with other writers.

Looking back on yesterday, I feel a little sad that I couldn’t have even a short conversation about writing with her. I’ve certainly been able to chat briefly with other writers at local events. Sure, we wrote in different subgenres, but so do the people in the local writing group, yet we all feel writers should support one another.

I hope I will be able to attend more events associated with writing. I like being with other writers and I particularly like talking with readers. I wish the author I met yesterday yet another year of selling so well. I don’t know how she’s “keeping the door open with big publisher,” but kudos if she is. A bit of snarky advice from me to her: sell via the internet and not in person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may have difficulty seeing both Marley and the chipmunk in this picture, but Marley sits at the door each day just to look out at the chipmunk. Here’s the moral of these pictures: They are pals although they don’t write in the same subgenre!

Share your stories of how other writers have supported one another.