~ What Ev Wednesday ~

~Author Meet and Greet 2.0 ~

       

     How many of you have gone to an Author Meet and Greet?  The experience is quite unique for book lovers.  In fact if you don't love books, you will never understand the range of emotions fans undergo.  I've often heard people label book lovers as kooky for camping outside bookstores to get books signed or to buy the latest book in a series. But they're clueless!  Yes, you stand in line for hours and usually have to take a buddy to keep your spot (bodily functions are unavoidable), but it is so worth it!    You get to meet the person who took you on a voyage and gave you hours and days of entertainment.   You hardly ever see a person with a frown standing in line, they're all giddy with excitement!  All you hear in line is book chatter, author facts, title swaps, and  upcoming dates followed by laughter and huge grins!  The experience is tenfold when your happy energy is shared with a room full of people that love and appreciate the book also.  I will now label this as "Author Meet and Greet 1.0" because times are changing.   

      
    Many are wondering what I mean by this, well bookstores are now struggling to keep afloat in a cyber world.  Book lovers no longer have to physically walk into a bookstore to buy a book.  All they have to do is download their purchases onto their PCs or tablets.   It's had a drastic effect on the bookstore industry, you hear of closings every day.  Yesterday, I came across this great article by Julie Bosman and Mat Richtel in The New York Times titled Come Meet the Author, but Open Your Wallet.  Please read this article it's a sign of things to come.  Once I read it I knew I'd touched on today's subject. I thought it was a wonderful article.  To sum up the article, bookstores may charge admission for author appearances and make you buy a book at their store in the near future. Many ask to whom the admission will go to, the author or store?  Some authors are worried about those that can't afford the admission, but would love to meet their favorite authors.  There are many concerns as to who will benefit from these types of events.  Here's what I have to say to this..."What Ev!"  

Here's the skinny.....Book lovers love books, that pretty much sums it up!  Although many of us do buy ebooks, we love our hardcovers and paperbacks, that's not going to change.  We will travel across country if we have to in order to meet our favorite authors and have our books signed.  We will pay admissions at bookstores to gain entrance to book signings if we have to.  We will buy books from said stores if we have to. Many already save up all year to participate in BEA and in other book events.  We all want our favorite authors to do well.  Why?  Well,  duh, they can't work for free, and we need that next great read as only they can write it.  If we do have to pay admission for book signings in the future, so be it!  I'm labeling it  "Author Meet and Greet 2.0" 

 Authors are already super generous to their fans, they give out ARC's and swags all the time.  Many authors even have their own "get togethers" by way of invites, allowing fans to connect on a whole new level.  Others offer amazing giveaways on their websites, some even weekly.  If you would like to have books signed many authors allow you to mail them in and they then send them back.  It will most likely cost more to purchase a book or meet your favorite authors in the future.  Many authors are staying close to their homes nowadays and fans will have to head out their way to meet them, but when the product they offer us brings about so much enjoyment, fans will not be deterred.  The love we have for our books and authors has no price.

I see every book I purchase or am allowed to review as a gift that keeps on giving.  I have a monthly budget that I have to stick to, but I can always scrimp for a great book.  I'm sure many feel the same, so if I have to pay more to buy a book and meet an author,  so be it!   Authors highly appreciate their fans, and will always find a way to make them happy. 

*  This post was my opinion and views on the subject.