Grouchy Authors Not Welcome Here

I have the pleasure of attending numerous book fairs. In fact, I attended three such events just within the last three weeks. Here’s my rant for the day: It never ceases to amaze me how disagreeable and unapproachable some authors appear! At one of my recent events, I was tempted to grab my camera and take a few pictures to demonstrate the “don’ts” of author behavior; however, I must admit that it was the fear of a lawsuit kept me sane. Why do so many authors stack their books in neat piles on the table, and then sit behind the piles wearing deep frowns upon their faces? Their expressions say loud and clear, “Don’t you dare speak to me!” I recently witnessed one author who was reading a book (behind his stack), another one playing a game on his cell phone and another – in my opinion the worst one of all – typing away on his laptop. All this while supposedly introducing their books to the public. Is this really the image you wish to portray?

There are many books on body language and it might help if exhibiting authors (or for that matter, anyone who deals with people) took the time to read them. Uncross your arms, put down that book, put a smile on your face and open yourself up to people. You will be amazed at the results.

C’mon people, believe in your book. Believe in yourself. Believe in the power of a smile!

Thanks for listening to my rant! :)

Bobbie Hinman :)
http://bestfairybooks.com