Armchair BEA: Day 2 – Author Interaction

Hi there and welcome to my second post for the 2014 Armchair BEA. Armchair BEA is an online event held annually held at the same time as Book Expo America in New York. It’s a chance for bloggers who can’t attend the event to participate in an online convention. I participated in 2012 and enjoyed the chance to meet other book bloggers from all around the world who I don’t normally get the chance to interact with. You can learn more about Armchair BEA by checking out the official website.

Each day there are a couple of different topics for participants to blog about which is a great way to mix things up and see what other people are talking about within the book blogging world.

Today’s topic: Author Interaction.

Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online. This is your opportunity to talk about your favorite author readings that you have attended. Or, you can feature your favorite author fan moment (i.e., an author sent you a tweet or commented on your blog). Maybe you even want to share how your interactions have changed since becoming a blogger or share your own tips that you have learned along the way when interacting with authors as a blogger. 

 

I love getting the chance to meet with authors. I’m not sure I ever come across as much more than a speechless fangirl but I enjoy meeting them nonetheless. I try to go to as many author signings and events as I can.

I find that meeting authors gives me a new appreciation of their work. There have been a few authors who I have little interest in their books but after hearing them talk about their characters and stories I have rushed out and bought their novels. I met Paula Weston at Literarti 2013 on the Gold Coast and before attending I’d never heard of her before. But that day saw me returning home with a signed copy of Shadows and I’ve been hooked on the series ever since. I would never have picked up a copy if I hadn’t seen her speak because I’m not a fan of series revolving around Angels but I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it out.

Since starting blogging I’ve interacted a lot more with authors online. Getting the chance to interview authors and ask them things I’ve been curious about after reading their books is something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. Also, I get a little starstruck when authors favourite, retweet or tweet me back.

I’m surprised at how open and friendly most authors I’ve interacted with have been. I understand that being cordial and pleasant is in their interest but I’ve found that so many authors go above and beyond. They seem genuinely interested in what I have to say and as someone who has loved their work – it means a lot.

There are the occasional stories I’ve read about where I see drama surrounding an author and their reactions to online reviews or certain nastiness but luckily I’ve not been directly involved in any situation like that and my interactions with authors have been of the positive variety.


I’d love to hear about your memorable interactions with authors. Have your experiences, like mine, been mostly positive or do you have some negative stories to tell? Do you have any tips or suggestions for bloggers/readers wanting to interact with authors? 

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13 Comments

  1. “but after hearing them talk about their characters and stories I have rushed out and bought their novels”

    I have done this as well. Sometimes I find that hearing the authors talk about their stories gets me more excited about a book than what the synopsis has to say.

  2. You know, right along the lines of what you said, I have tweeted with Julie Kagawa numerous times, and it amazes me how cool and down to earth she is. I love when authors remember that the fans are the ones reading their books. If an author is inaccessible, I seem to enjoy their books much less.

  3. I’ve never been directly involved in author nastiness either, so I can say my experiences have been AWESOME. I love authors! I love them online! lol! I’m just hopelessly shy, so I’m not really sad that I’ve never “met” an author for real. They’re kind of my heroes, so when they tweet me or come for an interview? I die of happiness just a little. x)

  4. It’s really great that you have discovered authors at a con! What an awesome way to be introduced to a new series!
    I would love to be able to go to more signings, but as far as I know, not many authors come for signings here in Switzerland.
    Thanks for stopping by earlier, Kate – I think you should really try the audiobook of Maybe Someday 😉

  5. I am hoping to go to ConFusion in January and get to met some authors there. Sadly when you live in a small city it really curtails the number of interactions you can have that are not through social media.

  6. “I’m surprised at how open and friendly most authors I’ve interacted with have been. I understand that being cordial and pleasant is in their interest but I’ve found that so many authors go above and beyond.”

    I’m one of those authors who loves to interact with my fans and reviewers. I love to see how my writing effects my readers. I’m always challenging my readers to view history from an angle they have rarely thought about before. I just want every side to be heard.

  7. I’ve done the same thing after hearing an author talk about their book. There were some that I never would have read until I heard them speak about it. Then I had to have it. It’s one of my favorite parts of multi-author panels at events.

  8. “There have been a few authors who I have little interest in their books but after hearing them talk about their characters and stories I have rushed out and bought their novels.”

    THIS. 🙂 Yes, I totally know what you mean. It can go both ways sometimes, but sometimes meeting an author and hearing them talk in general can make you want to experience some more of that vibe through their work. Great example to me is Darynda Jones. I’d never read her books and had only passing interest in them…but oh my wow, the woman is a firecracker, just beautiful and witty with a wicked sense of humor and the best potty mouth ever. At the time, I’d thought, “if her books are even a fraction as as amazing as this woman is, they will be something special.”

  9. I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by how often awesome authors are also awesome people. I’ve been surprised by how many of them can give a really funny talk too! I always have to have a question or a compliment prepared in advance of talking to an author or I get struck speechless myself 🙂

  10. Hallo, Hallo! 🙂

    *waves!* from the #ArmChairBEA Team4 #cheerREADERS! 🙂 I was just commenting on another blog that the way in which I interact with authors in the twitterverse or through the book blogosphere is simply to be myself. Remain vulnerable to share a few personal bits of my life, and remain open-minded. I do approach writing tweets as a ‘conversation in-progress’ because of the shortness of a tweet! Organically I have found convos on Twitter to take shape without worrying too much about formality or the regular way in which a conversation starts to evolve!

    The best way to get to know the authors you are enjoying reading is finding out where they like to hang out online! A lot of the ones on Twitter attend weekly chats or they tweet on either a schedule or on a frequency. You can always just strike up a conversation with them if you read a book of theirs that you truly loved! I am getting in better habit of tweeting them after I read their books on blog tours, as much as I remember to tweet the review as it posts out & to the publisher as well. I had not realised to tweet publishers until a month or so ago!? The most obvious things I forget to notice!

    I have had a lot of positive experiences myself with authors IRL, and one thing that I find they all have in common is that they love to hear about our life & world! They are happy conversationalists who like to breathe in a bit of your life whilst you are getting to know them a bit more yourself. I think if you are open with them, they are going to be receptive in kind.

    I am happy to see everyone enjoying authors & live events! Makes my heart fill full tonight!

    Jorie’s
    #ArmChairBEA Intro

  11. I don’t think readers should be afraid to approach authors, just be aware if the contact is online, that we do have deadlines and are human beings too with lives and other responsibilities on top of writing, so have a little patience awaiting a reply and don’t jump to the assumption your email is not appreciated or being ignored. I’m just a person, and a rather shy one I admit, but I’m always happy to respond to readers as long as things remain polite; I’ve had some bad experiences with readers who have taken their dislike of my work to a personal level, I also once had a problem with an overzealous fan, so I’m always wary of that, but most of the people who have written to me have been wonderful. The readers are the ones who allow me to pursue my passion, and I never forget or take that for granted, and I’m always grateful to the book bloggers who help bring my books to readers’ attention; after all, there are so many books out there for them to choose from. I always regard it as a great kindness whenever someone takes the time to tell me they enjoyed my book, I know they don’t have to do that, or is curious enough to ask a question, and I’ve sometimes been very touched by stories they’ve shared with me about how my work has affected them, particularly breast cancer survivors responding to the plight of Amy Robsart Dudley in “The Queen’s Pleasure.”

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