5/27/14

Armchair BEA--interacting with authors

Twice I have sat at the feet (once literally, once on a chair) of Megan Whalen Turner (author of the Queen's Thief series), and it was great fun, but that was not because of blogging....But through blogging there have been a number of authors I've gotten to know as friends in real life, and as friends on-line.

My first author friend met through blogging was Tanita Davis, and I embarrassed myself a little when we first met in person.  Tanita has been blogging at Finding Wonderland for many years, and we'd become friendly on line.  So much so that when her travel plans grew complicated with regard to the ALA meeting where she was receiving the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for her lovely Mare's War, I invited her to come stay with me at my mother's house for a few days. 

The first time we met face to face was during her ALA signing at her publisher's booth.  And it was so lovely to actually meet her that (this is where I blush) that I became so chatty that one of the booth staffers asked if I wanted a chair next to her, and I realized (better late than never) that monopolizing an author's attention with personal chat during a signing was not exactly what I should be doing. (Sorry, Alfred A. Knopf).   But the visit afterwards was a lovely thing, which just goes to show that inviting strangers from the internet to your mother's house can be a good idea.

Through trips to Kidlitcons over the years I've also had the chance to meet many lovely authors in person, and because of the social setting, as people rather than Authors.  Like Sarah Stevenson (Tanita's blogging partner at Finding Wonderland, who has a new book coming next month--The Truth Against the World), who was my room-mate last year in Austin.  (This year's Kidlitcon will take place in Sacramento in October--come!)

And like so many bloggers, I have authors with whom I'm twitter friendly, who I'd love to meet in real life some day.   But not many, because I don't actually want to Try to be friends with authors--it's nicer to be friends with people (who may be authors!).    That being said, my eleven-year-old was very chuffed when Sage Blackwood (@urwalader) sent him birthday greetings on twitter (thanks, Sage!).

The uncomfortable side of being friends, or friendly, with authors is that sometimes one might read their books and might not be able to write glowing reviews.  

Possible solutions (that are utterly obvious):

--be friends only with authors whose every work is a thing of joy and a beauty for ever (or you could be friends with authors who are so wildly successful that it doesn't matter if you review their book or not, and you can just send a congratulatory email/card).

--be friends with authors who are able to recognize that not every book is for every reader.  If you are going to write a review saying (with tact and grace) that the book didn't work for you, say who you think it will work for.

--write a congratulatory blog post when a friend's book comes out, rather than a review.

And of course, if you are friends with an author, a disclaimer at the end is a good thing. 

(ps:  Kristin Cashore was once my blogger Secret Santa and sent me cookies she made herself!  I still have the tins --plural!  They were very good cookies).

23 comments:

  1. I like that congratulatory blog post idea! Good thinking. That takes some of the pressure off.

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  2. Great advice for bloggers that are friends with authors. =)

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  3. Cookies from Kristin Cashore?!? Jealous! I love your other stories, and suggestions. I haven't had much time to have author encounters as a blogger, but you can see my most treasured letter from Robin McKinley here 

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  4. Aww, I love that even your kids are getting in on the author Twitter love!

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  5. You just had to go and mention MWT first thing. Way to make me jealous, Charlotte.

    Yeah, the downside of being friendly with some authors is when they write a book you don't love. I usually skip writing a review when that happens because I don't want to hurt their feelings.

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    1. Someday, Chachic, someday you will get your chance!!!!

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  6. Very good advice. I think that's every blogger's worst nightmare. And how fun! I would've kept the tins too ;)

    Jessica @ Rabid Reads

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    1. they are nice tins. One is red and one is gold.

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  7. (bwahahahaha! I had no idea they offered you a chair, Charlotte. That's hilarious. You could have taken mine; God knows I was LONGING to get up and flee. I was so grateful you were there; signing is like... sitting in a desert, watching vultures circle your location, and knowing they could come down and rip the flesh from your bones at any time.)

    That "Oh, dear, I don't like this one," thing is even worse when it happens to a writer who has read some of someone's book before it was pubbed. What do you do?? You say, "Congratulations!" and "Good luck!" and you do a lot of balloons and confetti and definitely let OTHERS review it. I have found more than once that other people simply like things more than I do - different things. I find that intriguing.

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    1. I think the staffer might even have directed her words to you-- "Should we get her a chair?" is how I remember it......................but I 'm glad to have provided such support as I was capable of.

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  8. I'm sure Alfred A. Knopf didn't mind! (He was very nice when I went nutty about Markus Zusak's Underdog books in front of him.)

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    1. Wait, that was Arthur A. Levine.

      Why does anyone let me out of the house??

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    2. I just went and checked--the actual Alfred died in 1984....he sounds like he might have been somewhat fierce! Where as Arthur A. Levine sounds like someone one would like to meet!

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  9. Love it! I have some great author "friends" on Twitter & Facebook, but I've never met them in person. I've had a few opportunities, many, in fact, but I usually bail out because I know how nervous & self-conscious I get. This is a little bizarre, because I'm not really nervous in any other context (I'm a good public speaker, I'm a teacher, so I'm in front of people all day long....I dunno what it is!). I think it's part meeting people from the internet that weirds me, and partly a "what if they're really sucky people in real life and I start to hate their books because of it!?" kinda thing.

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    1. I feel the same way, even though like you I do lots of public speaking and speak to strangers all the time with no nerves. I think you are right that is a matter of caring so much more when meeting on line people!

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  10. You do bring up a good point. It is not easy to write a review for a book if the author is your friend and the book didn't blow you away. That has to be done so delicately.

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  11. Great advice! I really don't pay attention to authors - which is very unbloggerlike of me I know. There are a few that I follow from afar like Neil Gaiman, and recently Maggie Stiefvater is being pseudo-stalked by me. :)

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  12. BIRTHDAY WISHES FROM BLOGGERS ARE THE BEST! I'm friends with a ton of authors on twitter and I've even met a few in person! <3

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  13. Nice, I would definitely keep those cookie tins too. :)

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  14. I love your story about meeting Tanita Davis -- glad that it worked so well!

    Excellent solutions to the author turned friend problem. I like the last one in particular -- I'm going to remember that.

    Joy's Book Blog

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  15. That is so cool about Kristin Cashore!

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