Sunday, May 12, 2013

Meeting an Author

I worked at a craft fair yesterday, and to my great fortune, my "neighbor" was a romance author.

Margo Hansen is writing a Christian Fiction Romance series set in the late 1800's American west. The heroine in each of her five (so far)  Newly Wed books has joined up with a wagon train of mail order brides.

By mid-afternoon, the number of shoppers had dwindled to a few browsers, so I started to read Sky's Bridal Train. Margo told me she'd written this story for herself, and then her children insisted she try to get it published. Tate Publishing, a small Christian press in Oklahoma, accepted it. And I can see why--it is really good!

Margo's "Meet the Author" book-signing booth was tasteful and inviting: stacks of books, a one-page B&W handout listing her five titles and blurbs, a doll-house log cabin to draw names for a free-book. The niftiest promo item she had was one I'd not seen before: a banner that raised up out of a holder that rested on the floor and was held up by a six-foot tall arm. It was like a narrow upside-down screen for home movies or slides.  The banner displayed each of her covers with lovely feminine colors--very professional and eye-catching.

I'm gonna get me one of those banners some day. And I will invite her to be a Friday Friend.

8 comments:

  1. Love the idea of the banner, and look forward to 'meeting' Margo as one of our Friday Friends.

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  2. Ana...what fun! That sounds like a unique promo idea.

    I can't wait to see a picture of yours!

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  3. Margo's website was down this morning. I'll keep trying. She'd be a good guest.

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  4. I saw that kind of banner at the last book festival I went to and loved it! Especially on a windy day, when all your other things fall over (hmmm, not that that ever happens to me... :) ).

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  5. I'll google it. It was really a neat device.

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  6. The guy next to me got his through www.bannersforless.com. However, they're pretty expensive and my issue is what do you do when you write another book?

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  7. That thought occurred to me too, Jen. I made a lot promotion stuff when I did a book signing last November, but of course it's all became out of date when my next book came out in February!

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  8. She had all five books on her banner, and it looked pretty and full. Maybe money is not an issue for her.

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