Sharing the Stage with 22 Authors

When I returned home from Indie Author Night last night, my husband said, “They should have broken in into two nights like the debates.” He had a point. I was one of 22 authors at the event. Dan, co-owner of Brick and Mortar Books, introduced each author, who then had two minutes to pitch their book(s). Although almost everyone respected the time limit, it still took over an hour to hear from all the authors. The store was packed to standing room only with guests, which was great, but some of them felt overwhelmed with all the choices, especially since some authors brought more than one book.

Between the placards with our names and the bookstore employee raising signs marked “one minute,” “30 seconds” and “stop” during our speeches, it did feel a bit as if we were on a debate stage. Unlike the Democratic debates, however, the authors did not respond to each other’s pitches. When an author who spoke after me mentioned palm oil in describing her children’s book set in a rain forest, I was tempted to say, “My book also discusses the environmental impact of palm oil. Did you know that only 20 percent of palm oil is sustainably produced?” But I kept my mouth shut.

I’m glad that I participated in Indie Author Night. When I started my pitch with the statement, “If you’re concerned about plastic waste and its effect on public health and the environment, you’re not alone” and saw so many people nodding in agreement, it reminded me that I have an important message to share. I enjoyed meeting other authors and the readers who bought Material Value and asked me to sign their copy. Some were buying it for themselves, and others planned to gift it to family members.

One visitor to my table, who said she doesn’t buy physical books, asked if Material Value were available as an audiobook, and I said, “not yet.” If you’re reading this and also wish that you could buy an audiobook version, I invite you to comment or send me a message. If you’re not already on my email list, please subscribe so that you’ll be the first to know when the audiobook comes out.