Alex Rosa's Blog - Posts Tagged "exhibit"

A few months back my editor, Dani, had tweeted me a link about the Annual Local Authors Exhibit that happens at the downtown (New Central) San Diego Public Library. Signing up was free and you get to have your book on display for the whole month of February. Then the day before the exhibits debut a private reception for the author’s being displayed. To say I was jazzed by the opportunity and invite is an understatement.

As thrilled as I was to go, it wasn’t what I expected, but an impressive gathering none the less. The San Diego Public Library is shiny, bright, and brand new. A large dome sits atop the building, looming over you, and it was dazzling to look at in the evening. I made a note to myself as I walked to check-in to put coming back here on my do-it-as-soon-as-possible list.

I knew the invitee list had over 300+ attendees, but when I strolled precariously in my black heels, it in fact did look like a lot of people, and my social butterfly wings fluttered nervously, seeing as I went by myself. I had to nervously remind myself why I was there, among other things. Networking, Networking, uuuhhh, how do I do that again?

I trekked on to the semi-outdoor auditorium where there was some opening comments and speeches from Library Director, Deborah Barrow, and the keynote speaker, Mel Katz of the Library Foundation. I had to stand in the back because it was a packed house, which I had no problem with. My favorite part was when Mel Katz highlighted some major recognition/awards received by local authors. I wish I could have remembered their names. I should have brought a pen and paper, really.

After the speeches were done all authors gathered in the reception area where food and drinks were served. The line was fairly long, so I didn’t get any food. I was anxious being by myself, and the idea of sitting in a corner like a loner eating was not appealing, but I regret not munching on the divine cheeses they had. I instead ogled tables where people chatted.

Also, there was an awesome live band playing in the food/schmooze area that offered a really wonderful ambiance.

For being somewhat of a networking event, it seemed for the most part people kept to who they knew, and also who they brought.

The exhibit was awesome. Glass display cases lined the center of the room, and along the perimeter, containing all of the books. It was delightful to see what genres were displayed. I thought I would see a fair amount of romance, seeing as that is one of the most popular genres in the literary market, but no. I actually saw only a handful. I noticed a lot of young adult, maybe some woman’s general fiction, and memoirs.

My favorite section was the children’s books. Only because majority of the books were actually written by kids! Ages from 9-14 gathered around tall glass cases with their parents, capturing their precious moment on camera. It was awesome. I thought I was a big shot publishing at 25, Hell, that kid published at 8!

They had a travel book section too, which was pretty fantastic. Most were about local areas around town, but others were vast. I personally appreciated quite a few on desert regions like Borrego Springs. Ok, I’m a bio nerd at heart, and I gotta rep my deserts. You don’t work for a conservation organization for 5 years and not come out a bit hippie.

So, being that this was my first time ever attending this event I can tell you that there are some things I would do very differently in hindsight, and also things I would do the same, for sure. Next year I will own this event. Here are the things I would try to avoid, or look into your self if you run into the same type of event, and take note:

1. Maybe I will be alone in this, but don’t go alone. It felt like a brilliant idea at the time. I had friend I originally invited, and when I explained the event they were less than enthused to go. This is when I thought maybe going by myself would be best considering if you aren’t involved in the writing world, you won’t understand or enjoy being around it, especially in a networking event. I mean, I thought my friend would hate to hang out while I schmoozed and tried to find another writing partner in crime. Alas, I was wrong. I was nervous, and having someone there would have eased my nerves, and they most likely (or hopefully) would motivate me to be social. I am a naturally bubbly, outgoing person, and I still bombed. Not to mention, also the average age of the attendees were over 40. So, even if I might have day-dreamed of arriving solo, and meeting a cute 20-something writer taking selfies next to his epic dystopian novel, it was far from ever happening. Le sigh.

2. Send in your actual paperback. Confused? Right, I should explain. When I registered for the event they requested my cover image, and an eBook copy first of the book, and offered a paperback as an optional element to mail in. Being a self-published author, we deal in eBook currency it feels, I e-mailed my eBook. This was a mistake. When I arrived to the event, all these authors gathered around their books, taking pictures, and I couldn’t because I had no book to visit. This is what really affected my ability to be social. How was I supposed to interact with authors when I had nothing to physically show being an author. I was super bummed. Don’t get me wrong, I met a few people, and they were nice, but mostly they were all in very different genres than me. Long story short, it also would have been super cool to take pictures with my book among other local authors, but I guess it was nice to see my name in the program, too. Seriously. At least I got that.

3. Get to the event early. I work in a north, costal beach town up the 5 freeway. I knew there was going to be a lot traffic on a Friday night heading into downtown, but I did not anticipate it taking me almost an hour and a half to get there. I was embarrassed that I was almost 30 minutes late, but lucky for me, a lot of people were arriving then too. However, I don’t think I’d want be part of that crowd by choice.

4. Bring a business card. I did. Ok, how many times have I admitted that my bubbly self is incredibly embarrassed by her “fight or flight” reaction to social interaction? You get the picture. But I did have a stack of business cards in my purse with my author info/links, while also listing/advertising my book touring company “WanderLust Book Tours”. This may be cowardly to admit, and (I guess) I am a bit shamed by the following confession, but among the glass cases and towering displays, a few authors would leave bookmarks or business cards. So … *sigh* I did the same, plopping mini stacks of my cards among others, hoping in a perfect world, an author might snag it and use me in the future. –Not so far fetched, I think. Regardless, I still appreciated the ability to leave my cards.

Overall, it was a fantastic event. It was wonderful to see all the talent coming out of San Diego. I might not have been extremely social, or even a little bit, but I most definitely did my fair share of people watching and eavesdropping, and I’d like to say that there is such a wonderfully dynamic pool of authors coming out of this city, and I am proud to be one of them.

Side note, did I mention the epic purchase I made as a sad gift to myself for being awesome? The SD Public Library had a gift store with the coolest, hipster-esque, book/writer paraphernalia I had ever physically witnessed, and not on an online store. Ya know what I found? The actual Etsy literary scarf from Storiarts! I had dreamed of owning the Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice scarf I had seen on their online store, but unfortunately my options were limited. My choices were: Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (white), Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (white), Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (white), and The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. It was tough to choose actually, but I knew my dark heart was set on Poe. (Which one would you have chose?) So I purchased it! For a pretty penny too, at $52, which was a $10 mark-up from what I would have paid if I bought it online, but I guess I didn’t have to wait for it to be mailed to me. Regardless, I am in love with it. I also consider it a bit of a memento of the evening.

Are you a writer? You should check to see if your major cities public library has a local author event! Normally, the reasons these occasions exist is to highlight an authors hard work, and your city taking pride in it. These events are normally free for you, and registration fairly simple. Don’t miss an excellent opportunity to meet more of your kind, we are a rare breed.

Laters<3


Sincerely with the biggest, nerd-girl grin on my face,