This past weekend I ran into a couple of different artists selling their work.
The first time I was at (of all places) Walmart. There was a man in the parking lot, approaching different people with: “Hi there! Do you like hip-hop? You do? I’ve got something for you to listen to that I think you’re going to love.”
Yes, he was hawking his CDs in the parking lot of Walmart. I actually stopped what I was doing and watched him for a few minutes because he was so good at selling his work and so passionate about his music.
He knew his target audience. The people he approached were folks he’d sized up as they got out of their cars. He was smiling and enthusiastic and everyone looked like they were smiling back at him. (No, he didn’t approach me—I think he probably pegged me as someone who listens to lots of old ABBA songs.) :)
Then I ran into the second musician Saturday afternoon when I escaped to a coffee shop to get some writing done. I was surprised to see that a musician was setting up for a performance…it was only 4:00 in the afternoon and I think of coffeehouse music as a nighttime gig.
After I’d worked for a while on my laptop, he started playing some really interesting New Age music.
But, because his listeners were people who just happened to be getting coffee while he played, they weren’t exactly his ideal audience.
One guy actually kept his earbuds in and listened to his Ipod. There was an older man who looked irritated because he was trying to focus on his newspaper.
One member of his audience was a middle aged woman, completely absorbed in a pile of papers she’d brought in. And me. And, naturally, I was just in an agony for him because I’ve been at signings before and had similar turnout.
But he was fine. Oh, he appreciated the smattering of applause that I’d give him at the end of his songs (before I turned back to my writing…the whole point of why I was in the coffee shop to begin with), but he’d played those songs for himself. And if it was background music for the people who were there, then so be it.
To me, these two guys approached their music from two completely different places.
The first guy, in the Walmart parking lot, was just as enthusiastic as the second…just as passionate. But he was determined to get his music into listener’s hands so they could share his enthusiasm.
The second guy wanted to share his music, but in a very laid-back way. Really, he was doing it all for himself and if he could pull someone else in to enjoy it with him, then so be it.
I’m aiming for the middle of the road between the two.
I know who my target audience is. I read what they’re reading, based on bookstore sales. I write what I hope they’ll enjoy reading, based on what I know of the genre. To me this isn’t calculated…it’s my plan for sharing my writing with as many people as I can, and to continue working as a writer in the industry.
But the publishing world is a tough one. There are some quiet book signings. There are some mixed reviews and rough days. During those times, I’m—ultimately—pleasing myself with my writing. Have I tried my hardest? Done a good job? Have I told a good story? Am I proud of myself? That’s what gets you through rejections or hard reviews.
For me it’s a balancing act. I have to come up with a story that I’m excited about that I think will please people who read my genre.
Where is your focus when you write? How do you balance pleasing yourself and pleasing others (and, ultimately, producing marketable books)?
I think it’s smart to aim for the middle road. The thought of hawking my wares outside Wal-Mart makes my stomach do flip flops, but it may just work for him. On the other hand, while (like the coffee house guy) I write the first draft for me alone, I would enjoy some applause after all that hard work. So, when revising I keep my audience in mind…er, prospective audience, as I don’t actually have one yet :)
Elizabeth, Although, I love the thought of just writing whatever I feel like at the moment it’s not profitable. If a person wrote an adult mystery but sent it to a children’s market – it wouldn’t fly. We need to be mindful of our audience and research it.
Loved it.
T
Of course, the performing arts have a whole different perspective going on. Dealing with audience is a part of performance. For writers it’s a separate task, in some ways very different from.
Which is why it can be so instructive for us to watch these people. I remember staffing a leaflet table for college organizations at registration once. There was a whole slew of these tables, and most people just zipped past and ignored us.
But the spot for the performing arts club didn’t have a table. They had an aspiring actor who was hawking like mad “Free Shakesperean soliloquy, or a song on the recorder with every sign up!”
He not only was busy the whole time, but he was gaining SO much experience as a performer as he did that job.
Elizabeth – Thanks for sharing those stories. I love the passion that first guy exhibited. I think that kind of enthusiasm comes across in one’s writing, so I think it’s important for writers to be passionate about writing. Readers pick that up. That said, though, I also think it’s important to figure out who might be interested in one’s writing. It’s quite similar, in a way, to sharing a book with others (e.g. “Oh, I’ll bet _____ would love this book! I’ll tell her/him about it!” Once we figure out who might be interested in our writing, then we can do the marketing stuff.
I’m not brave enough to be the guy in the coffee shop – not yet anyway! Or the parking lot guy either.
Middle of the road works for me too :)
I would love to sell my novels and stories, but as you say, the publishing business is difficult, so it is very important for me that writing should ALSO be something I do because it makes me feel happy. I can support myself without it and will probably always have to work as a teacher, but I finished the draft of two flash stories yesterday, and I feel so much better on those days than in a week when I am not able to write a thing.
I was clueless about rules or conventions when I started writing, so I wrote the book I wanted to read. I still do–although maybe I’d have a better publication record if I tried to get closer to what’s selling. But I wouldn’t have my heart in it, and it would show.
Anyone who is passionate about his/ her work earns my respect. But I guess I am most like you- I would like to take the middle path.
Oh, Elizabeth, this is the 64-million dollar question. I am finding that I just need to write the things my heart and soul are pulling me to write and worry about the marketing later. That will not make me successful in any sense of that word, but I guess that will have to be okay with me.
Karen
I like your idea of aiming for the middle road. I want to write stories that move me and hopefully will move others too.
I’m still trying to find that balance.
I’m not sure which of those I might be – maybe neither. I like the idea of the guy in the parking lot and I’d like to have that much confidence in what I was selling. The fellow in the coffee shop – not so much. To play for a disinterested crowd chills me. With my mysteries, I am definitely writing with a reader in mind – a reader like me and my friends who like intelligent reads with a bit of a twist. With my other books, so-called ‘literary fiction’ I feel like my reader is somewhat different – in many ways much more demanding and I need to offer more – better writing perhaps though I think mystery readers demand that too. It is a slightly different crowd though and although it may include many of the same types or same people – I think of them differently. I do have to please myself ultimately and like the guy in the parking lot – get my confidence up enough to handle the business part of the writing life! Thanks for an interesting take.
The second situation sounds scary – I wouldn’t want to be that guy.
As I write my second book, I am more aware of the market than I was with the first.
I think the middle path is the wise choice but I know the day I have to start writing something I wasn’t passionate about would be the day I stopped writing.
CD
I’m pretty bold and always wanted to be like that first guy. (Although I’m sure at some point Walmart security came out and told him to leave.) But it’s a scary thing.
At booksignings, I’m a roamer. I keep an eye on my table, but I’m usually raoming the store and handing out bookmarks. I approach everyone, because experience has taught me that I can’t judge just who will be interested in my books. So I’m brave on that account.
Lorel–He looked pleasantly surprised at the applause. Which makes me think that we need to just not expect *any* applause, then we can be surprised at what we *do* get!
Teresa–I agree with you…if our *purpose* is to share it, we need to either tweak it during a second or third draft to target a particular audience, and then research the right place to send the work when it’s done.
The Daring Novelist–Oh definitely. Although I think the music industry has some common ground with publishing (the gatekeeping process is pretty strong for both, each has genres and specific audiences to target.) I’d say in music you’re *expected* to perform. In publishing, if you *do* perform (signings, conferences, etc.) then you probably do better with sales.
And that was a creative approach for that performer–he took a risk (of embarrassment or rejection) and it worked out for him.
Rayna–Me too. :)
Jan–And the guy in the parking lot wasn’t nervous a bit (or, if he was, it didn’t show.) He was just incredibly confident about his music and his ability. I really did envy him.
Alex–What got me was the guy who didn’t even take his headphones off. How rude! Ugh. I guess they didn’t ASK for the music, but still…
Clarissa–The passion for it definitely has to be there, or else it shines right through the text, I think.
Margot–And I think with a genre like mystery, we start out with a pretty good idea. There are so many conventions to the different subgenres that we autmoatically follow some of those rules. We’re not going to write books where the murderer gets away without being discovered…doesn’t fit the genre.
Diane–Yeah, I’m sure Walmart must have eventually gotten the guy out of there. Of course, he probably sold them a CD before he was kicked out! :)
Jemi–I’m not either! The signings are very like the coffee shop guy, but I usually have friends with me–I generate some publicity to people I think will come. Otherwise…
Dorte–I feel the same way–I’m so much more *happy* the days when I’ve written a lot of pages than the days when I’ve not written as much.
Terry–It’s tough. I think it’s definitely a balance between the two things. Fortunately for me, what I’m wanting to write and what people are wanting to read in that genre seem to mesh pretty well..as long as I keep an eye on it with that in mind.
Karen–I think that’s a good plan, Karen. We’ve all just got to get the suckers down on paper, first!
I go by the axiom, “Write what you would want to read” because that is the most honest tell it like it is writing coming from this authot. I think the genuineness of that kind of writing is more heartfelt and attracts readers who might not otherwise read the kind of genre-cross-over kinds of books I write.
But that’s me. If you are writing in a specific genre, you must keep that readerships’ tastes and tendencies in mind, sure.
Marvin D Wilson
I’m striving for that middle ground, too. I think at the start it needs to be for me, then a select few, and it grows. Not every piece, but my writing as a whole (or my music). Sometimes, I feel like I’m hawking my wares like the guy at Walmart, but that is not my usual comfort zone. Usually, I’m quietly sharing.
It is quite a balancing act. I have been thinking about this issue a lot lately. I definitely have to write to please myself first or I wouldn’t do it at all, and I hope there is an audience for that. But I do admit I think about the readers, too. I’m not sure yet how much I actually change based on the readers, yet.
Great contrast. I think the former type of person annoys me, but then I’m not the target anyway… I like the latter because then I can get a feel and decide for myself… the soft sell.
I think it reflects in my participation in the blogosphere–I write what I write, try to be inclusive, go out and comment… but I am NOT a person to do the heavier handed incentive stuff really. Just not comfortable in that role. It will be interesting to see how that translates when I have a book out there.
I’m thinking the guy in the coffee shop was more laid back because, perhaps, he was being paid to play music. The guy in the parking lot was more outgoing and aggressive because he had to in order to get paid. As writers, we have to be the guy in the parking lot.
Helen
Straight From Hel
I don’t believe it should be in the middle I believe it’s about having a dream and going after it with everything you have. Pushing ahead no matter what your doubts or perceived weaknesses. Ever one has doubts but you have to keep going.
This is just my opinion.
I wonder if Walmart knew someone was selling CDs on heir parking lot. Like you, I would like to find the perfect method for getting the word out, somewhere between the two you mentioned.
I tend to write the stories that pop in my head and hope that someone else might want to read them.
Paul–Pleasing ourselves and others is definitely the best of both worlds.
Kristen–It’s a hard one to find.
Marvin–Yes, being genuine really can’t be faked. If someone is just totally calculating and takes a sort of checklist and just makes sure their book hits all the stuff that bestsellers do…I think a reader will see right through it.
Mary–That’s right–you play, too! Quietly sharing works well for both music and books, I think.
Anne–I think that lately, I’ve thought more and more about the readers.
Hart–They usually don’t go after me, either. :) I think I look too distracted for people to come up and talk to. I’m with you–the soft sell works for me. I *will* ask people if they want a bookmark while I’m at a signing and if they’re just passing by–usually they take one and occasionally it results in a sale. But I’d have more of a problem saying, “Do you read mysteries?” to people in a bookstore, for sure.
Helen–He *could* have been paid to be there. But I kind of doubted it. It was a chain coffee house…I’m thinking they just allowed him to play there. But if they DID pay him–money definitely makes a difference.
Maribeth–Very true! Because if you’re not absolutely driven to write or driven to share it, then it would be very easy to let it go.
Jane–I’m pretty sure Walmart *didn’t* know that! He also mentioned to someone in the parking lot that he was trying to get Walmart to sell his music–talk about ambitious!
Thought-provoking post. I write the stories I would like to read. But then my requirements are stories that are well written and enthralling – not exactly unusual or uncommercial.
When I ghost, I take on projects only if I really relate to them and share the tastes of the readership. So they’re written from the heart too.
Dirty White Candy–I didn’t even think about ghost writing…you’re absolutely right. We can have the same amount of passion toward different projects–we just need to choose them wisely. Will they make US happy? Will they make readers happy?
Great post. I had to learn to be the guy in the parking lot – selling doesn’t come naturally to me, but I found that when I’m as passionate about something as I am about my book, it’s almost a natural progression to want to share it with the world – and I know just sitting behind a table at a book signing is not going to accomplish that. We’d all like to believe that “if we build it, they will come,” but I think it does take a little more than that.
However, there’s something to be said for the coffee shop guy who simply gets lost in his craft, displays it, and doesn’t seem to worry about how it is received.
I love this comparison. It brings to light the right way to market yourself and the wrong way in a way that’s easy to understand. I had one of those aha moments as I read it! I thought long and hard about each of the last four books I’ve written. I tried to get inside the mind of my audience and figure out what they wanted to read. Balancing that with what I wanted to write was the hard part. But it was worth the effort!
Despite all my time in retail, I prefer the soft sell approach. I’ve never liked having people push products at me, so I have a hard time trying to imitate them, even though some jobs practically made me do that. Bleagh.
But I have seen the difference between writers who just sit like a lump at a book signing and those who are vivacious and draw people to them without being pushy. The vivacious ones sell many copies even without the hard sell approach.
Jai Joshi is an amazing woman when it comes to book signings. She had one at my old bookstore on a Thursday (which we had never done, it was a fluke), and managed to sell all but 2 of the copies we’d ordered. My store manager was pleasantly surprised, since he wasn’t going to be able to send any back. (I got a pat on the back for both suggesting her and reminding him about her visit a month or so before the event. The books would never have been there otherwise.)
I want to be like Jai when it comes to signings. (And I love my signed copy of her book.) I guess I’m a middle of the road sort of person.