Have You Tried Read Dating?

You’ve probably heard about speed dating, but have you heard of read dating? This week I took part in my first read dating event, which was designed to bring authors and librarians together to learn more about one another. Here’s how it worked:

With approximately thirty authors and thirty librarians in attendance, ten tables were arranged in a room at the Vancouver Public Library. Tables were genre specific and accommodated two to four authors. Two or three librarians would visit each table for ten minutes, and during that time authors would talk about their genres and pitch their books. Librarians would ask questions and, if they chose, jot down notes in the pamphlets provided. When the moderator rang the bell, librarians would move to the next table.

As an author, this provided a wonderful opportunity to let librarians know that I exist, and to reacquaint myself with librarians I hadn’t seen in awhile. At the halfway point, we had a much needed fifteen minute break to enjoy food and refreshments. The event was two and a half hours long, and after pitching my books ten times, I was pretty tired by the end of the evening. Each librarian went home with a goodie bag containing books, postcards, bookmarks, and other things.

Since this was an inaugural event, there were a few things that might be changed if it’s held again next year. One of the most important would be limiting each table to three authors. With only ten minutes to speak, some people didn’t get the opportunity to pitch during the short session. Still, it was a fun evening and, if given the opportunity, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Getting to know your local librarians is one of the smartest things a writer can do.

THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, http://bit.ly/i983XE, book trailer http://youtu.be/ojgoDKSW_ck
FATAL ENCRYPTION, http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl
TAXED TO DEATH, http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n