Comments on: Last Night’s Event

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:12:23 +0000

Alas I did not get to see any of y’all either…. and all of my favorite authors side-by-side! please come to fort worth some time, okay? I did not get to see you in Austin because you were too far away… help me! End this fantasy of you and Scott and Suzanne here! Please come, We need more authors visiting your poor little town….

By: Alyce

Alyce — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:00:06 +0000

I’m always in two minds when I read about author appearances because they always sound like fun but they are so rare in Australia that there is basically zero chance of actually attending. I wonder if this is a purely logistical problem due to our small population or is the interest level just not there?

I know you have mentioned major events like the festival in Melbourne earlier this year (with the way Melbourne trades on being the ‘intellectual capital’ of Australia its almost a requirement) but local readings in libraries and bookshops never seem to happen, especially outside Melbourne (and Sydney to a degree) even with local authors.

By: Heather Z.

Heather Z. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:38:02 +0000

Your second footnote is the best. I wish I had heard about this. That lineup is about as awesome as you can get. Were you the one wearing the really hot boots? (I read that on another blog).

By: sonia

sonia — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:58:11 +0000

hi Justine,
had the great pleasure of being at Scott, Holly, and Cassandra’s signing last week in Toronto. Never really been to an event with multiple authours before and it was really great.
Having more than one authour there was actually very enlightening as each one plays off the other and since all are writing a similar type of novel (YA) it makes it even more interesting to see their different views.

hope you make it out here too sometime for ‘Liar’

By: Faye

Faye — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:15:22 +0000

Hi Justine,

I agree with you whole-heartedly, the Books of Wonder event was FABULOUS. I’m actually in the first picture that you took – Asian girl on the left, with the fringe and headscarf. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you personally, but I loved hearing you speak and will definitely look out for Liar. Author events are my favourite fan-events to attend – you all are so thoughtful and creative and funny

Faye

By: Becca

Becca — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:12:09 +0000

I would always, always rather do a group signing/event than a single. It is loads more fun to feed off the energy of other authors (and the odds go up of actual *people* showing up when there are three authors working an event!)

By: More On Baseball, This Time With Feminism | Rebecca Allen

More On Baseball, This Time With Feminism | Rebecca Allen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:34:46 +0000

[...] still buzzing. But I’ve been busy with work, that novel I’m perpetually working on, and meeting some of my favorite authors. And I’m not that sort of blogger. [...]

By: Justine

Justine — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:58:10 +0000

Jo: It definitely makes more sense but logistically it’s a lot harder. I know my publisher tried to tour me with other authors but it did not work out.

And, yes, it’s much more fun for us writers.

Abby: I’m trying to imagine all our various different publishers being able to organise a massive tour with all those different authors. I can’t imagine it happening.

But quite a few diff YA publishers have started sending out their authors together. Simon & Schuster sent Scott out with Sarah Rees Brennan and Robin Wasserman. And this (northern) summer Harper Collins sent a bunch of their fantasy writers out on the road together.

So I’m hoping that shared tours will become more and more common.

wandering-dream: Hope you like your first author event when it happens!

Rebecca: There was an astonishing number of people wasn’t there? I think the last person went home after 9PM. It was quarter to ten by the time we left.

Rebecca (allreb): Yeah, plus there were people who didn’t get a ticket.

You’re right multiple author events really are an awesome way to introduce readers to other writers. So pleased your BFF liked Liar or, at least, read it fast.

Ellen: This is what happens when you’re late. You snooze, you lose!

Mary Elizabeth: Buses? *shudders* I’d be car sick for sure. It would have to be a train.

In all seriousness though it would be very hard. For instance, last night it was five authors with five different publishers. All of whom have their own ideas about how to do publicity. As I mentioned above though there are more publishers sending out a group of their authors together. And those tours seem to bring in bigger audiences. So hopefully there will be more of that in future.

Congrats on the mice!

By: YA is for Adults Too! | Uncreated Conscience

YA is for Adults Too! | Uncreated Conscience — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:36:11 +0000

[...] night I went to Books of Wonder to listen to a number of fabulous YA authors speak. This may have been the first time I’ve attended an author event for which I’ve read [...]

By: Mary Elizabeth S.

Mary Elizabeth S. — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:13:44 +0000

I would have been over the moon to go to that signing.

All you YA authors should do a massive group tour all over the country. You could travel in a convoy of tour buses, stopping here and there to bestow awesome on various towns and cities. It would make history. Can you imagine what would happen in YA authors traveled in a pack like that? The world would be Altered Forever.

On an unrelated note, I got three new mice today! One named Aussie because I swear she’s a miniaturized kangaroo (a sleeker version of a quokka, maybe?). The other two aren’t named yet, but I call them the Twins because they are nearly identical except that one has red eyes and the other black.

~Mary

By: Ellen

Ellen — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:09:17 +0000

I knew it!! Now I will never find out the real ending. *angst*

By: Rebecca (allreb)

Rebecca (allreb) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:23:48 +0000

I was 111 in the signing line, and there were a handful of folks after me and plenty of people ahead were groups sharing a number, so 200 sounds about right.

I love panels like that as a reader because it’s a great way to find new books to read. The first Books of Wonder signing I went to, I wanted to see Scott and my BFF wanted to see Garth Nix, and that was where I picked up Magic or Madness. Last year I went to Suzanne Collins and picked up Robin Wasserman’s Skinned (loved it!). Last night, I grabbed Going Bovine because I hadn’t read anything by Libba Bray yet, and am really enjoying it so far. (My BFF got Liar and sent me a frantic email when she finished it today. *g*)

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:42:15 +0000

it was really good to see you guys. i wish i had been able to get on the line and chat a bit with you and scott, but the amount of people was phenomenal and i didn’t have a damn ticket. i gotta say, i was gushing like a fangirl for suzanne collins and kristin cashore. both their books are amazing.

By: wandering-dreamer

wandering-dreamer — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000

Dangit, now I have to track down copies of both Going Bovine and Liar, wonder if my super amazing used book store already has copies….
And if you came anywhere near me and I have a car I would totally come and listen. Never actually been to an author event although my friend and I are going to try to make on in January (try being the key term since our most viable plan involves building a car to get there….).

By: Abby

Abby — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:54:03 +0000

I wish you all could have come to Boston. I’m not YA in age, but I am YA in all that I read. And I love all of the works of the authors who were included in this reading. Don’t rule out making this a merry, traveling band of writers.

By: Jo Treggiari

Jo Treggiari — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:35:28 +0000

I think it’s wonderful to have readings with more than one author particularly in the YA genre which is so strong right now. The line-up for this reading basically included all of my favorite authors. I only wish I could have been there.
I think it’s nice for the readers to experience an evening of reading (across a wide variety of styles and sub-genre* hate that word but can’t think of another one.)And having the opportunity of directing questions to a group of writers all at once. It must be nice for the authors to interact with each other as well and sometimes travel together on the tour. Writing is such a solitary pursuit.
From a publisher’s point of view it must make more sense to send authors out together esp. in this economic climate.

By: Justine

Justine — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:04:55 +0000

Ellen: Such a bummer! I told everyone the truth of what happens in Liar.

Libba’s ridiculously funny. It should be illegal.

Q&A is always my fave part.

JJ: Academic footnotes are a nightmare. Blog footnotes are fun. The same way scholarly writing is horrible but fiction and blog writing are wondrous.

Lovely to meet you too!

By: JJ

JJ — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:58:56 +0000

I feel as though I distinctly recall you saying you hated academia and footnotes and only today I just realised footnotes are regularly part of your blog posts.

The event was amazing. It was great to meet you and everyone else there.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:55:02 +0000

I loved the event last night! Alas, I arrived too late to hear your introduction of Liar, but I did catch the tail end of Libba’s presentation (which was hilarious). The Q&A session was a lot of fun too. It was cool to hear perspectives from a few different authors at once. I think it provoked more discussion than some of the single-author presentations I’ve been to (and also it was a bonus that everyone there happened to be on my list of favorite YA authors).