Page 12 - 2021.1221.The Passionate Plotter Guidebook Four.Marketing Matters_Neat

Diana Kathryn Plopa
THE PASSIONATE PLOTTER: MARKETING MATTERS

Ask someone to be a time-keeper, or set
the stopwatch on your phone, and put it where
you can see it easily so you can be sure you
won’t run over the time allotted for your reading.
Nothing irritates a librarian or shopkeeper more
than running late! If you have a time-keeper, set
up a subtle signal so you know your time is soon
running out. Don’t allow the signal to draw
attention away from your reading, though. If
your audience is distracted by a flailing friend,
they’ll lose the imaginative momentum you’re
trying to create.

Take along a pen that makes you happy.
Choose one from which the ink doesn’t fade
over time. I love fine point Sharpies for this
purpose. They’re easy to write with, feel fluid in
my hands, and the message I scribble will last
forever. When I
published my first book, I
bought a VERY fancy
feather quill and an ink
well because I thought,
“Won’t this be a
spectacular way to sign
books… so memorable.”
Well, the reality of it is I’m not Alexander
Hamilton, and no one cares. Although the quill IS
very nifty, dipping a quill into ink and then writing
in such a careful way so as to not spill the ink or
schemer it on the page, is next to impossible. So,
maybe set up the quill and ink so it’s an
attractive table display, if that’s important to
you… but use a modern writing tool to sign.

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