My schedule at the San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Stage

Come see me this weekend and later at the San Mateo County Fair Literary Arts Stage.

Saturday 6/10: 12-2pm I will sell books at the local author meet and greet. 2-3:30: I will be on the Carry the Light winner’s panel, and doing an open mic reading after that with other winners.

Wednesday 6/14 7-9pm I intend to do the open mic. At 6:45, my friend Tina Gibson will be reading from her book, Misfit Island.

Thursday 6/15: 7-9pm I will read from the story I submitted to this year’s Fault Zone anthology (currently title: What Goes Up). Saddest ending I have ever written for Super Holly.

Saturday 6/17: 2:45-4:30pm I will sell books.

When I personally sell my printed Super Bad Hair Day book, I include a CD with artwork, audio stories, and ebook copies of Super Bad Hair Day. And I sign it with a cool superheroic catchphrase. Only $5. Such a deal.

Wanna read local author stories? Buy Carry the Light at the fair or from Amazon. It contains my short story, The Lutefisk Door, and the transcript of my audio story, The Intellecta-Rhapsody (this was inspired by the classic music Hungarian Rhapsody as played by Woody Woodpecker.

Fremont Book Signing Saturday May 13

This Saturday, May 13, from 11am to 4pm, the Fremont Writers Club will have a book signing at Round Table Pizza, 37480 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA. We will sell books, like my Super Bad Hair Day book with a CD containing superheroine artwork and my audio stories. We will do open mic readings, and I shall PERFORM one of my stories! Probably my latest audio story, The Intellecta Rhapsody; it won first prize at this year’s San Mateo Country Fair Literary Arts Contest. (The background music is the Hungarian Rhapsody: Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, and Tom & Jerry all danced to that tune, so I add Super Holly Hansson to that list.)

Book Signing May 13!

Mark your calendar. On May 13, 2017 10am-4pm, at Round Table Pizza, 37480 Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA, authors from the Fremont Area Writers Group and I will eat pizza and sell books. My book is the Createspace printed version of my superheroine stories, Super Holly Hansson in Super Bad Hair Day! This book comes with a CD containing:

• ebook files: Kindle, epub, PDF.
• Super Holly artwork from Batton Lash and other artists.
• Audio versions of my stories: hear me read with a musical score!

At Round Table on May 13, you can likely see me and the other writers do open mic readings! Eat pizza! Buy books! Have authors sign the books! Watch authors doing readings, or as I call it, open mic opera! And especially, meet local authors, storytellers, and poets.

I will be at the Fremont Book Signing on Saturday!

I believe one should announce events about a week before, then a day before. I am a little late on the day before. But I will be at the Fremont Area Writers book signing and sale from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016 in the Fukaya Room of the Fremont Main Library at 2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont, California, at Stevenson Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway. In the photo, I am the guy at the top, in the middle.

There will be several writers there from the Fremont branch of the California Writers Club. We will sell books and do open mic readings. I intend to perform.

I hope I sell books. I spent this week making audio files of my three stories. I made a CD for each Createspace book I had printed, on which I burned ebooks (mobi, pub, PDF), some of Batton Lash’s cool Holly artwork, and my audio readings (with some nice royalty free music) of the short stories Super Bad Hair Day, The Poet and the Supersplainer, and a preview (Chapter Zero) of The Comic Book Code. Super Holly is pretty busy!

P.S. I might have to leave a little early to pick up my cousin at the airport. If you are coming, try to get there well before 3.

P.P.S. (August 7 edit): I sold 2 books. But I have more to learn about sales. Like right after I finish my INCREDIBLE open mic performance, I should make it REALLY clear that the CD included with the book includes three audio story files with neat musical scores. I also had to leave early to pick up my cousin at the airport, and that might have cut into sales. I’ll ask how the others did next time I see them.

My Createspace Unpacking, and the Aug 6 Fremont Book Signing!

I got a package of 20 Createspace copies of for my superheroine Super Holly Hansson’s Super Bad Hair Day! Here is my audience, Tucker and Wrigley, waiting for me to open the box. See how excited they are? Well, they would be if I said, “Walk,” and got out the leashes. (I am doggie-sitting them this evening.)

The box, opened and packing paper removed.

The book and I. My beard is scruffy, my hair is messy, but the book makes me happy. Thanks again to Batton Lash for the wonderful cover art.

I did find one typo to fix, along with a couple minor format issues in one line of dialog. And the font and letter size could look nicer. I blew up the letter size to 14 to fill pages for this little book. The text looks slightly washed out. I will likely work on improving the text and upload that again later. The front and back cover have a nice indie look. I used Comic Sans font there. I am making audio files for each story, which I will burn to a CD and put into each copy I sell on Saturday. From the Fremont CWC newsletter:

The Fremont Area Writers are gearing up for a book signing and sale from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016 in the Fukaya Room of the Fremont Main Library. About a dozen authors will participate. Some will read from their works, including children’s literature, nature, history, super heroes, and religion. The library is located at 2400 Stevenson Blvd., at Stevenson Boulevard and Paseo Padre Parkway.

And I will do an open mic reading! I shall PERFORM!!!

 

 

 

Book signings are a slow way to get rich.

A few thoughts on the May 7 book signing with the Fremont writers.

Some people don’t read ebooks. A teacher came in and bought books from several writers, but not from me. She wanted a physical book in her hand. Penelope Anne Cole sold some children’s books that were very slim. I bought a couple. LESSON: Maybe CreateSpace can print my Super Bad Hair Day story bundle as a slim and cheap book; it would be a neat way to sell my short stories at book signings.

The Fremont Area Writers like my open mic readings. We read our stories out loud, and I threw myself into my part (as usual). One little boy was there also; he fidgeted at the start of my reading, but he was drawn in pretty quick. Kids like my readings too. LESSON 1: I need to make more audio files and put them onto the CDs (and my website); give more product to sell. LESSON 2: When I start my readings, I should say I am selling the story for a buck; that boy might have make me $1 richer if I had done that. LESSON 3: One writer said that he liked my reading, but in a couple places, he did not understand what I said. I must NEVER let my open mic diction get lazy!

There was not much traffic in the room where we were selling. I sold one CD, to another writer. The other writers did not fare a lot better. I was not disappointed, I was there to learn, and I got free pizza out of it (YUM!). LESSON: Nothing, except try again. I believe that in August, the Fremont writers will do another signing. I will see about prining little books and making more audio; maybe even sell little books with a CD. And I will remember, like I did today, to have fun. I enjoyed earning that one thin dollar.

LAST LESSONS: Get more stories out there, and FINISH WRITING MY NOVEL!!!

May 7 book signing!

(This repeats my post from a few days ago. They say you should put on one more reminder the night before.)

Saturday, May 7, 2016, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 37480 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, CA, the Fremont Area Writers will do a book signing. Have some pizza, and if you buy a book, get a free drink! Since I will sell my ebook for $1, that is a good deal. Check out the other writers, they are also worth your time.

I will sell CDs with mobi (Kindle), epub, and PDF copies of two Super Holly’s short stories: Super Bad Hair Day, and The Poet and the Supersplainer! Holly fights the evil and LOUD Harry Headbutt, and the poetic and deadly Karate Queen (while her boyfriend, The Intellectual, keeps telling her the most efficient ways to do her job). I’ll also sign a postcard with the ebook cover. I might set up my laptop to email the ebooks. Anything that works!