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Sunday, November 4th 2007 : "Meeting readers - or not"
Since the last diary entry I’ve been travelling around the north of England, meeting readers in libraries and bookshops. A mixed experience. It’s hard to work out why some gigs are brilliant – great audience and feedback, good sales – and others turn into a total nightmare.
Most library events are good. Highlights from the last month were the Bispham reading group in Blackpool, where I received a great welcome and cake, Brought to Book 2 in South Shields where we filled the library theatre (120 people) and the actors really entered into the spirit of the occasion and Scene of Crime in Whitley Bay, where I caught up with some old friends. The last two events benefited hugely from the presence of ex-CSI Helen Pepper. She has the audience laughing after a couple of minutes, but everyone I know would like her to investigate a crime in their home.
The most bizarre gig of the month took place in a town in the north-west. Four Murder Squad members turned up to an event organised by the local bookshop. I’m not sure exactly where we were – a working man’s club perhaps, or a community centre. There was red wallpaper, a bar, and in the room behind us a lot of elderly people were line dancing. I had a fragile grip on reality anyway because I’d been ill the night before and had spent four hours in an over-crowded train. We sat with the bookseller waiting for an audience. Every time the door opened, we smiled expectantly, and another couple walked through to join the dancing. No one turned up to hear us speak! Not one person!
Posted by Ann at 07:12 PM GMT
