Book Races and Bookshops

Absolutely thrilled to received my first ever High School review from the lovely Georgia of Papanui High School ( http://greatnzbookrace.weebly.com/read-the-silver-hawk.html). I can’t wait to see who she hands it on to next!!

In other news, I managed to get Scorpio Books (http://www.scorpiobooks.co.nz/) an AMAZING independent retailer to agree to stock three copies of my book.

How you ask? Well, I sent them an email introducing myself and asking if they would stock books by a local author – it went something like this:

Hello,
My name is Beaulah and I am the author the Silver Hawk, a young adult fantasy fiction novel. It is currently stocked by Paper Plus and about to be a part of the New Zealand Book Month event “The Great New Zealand Book Race”. Would it be possible to arrange a time to come in and talk to your buyer about the possibility of having a few copies in Scorpio Books? I would be totally happy with a sale or return contract as this is what I am on with Paper Plus.
Kind Regards,
Beaulah

Then the lovely buyer at Scorpio gave me her phone number and said I should call to make an appointment. I did so the following day and then early the next week I was in there bright-eyed and early with fresh crease-free book in hand. After a ever-so-slightly terrifying flight of stairs, I was in the heart of the business side of Scorpio. I handed over my precious copy and watched, nervously, as she inspected it and then asked me if the information was in … some database which I have forgotten. Luckily, I had an ISBN (from CreateSpace) and so apparently I was. Her second question was to do with marketing – had I any backing to support the book. I explained that it was in the Great New Zealand Book Race (http://greatnzbookrace.weebly.com/read-the-silver-hawk.html) and that (hopefully) teenagers around the country would be reading and reviewing it over the next few months.That seemed to satisfy her, because all following discussion was around price – she recommended I increase from $19.99 to $24.99 which I agreed to in order to still earn something after printing, shipping and retail discounts.Wow. I walked away that morning with one book already in the system and two more promised for the following day (along with an invoice specifying a ‘sale or return’ understanding – which essentially means they can give the books back at any point if they decide they’re not selling, which is totally fine by me because I am thrilled to even have shelf space in such an amazing book store).

Oh and finally, I am volunteering at the School for Young Writers (http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/) at the moment. This is an fun place for young people to spend time with others who love to be creative. There’s such a wide variety in personalities, from the quiet hesitant ones to the loud and outspoken kids, but they are all brilliant in their own ways =D I love them so much. It has been an eye-opening experience for me – learning how to teach from the great tutors there, learning how to write by listening in to what they tell the children, and finally, realizing that there is a lot I can contribute from my own experiences.

More news soon – and pictures!!

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