Well, just me, and I wasn't going to say anything/blog about it, but I have to know. When I was at the Lori Foster Get Together, the majority of the authors were super friendly, always smiling, and saying "hi" even though they didn't know me from Adam. Then there were troublemakers like Lauren. Oye, is she naughty. *G* (Hugs, Lauren)
Anyway, what about the other(s) author(s) who weren't smiling and weren't friendly? What about the author(s) who snubbed their fans for no apparent reason? (Yes, I was snubbed and I was not pleased. And yes, I was heard. Said author(s) looked at me, then immediately looked away without stopping or saying a simple "hi". WTF?)
Now, as you all know I'm an aspiring author, and as such I can't even fathom behaving this way. If I were published(still crossing fingers and praying) and a fan came up to me and said, "hi", I'd be thrilled! I'd say, "Hi, how are you doing?" then let the conversation flow from there. I certainly wouldn't continue walking on as if I didn't hear the person. That's what I don't get. The "why" of it all. Why was I snubbed when said author(s) didn't even know who I was? My name tag was visible, yes, but it was white and had pink writing on it. It wasn't that easy to read, especially from far away.
My question is, why would an author do this? It's definitely one way to lose his/her fan(s) because I can tell you that it will be a cold day in HELL before I buy from said author(s) again. It may not be much in the way of earnings for the author(s), but it's a matter of principle to me. Treat me like I'm dirt and ignore me, and I will no longer support your career, no matter how much I like your books. And, I can hold a grudge for a long damn time.
ADDENDUM: I wrote this article not naming names for a reason, and that does not make me a coward. It just means I want to avoid controversy. I will not name the author and it is my right to do so. This is my blog. If anyone misconstrued the meaning of the above post to mean anything negative against the Lori, Dianne, or the event, I apologize. That is not what the post was about. It was about the snubbing, the time and place should have not been a factor. Again, my apologies to those who misunderstood.
This incident in no way, shape, or form is a reflection on the absolute fun I had at the Lori Foster event, and it also is no reflection on Lori Foster or Dianne Castell. They were gracious and fun and, as always, wonderful. They always go above and beyond to make sure everyone has a good time.
Final totals for the event are as follows:
- To the YWCA (battered women's shelter): $4000 Beyond awesome!
- To the AAF (Animal Adoption Foundation) : $500 (that's raffles from a special basket, etc) Excellent way to help the fur babies!
- For the Troops: $225 in cash for shipping + lots of stuff to go in the boxes! I am sure that the troops appreciate each and every donation more than any of us realize.
20 People Gabbed:
I guess I'm just more forgiving. Nobody's perfect, we all have bad days and moments we'd like to "do over." I don't expect an author to be a great socializer. Being a good writer has no correlation to good social skills. Plus I've been misunderstood a time or two (or more) and been the grateful recipient of grace-filled forgiveness. ;-) Can we say PMS anyone?
But, Linda, the author I'm referring to is like that ALL THE TIME. Online, and now I see in person as well. What I don't get is WHY.
I dunno, dollface.
Here's my take on it - this whole thing is the best, coolest thing ever. I LOVE it when I get to talk to people I read, I love it when people who read me talk to me too. I love to talk about writing with people as well. I can learn something from a newbie just as easily as from a seasoned vet.
It's not hard to be gracious to readers. I honestly can't understand, aside from just having a bad day, why any author wouldn't be friendly to readers and other authors at a conference - especially a con like Lori's where it's intimate and casual.
Some people aren't very socially adept. They're uncomfortable and sometimes that may translate into being cold but it's really just that they're painfully shy.
Other people are ridiculously self important because they secretly don't feel good enough and they seek out opportunities to make themselves feel better at other people's expense.
All *you* can do is be who you are - sweet, gracious and outgoing. It will always serve you well.
And I'm not naughty! It's all Anya. I tell you, the innocent looking ones are always the troublemakers. *snicker*
thanks for your thoughts, Lauren. I agree with where you say that others are secretly self important because they secretly don't feel good enough. I've seen that a time or two, or ten. But with this case, I don't necessarily think it's shyness or awkwardness or any of that. I wonder if it makes said author(s) feel superior to act inferior to others... but to do it to readers! It's like shooting yourself in the foot.
I just don't get it. :-P
Oh, and yeah, I can see Anya being naughty. Very, very naughty as a matter of fact. :-)
They probably sail through the door you're holding open for them with nary a thank you, too.
I wouldn't buy their books either.
lol Gail - that was um...enlightening *g*
But I agree, a lot of the time the author is either a total asswipe, or it's jealousy.
It was the same way at RT - some authors were fucktards, but most were fabulous.
I had one woman totally ignore me the whole time except for when she noticed me talking to Angela Knight (who was actually talking to my friend Dakota Cassidy, but I was just there). Next thing I know, the snobby author is all over me.
*snerk*
Anne - sorry you got snubbed. Don't buy her books, it's the best revenge. That, or tell me who the freak it is so I don't have to keep guessing.
Gail- I don't know. When someone walks around with a frown on their face all the time(used to be me) they are obviously unhappy in life, but as an author, you need to set that aside, I think, and be who you want your fans to perceive you to be. I don't think said author cares much.
Hiya Jaynie! I wonder if it's the same author... probably not. I don't know if this author went to RT or not, but she's been known to do this in the past online, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me that she did it in person. She didn't only do it to me, but others I was with as well which stopped us all from buying her book and having her sign the ones we had of hers! I will NOT be buying from her again.
You know, it's funny, because I'm friends with a couple of authors and I hear them talking about their fans like a cop about a donut. "OMG! SOMEONE WANTED ME TO SIGN THEIR BOOK IN THE MALL TODAY, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??"
But I've also heard them talking about other authors, ones they really wanted to meet (these ARE published authors, you understand) and were totally snubbed by.
I think, in some cases, the fame sort of goes to the head. I heard the same thing said about Chris Daughtry (is that spelled right? I don't watch AI, so I could be wrong). A friend of mine went to one of his concerts and saw him. Her and another pal asked for an autograph and he sighed all long and loud like he was put upon, looked down his nose at them and said, "I don't do autographs" then walked away. Hello! Without your fans where would you be?
BUT! I guess I don't think an author has to be all sweet and nice. If she writes well, I don't really care how she is in real life. Having been snubbed by an author or two, I can say I still read their books, I just don't buy them anymore. *g*
Sounds to me like maybe they're too big for their britches! (That was "britches" with an "R"!)
I was there and standing off to the side and saw it happen. I remember thinking maybe I didn't just see that, but I did.
At least you could say Hi or Thanks and just keep on moving. But to just look at someone who just spoke a greeting to you and not say a word was rude.
KarenB
I know that friend that Holly is talking about with the whole Chris Daughtry episode and I was bummed because I really like him and voted like crazy for him, but I've since forgiven him and still bought his album and support his career...it would have been nice though if he was nice to that fan though, she had flown all the way out there from Arizona (to Calilfornia) and to get totally snubbed the way she did made me sad for her...but oh well.
I have no clue why authors would snub fans or would be fans. I would think that their behavior would either help or torch their sales, but maybe authors just don't give a good dang. Sucks.
Being socially inept myself, I can see it happening occasionally, but not all the time. You have to at least try, especially if you are trying to capture an audience - this event was a wonderful opportunity.
I noticed a few authors that would look away from me as well, and I tried not to take it personally, but honestly, how can I not? Then I decided not to worry about it and concentrate on the authors who were kind and gracias and talked to me and loved signing their books. I was there to have fun :)
Hi, all.
I'm so glad you had a great time at the Reader-Writer Get-togehter
Lori and I put on this year. It's our third one. :-)
Putting this together is no small task and if I didn't say "hi" to someone or if looked right past them it was because my mind...what was left of it...was in a bazillion other places.
And maybe that's the way some others are too and the snub was a pre-occupation with something else.
Writers are nothing without readers. To snub readers is nuts and just plain not nice. Sorry about that.
Lori and I make an effort to get the authors mixing up with the readers by assigning them tables and having author rotations during lunch...we intend to extend that to the Fri night dinner as well...so the readers can meet the authors. Both readers and authors tell us this is the high-light of the event!
Authors know this going in. The whole purpose is to Get-Together. That's why we keep the name.
We even have a Welcoming committee (5 lovely gals) who wear nutty green hats with welcome on them so you know who they are. These gals make a huge effort to make sure everyone had a pal and someone to eat with and chat with. No one left out! We work very hard at this.
Anyway, if anyone was snubbed I am indeed sorry. So many new faces and people to meet, perhaps an author was simply overwhelmed.
Hope to see you again next year. This year we had 56 authors and 160 attendees, charged only $35 to cover cost of Fri night dinner, Sat breakfast and Sat lunch. Lori and I foot the bill for bringing in 2 NY editors and 2 top agents and the extra charge for rooms etc.
Authors and readers donate incredible baskets that you cannot even imagine till you see them. We raffle these off and donate the proceeds to the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. We also have a huge bookfair that includes ebook authors and self-pub authors. This year from the bookfair and the raffle we collected over $4000 . Lori and I will drop off the check on Tuesday. (6/19) We'll have pictures posted on our websites.
Oh, and did I mention the recipe book we had published by Samahin where all the proceeds to go the troop overseas. The Write Ingredients!
Next year is the release of The Power of Love published by Berkley. 13 authors and agents have donated ALL their advances and royalities for the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. We anticipate over $20,000 for the shelter. :-)
Next year the reader writer get-together will be bigger and better and friendlier than ever as Lori and I are always working on this.
Thanks to you all who make this weekend possible and we truly truly hope everyone has a great time...this is the realy reason we have the event and Get-together!
Hugs, Dianne Castell
Thanks to all of you who came to the Lori Foster, Dianne Castell Reader Writer Get-together 2007. We hope you had
Dianne, thank you so much for stopping by! I had to miss this year's event (big pout), but had a fantastic time last year. I found everyone to be very open and friendly.
I think that you and Lori do an absolutely wonderful job - for a whole lot of great causes (the troops, the shelter, the aspiring authors, and just getting readers and authors together), and if one or two authors were less than friendly this year, certainly it is no reflection on the two of you personally.
So please keep up the great work, the great books, and the great get-together!
Hi all,
Great blog site! I'm going to have fun checking it all out. :)
This was my third year to attend Dianne & Lori's Get Together and it's always such a blast, but honestly (and I can only speak for myself) I'll admit to being a little overwhelmed by it all. Anne, I'm so, so sorry you had a bad experience. I hope you'll meet up with the author again one day and have a good memory to replace the bad. In social situations like that, I have the *hardest* time hearing because of the background noise and chatter and there were times at the event where I found myself smiling and nodding and not having a *clue* what was being said because I couldn't hear for the noise. I find myself trying to read lips a lot to keep track of the conversations. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Perhaps this author didn't hear you? Just a thought.
My other problem (there are many--trust me! ;) is that I'm not great at social situations when it comes to introducing myself or putting myself out there. Perhaps this author felt the same and was simply awkward and unsure of what to do in that situation. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt because I know how I've felt in situations like that and have a hard time opening up or letting loose or whatever you want to call it just because I'm more reserved. Comes from growing up in a family where every move we made was 'wrong' no matter what it was. Maybe it was just a bad day?
Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Kay
Hi Dianne and Kay! So lovely to see you here! Surprisingly lovely. :-)
There's a new post above explaining more.
I will echo the socially inept comments. It's possible the author is simply socially awkward and introverted. I personally think that more authors are this way than the other way.
I am! I know that much. Being outgoing and smiley at cons does not come easily to me. Oy. I was always that girl in school that everyone thought was stuck up, but really she was just shy. :-/ I have to force myself to be social at these things.
Or maybe she was distracted, thinking about something else and didn't hear you.
Whatever the case, I'm so sorry you felt that way even for a moment because you're such a SWEETHEART! It's because of this I can't see anyone truly giving you the "cut direct". :)
~ Anya Bast
P.S. Don't believe a THING Lauren says. I am as innocent and as pure as the driven snow. Never naughty. Not me.
I get so lost on blogs. LOL. I thought I posted once on here, but now I don't see my post, so let me just say - Anne, thank you so much for reassuring me that I wasn't the author who snubbed you. LOL. I think most of the authors who read your blog had that fear.
I sort of ran around from one task to the next, laughing at a quick joke, hugging an online friend I hadn't seen in awhile, trying to make sure the authors, editors and agents all knew what to do and where to be, and all in all having a great but crazy time!
To EVERYONE - if it ever seems like I am snubbing someone, please know that I'm not! I LOVE talking to all the authors and readers. Shoot, what fun would writing be without enthusiastic readers, and what fun would this biz be without sharing it with other authors?
I'm real sorry that anyone had a single tiny unpleasant moment at the event, but it's bound to happen I guess. There are a lot of personalities stuck together for an extended time. :::shrug:::
Anne, you've been wonderfully gracious and I appreciate the repost on your blog, and how you included our donation amounts! Thank you.
If I caused you any additional work or grief, you have my apologies.
Oh, for those of you who haven't met Kay, she is a sweetheart who, to me, seems always at ease and openly friendly in social gatherings. :-)
Hugs to all!
Lori Foster (Please don't check my spelling. LOL. I wrote this quickly)
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