Daily Archives: March 13, 2007

Booksellers Corner

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Book Groups

By Michelle Thorne

What a Book Group can do for you.

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted anything, but this was one of my things to do in the New Year. I really don’t like resolutions because they are sorta like rules and I immediately want to break them, so I just make a list as suggestions. As I recall, I talked about my book group last time and suggested that you should belong to one or start one. I think I said that if you are serious about writing, you should be serious about reading, and reading widely. So put this on your to do list.

1. Join or start a book group.

2. Read.

Now here’s what a reading group can do for you. A friend of mine, who is an editor, said that sometime as little as 10 books in a series romance line is all that separates the #1 book in a month from the book that was in last place. 10 Books. Amazing. My book group has 11 members. You do the math. You should reach out and “touch “ book groups all over the country. You could virtually “visit” a meeting with just a speakerphone at the book group. In your jammies. Jayne Ann Krentz did one with us a few years ago and although my girls froze when actually confronted with one of their all time favorite, Jayne and I had a very nice chat about her books, I can talk about books for literally hours if need be.

I recommend that you ask you publisher to put some book group questions in the back of your book as a jumping off point, a mapquest for your book. Go to a bookstore and look in the back of books in the Chick Lit section or, and I really hate to say this, but to give the girl her props, any Oprah books, although I would never recommend you read them. They have some great questions that you can “borrow” and tailor to your book. If your publisher doesn’t want to put in ??? in the back of the book, simply put in your author notes “Visit my website for book group discussions questions. Easy.

But the most important thing I can tell you today is take some time for yourself and READ. I’m pretty sure that’s why you wanted to become a writer. You enjoy the written word. You like a great story. I give you permission to stop writing for an hour and read. After all, I am the BOOK GODDESS, if only in my own tiny little brain.

Happy Reading,

Michelle

P.S. What would YOU like to know about book selling?
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Michelle Thorne is the owner of Bearly Used Books…123, Home of A Great Read and OCC’s Media Director. For all your reading needs contact Michelle at:

Bearly Used Books…123
Home of A Great Read
123 So. First Street
La Puente, CA 91744
(626) 968-3700