I better preface this post by saying I mean no disrespect to any other I met at BEA. I'm just thinking out loud.
At BEA I met tons of fantastic authors who have written wonderful books. I purchased books, I was given books, I had books signed, I shook the hands of these authors, and I even took some pictures. 99% of my encounters were fantastic memories that I will never forget.
There were authors I had heard of, never met, and hadn't read their books — like Lauren Oliver, author of "Before I Fall." I absolutely gushed about her to everyone about how great she was and how much I loved her book. But even without meeting her, I would have purchased this book (and had been meaning to forever).
Then there were authors like Violet Haberdasher (author of "Knightley Academy") and Shannon Delaney (author of "13 to Life) who I had never heard of (book or author).
Now "Knightley Academy" sounded like an interesting read, but I probably would have waited to purchase it in paperback if I hadn't met Violet. Before even meeting her, I listened to her explain her book at TAC. She did such a fantastic job appealing to her diverse audience and getting even those out of the loop (like me) interested in the book. I knew right away I would have to purchase it. I secured my copy and waited in line for her to sign it; when it was my turn I was greeted by this HUGE smile and a "Oh you bought my book!" in the most adorable accent ever. Because there was no one behind me I was able to talk to Violet for a short amount of time. This girl is fantastic! Her story of moving to London is so interesting and captivating (I MAY have been distracted by the accent once or twice — what can I say? I'm from the Midwest). I instantly knew that I made the right choice in purchasing this read.
The same relative story goes for Shannon Delaney — "13 to Life" looked good but I could have waited to read it. After meeting her and seeing how absolutely friendly she is I had no choice but to pre-order two copies!
Then there was a specific author who I had heard of (author and book) and was really looking forward to reading this particular book; it was a book I had been wanting for a long time and was just jumping up and down when I was given a copy. When I went up to speak to this author, just for a moment, she barely looked at me and hardly acknowledged me. I introduced myself and told her I was a new teacher and was really excited to read her book and put it on my shelves. She smiled and said "Oh that's great" and began a conversation with another author sitting next to her. I didn't take offense, there was a lot going on after all. I just (extremely awkwardly) was like "Oh, okay" and turned to walk away.
I was still excited to read this book and have read the book. I enjoyed the book and the book will still go on my shelves come fall.
But... this author's social skills (or lack there of) could have really deterred me from reading her book if I hadn't built up this huge excitement before meeting her. The book was a good read, but I think I would have loved it even more if meeting the author was a more pleasant experience. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't approached this author at all and lived in ignorance — loving her book for what it was rather than what my experience with the author was not.
The purpose of this long-winded post: What do you guys think? Is it important for authors to be approachable and friendly? Or am I just a small town girl looking for a smiling face amongst the masses of NYC? If you have had a less than fantastic experience with an author, did you let it affect your view of their book? How much of a role does the author's personality and approachability play in your experience with a read?
