So in the last two months I’ve been doing a lot of in person events at street fairs, autumn affairs, and foliage festivals in the general region where I live, namely Rockland, Orange and Greene Counties in New York’s Hudson Valley. I’ve sold some books and brought in some money, but I’ve also met a ton of new people from all sorts of backgrounds, places and with their own stories to tell. That is honestly the best part of being an artist, being able to tell people about your art and having people explain their art to you. There is also something else I found with these wonderful people called “readers”: they all like their stories in different ways.
You have the classic and beloved “need a book in my hand” die hards. They love having a signed and personalized book and are great for the guy who is selling paperbacks from a table. These folks know books and they know what they like. I had a woman I met at the Windham Autumn Affair over Columbus Day Weekend that bought both Our Lady of the Overlook and Quiet Whispers of the Overlook for herself, then returned because her brother would also want the physical copy of the book. There was so much joy with having the tangible pages in her hand and a genuine message from the author.
Then there are the Ebook party. A lot of older readers prefer it because they can increase the font size, adjust the backlighting and the general ease of the device as opposed to the book. Some younger readers who are more up on their tech also like this option (and between you and me, I have a in person digital download that I offer). The last group are those that are all in on the Kindle model. Both of my novels are available on Kindle Unlimited (I get paid on page turns) and that is most convenient. These folks are voracious in reading because they can stack titles in their queue and go to town. I have a couple of devoted Ebook consumers that are fabulous pre-order fans.
The last class of “readers” are those audiobook listeners. This is the audience that I am missing out on at present. Neither of my books is available in audio, but if you stay tuned to my website http://www.rlcarpentierwriter.com and/or get into the newsletter, there will be exciting developments in this coming very soon. While I don’t have any readers in this medium, I had an interesting conversation with a woman at the New City Street Fair. She told me that she doesn’t like audio books because there is a barrier to personal interpretation. The person reading a book gets to develop a direct relationship with the words as he or she uses imagination to “hear” what characters may sound like, or to develop a personal bond with the plot. The narrator of an audiobook becomes a translator in the mix, disrupting that imagination. I told her I agreed with her estimation, however, as I will discuss next, I don’t think that it’s a bad thing.
So, I am an audiobook junkie. I have a long commute back and forth to work of 45 minutes each way, and I have the ability to listen while doing mundane house and yard work. I average an audiobook every week to week and a half, allowing me to zoom through a lot of different stories rather quick. I have a couple narrators that make each story great, especially when you are following a specific writer or series. Some of my favorites are Alan Carlson (Turner and Mosely Files), Adam Barr (Cameron Winter Mysteries), and Jamie Rennel (3 AM or Henry Bins Series). Then you have some of the great novels or stories read by prestigious actors, like Richard Armitage (The Hobbit Trilogy) reading for Agatha Christie’s Poirot Books. Audible also has a whole series of “Audible Originals” that will use a variety of voice actors for individual characters, especially with the current trend in mystery novels of multiple first person narratives divided into specific chapters. Jeneva Rose’s books are a prime example of this narrative and audiobook format.
So, I guess the best way to reach a full fan base as a writer revolves around the ability to diversify your output, increase awareness, and find just the right readers. I learned a lot about these readers during the last few months and I will work to keep them invested in my work.
R.L. Carpentier, writer 