Book Signing: Well Read and Dead

By Sara Kurz

I had read Judith Barnard’s review of Catherine O’Connell’s “Well Read and Dead” (labeled a high society mystery novel) in Aspen Sojourner’s Summer 2009 issue. It intrigued me enough to drop by O’Connell’s book signing at Explore Booksellers on Aug. 6..

Bookworms sat knee-to-knee in Explore’s pint-sized back room while O’Connell read a couple of excerpts and offered an explanation of what it’s like to be an author publishing a book these days. Her short bob, red-framed glasses and hearty, but perhaps a little self-reassuring chuckle proved that she isn’t the “writing from a window/ Emily Dickinson” type of author, but may be a bit of a socialite herself—which is something of a requirement in 21st century book publishing. These days, it seems, promoting a book is every bit as important as writing it, making O’Connell’s willingness to do double-duty part of the job description.

Though I’ve yet to read it, what I like about the sound of “Well Read and Dead” (Harper) is that segments of the novel are set right here in Aspen. “I think just about every high-profile person in the world has visited Aspen at least once, be it presidents, kings, titans of industry, celebrities or socialites,” O’Connell says. Thanks to them and “yesterday’s spare-no-expense economy,” she adds, “there was plenty of inspiration to feed this author’s mind, from the number of private jets lined up on the tarmac to the over-the-top parties on Red Mountain.” At the book signing, O’Connell read a scene that depicts a flight landing into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport’s famously challenging, often-a-multiple-attempt runway—showcasing the rugged, out-of-the-big-city glamour that best characterizes Aspen, particularly in the eyes of someone who doesn’t live here—i.e., a big chunk of the reading public.

When asked about the novel’s distribution success, O’Connell’s mum’s-the-word response was to point out, “That’s akin to asking ‘how much money do you make?’” But she politely explained that, “It’s all so secretive, because both author and publisher think people would be surprised at how few (or how many) copies a book has sold, and they don’t want sales influenced by either figure.”

Just how many books does the average author sell? O’Connell says that in 2006 there were somewhere between 175,000 and 275,000 titles published in the U.S. and of those, fewer than 500 sold over 100,000 copies. Only 1,000 titles sold over 50,000 copies and the average book sells around 5,000 copies.

O'Connell is “happy” with her book’s distribution, mentioning that she’s not quite at the 50,000 tier, but working hard to get there. She cites part of its success to Harper’s push to get it into big-name bookstores. However, “Like everyone else, publishers are pulling back, and so it is up to the author to do the bulk of the work that will help to differentiate her from the other 200,000 books—plus or minus—published this year,” she says.

In the author’s note on her website, O’Connell addresses the difficulty authors face in getting the word out about their books. “Because in this media-hungry world of ours with shrinking sources for review, if one has no reviews, one simply doesn’t exist. A bad review beats no review any day.” Reviews of “Well Read and Dead” so far have been positive, save for one from Kirkus, to which O’Connell wrote, “Oh well, they’re so snarky anyway.”

Any marketing mogul knows that exposure plus in-person appearance, modest or grand, equals increased sales. O’Connell seems to be tapping vigorously into a personal fan base, one book club or bookstore at a time, even if it means moving only 15 copies per visit. By accumulating a fan base loyal to her (and not necessarily just one book), she’ll have readers for every sequel she writes. Moreover, O’Connell says, “It’s a business that’s both macro- and micro-managed, and it’s entirely driven by readers. If an author can unlock the key of how to get readers talking about their book, then that author is on the way to success.” If an author is as entertaining and welcoming as O’Connell was at Explore, he or she will have no problem winning over readers at every other book club or bookstore.

The book signing I attended on August 6th was the second for the novel, hinting at least at its local success. “We scheduled a second one because there were so many people at my first signing in March that we ran out of books!” O’Connell says. And like so many other local authors, O’Connell is appreciative of the readership Explore brings to the community. “Explore is a one-of-a-kind bookstore and I hope that it never, never goes away. They are so wonderful there and have been very supportive of me.”