Reader-Author Festivals

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Readers,

Over recent years, a new phenomenon has emerged for connecting readers and authors. It is called by different names, such as story festival or storyfest, and is fast gaining momentum.

One such event that has already gained considerable popularity is the annual StoryFest sponsored by the American Association of Christian Writers (ACFW).  This annual event connects authors and readers of Inspirational Fiction. ACFW holds StoryFest in conjunction with its annual Conference held in late August. Readers attend the conference as readers and get to meet their favorite authors during planned activities expressly designed to connect the two groups.

Here in my home state of New Jersey, we have the annual Collingswood Book Festival, held on the first Saturday of October each year. Authors and readers spend an entire day meeting one another and discussing books. When the weather is amenable, the event is held outdoors on the main street of Collingswood. 

Here are a few other special events that connect readers with authors:

1. "Authors and Audiences" held annually in April at the Kent County Public Library in Delaware.

2.  The Boise Book Fest of Idaho is held in September of each year. According to its brochure, this event "brings together readers and writers to celebrate the love for words, characters, and worlds." 

3. The "When the Heart Dreams" mixer, an event held in North Carolina each February to bring together writers and readers of romance fiction. 

4. The Buckeye Book Fair held in Ohio in November. It is a full day event and features booksignings where writers and illustrators autograph their books as they meet with readers. 

5. The Literary Connection, held in Wyoming each October and hosted by Laramie County Community College. This event unites authors and readers in celebration of the written word.

There are many other events throughout the country whose purpose is to connect readers and authors. Find listings for your state by checking with your local library, Chamber of Commerce, or universities and colleges in your area. You can also do a Google search for your particular state.

Until next time, Happy Connecting!

MaryAnn

__________________________________________________
MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA, MA
Award-Winning Author of Fiction and Fiction Writing Coach

To Buy or Not to Buy

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Readers,

I read an interesting statement by a reader the other day posted on social media. When asked where she buys her books, she said, "I never buy books. I either download free ones or I get them through Hoopla or the library."

Hmm. As an author, that statement particularly struck me. Why? Because authors make their living from selling their books, and if we don't sell our books, we don't make a living. Plain and simple.

At the same time, I certainly understand where that reader is coming from. In today's high-inflation economy, people are struggling to find money for food, let alone books. The cost of living has sky-rocketed, with no prospect of a reduction. 

So, what is a reader to do? Exactly what this dear reader did. Try to get books free, or check them out of the library. Frankly, I would do the same thing.

In order to make ends meet, authors more and more are now supplementing their writing income with speaking and teaching engagements or with creating online courses and webinars. While this is helpful, it does rob authors of time from writing novels. Yet, readers continually write to us asking when our next novel is coming out. It seems as though we novelists are caught between a rock and a hard place. :) 

But, what is an author to do when people are no longer buying books as they used to? Books are not necessary for survival. 

Or are they?

One of the best things you can do to support your favorite author is to buy her novels. Of course, you have to keep an eye on your budget. But an occasional book purchase would go far to keeping your favorite author writing and creating the books you love.

The books that feed your soul.

As an avid reader, you obviously understand that books are food for the soul. The soul needs to be fed as much as the body. At least, that's my humble opinion. What say you?

Please share any thoughts you have "from the other side of the book" that you think could help novelists keep on writing, knowing that they will be able at least to break even. Authors everywhere will thank you.


Blessings,

MaryAnn

Reader Love

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Reader,

You are loved! Yes. You are loved!  Why do we authors love you?

1. We love you because of who you are--an amazing creation of God with a special purpose on this earth.

2. We love you because you bring us joy by reading our books.

3. We love you because we cannot do without you.

4. We love you because you encourage us when we are down.

5. We love you because we want to bless you.

6. We love you because we want to help you on this sometimes difficult journey called life.

7. We love you because we've been there and understand your pain.

8. We love ytou because we want to share your burdens by writing stories that will give you hope.

9. We love you because you are our friend.

10. We love you because you are worth loving.


Thank you for being you!


Blessings,

MaryAnn

Readers Matter!

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Reader,

YOU MATTER! 

The theme of this blog is the profound connection between reader and writer.  If you've been following my posts, you will have seen that readers matter to an author. And they matter greatly!

To an author, readers are like the following:

__Hands and gloves.

__Sockets and plugs.

__Hearts and bodies.

__Brides and grooms.

__Pens and paper.

__Needles and thread.

__Peanut butter and jelly.

__Fish and chips.

__Research and development.

__Cops and robbers.

__Mosquitoes and nets.

__Tables and chairs.

__Baseballs and bats.

__Tom and Jerry.
maryan
__And on and on and on. :)

I think you get the picture. We writers NEED you readers. We are only half the equation without you.

And you are half the equation without us.

So, today I want to give a huge shout-out to all readers everywhere.  Especially to my readers who make my writing a joy.  You are always on my mind as I write. 

Thank you for choosing to read my books. Thank you for being a faithful supporter of my work. 

Thank you for supporting other writers proclaiming truth through their books. We need you.

Know this:  YOU MATTER!

How to Love an Author

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Reader,

As the year comes to a close and a new one is on the horizon, I want to thank you for being a faithful reader of this blog. You are the reason authors write. You are the reason I write.

Readers sometimes ask how they can help to support the authors whose stories they enjoy reading. So I thought I'd give you some suggestions from an author's point of view. Perhaps you'd like to implement some of these suggestions during the coming year.

1. Read the author's books. This may seem like a pretty obvious suggestion, one that rates a 5-star DUH!  But over the years, I've discovered that some of my closest relatives and friends have never read my books. Not even one of them! 

While on the one hand this surprises me, on the other hand it does not. Sometimes when we are very close to a person, we know them in one way and find it difficult to perceive them in another way. For example, a close friend with whom I grew up may still remember me as that girl who loved to play hopscotch, but she can't envision me as a novelist. Her lifelong perception of me prevents her from viewing me as anything other than the way she remembers me and has known me all her life. (In case you're wondering, I still play hopscotch with my grandchildren. So my friend may have a good point! :)

2. Post reviews of the books you read. Reviews are the lifeblood of an author's career. The best type of advertising has always been—and continues to be—word-of-mouth advertising. This is advertising in which one reader tells a friend about a great book she has read, and the friend then buys and reads that book as well. When you post a review of a book, you are helping your favorite authors in a huge way.

You see, when an author's books sell, she can pay her bills and write more books for you to read and enjoy. (If you're interested, I may do a future blog post on the cost of being an author.).  So, posting reviews goes a long way in helping an author keep you supplied with good stories.

The review doesn't have to be long, only two or three sentences at most. It's not like a high school book review, so don't panic. :)

3. When you love a story, tell others about it. A book may be outstanding, but if no one knows about it, no one can be blessed by the book. So when you enjoy a novel, tell others about it. Again, the best kind of advertising is word-of-mouth.

4. Buy your favorite authors' books and give them as gifts. Books make outstanding gifts that never stop giving. So when the next birthday or anniversary comes up, consider giving those people the gift of a book.

5. When you enjoy a novel, write to the author to tell her (or him) how much you enjoyed the novel. You will make the author's day, guaranteed. Authors work very hard to create novels. Few people understand what goes in to writing a novel. So when you tell an author you appreciate her and her storytelling, you will catapult that author into writing her next great story for you.

So, these are just a few ways to love an author. Why not start today? Think of those authors whose novels have transformed your life in a special way, and start loving that author now!

Thanks and Blessings,

MaryAnn

P.S. Before you leave, please check out my latest releases:

THE CAPTAIN AND MRS. VYE

A 19th-century, middle-aged widow learns that her late husband has left her destitute.

PRINT

E-BOOK


A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING

When a woman's teenage daughter goes missing, the mother faces losing her mind,
her family, and her faith.

PRINT

E-BOOK


MIRACLE AT MADVILLE

An angry young princess discovers the greatest power of all.

HARDCOVER

SOFTCOVER

E-BOOK

SUBSCRIBE TO MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER

____________________________
Copyright 2022 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Why Authors Need Book Reviews

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Have you ever wondered why authors often ask readers to post a review after reading one of the author's books? If so, here are a couple of reasons:

1) Authors write books to bless readers by entertaining them, inspiring them, and offering solutions to their problems. When a reader does not know about an author's book, that reader will miss out on the blessing of that book. 

One of the chief ways authors get the word out about their books is through reader book reviews. You, the Reader, are the primary means of promotion for a book. Whether it is by word-of-mouth or by writing a review, your opinion carries a lot of clout.

A book review does the following for an author:

__It lets other readers know about the book.

__It helps prospective readers decide whether to purchase the book.

__It expands the author's circle of influence which, in turn, helps more readers.

__It helps the author earn a living, or at least to pay some of her bills.

2) Authors invest a great deal of time, energy, and money into creating and producing a book. Indie authors especially now bear the expenses that traditional publishers used to bear. For example, indie authors pay high prices for editors, illustrators, formatters, and marketers to get their books out before the reading public. 

When you publish a short review of their books, you are doing your favorite authors a great favor. And you are doing yourself a great favor as well. You are reaping the joy and satisfaction of promoting the cause of good books that will make readers better people.

So, on behalf of authors everywhere, thank you, dear Reader, for posting reviews of our books. We could not do this writing / publishing thing without your valuable help. You are the BEST!


Blessings,

MaryAnn

P.S. Before you leave, check out my latest releases:

THE CAPTAIN AND MRS. VYE

       A 19th-century, middle-aged widow learns that her late husband has left her destitute.

PRINT

A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING

When a woman's teenage daughter goes missing, the mother faces losing her mind,
her family, and her faith.

PRINT




MIRACLE AT MADVILLE

An angry young princess discovers the greatest power of all.

HARDCOVER

SOFTCOVER

______________________________

                                     SUBSCRIBE TO MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER.


                                             _______________________________
 

Copyright 2022 by MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

The Writer-Reader Connection

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Writers and Readers are two sides of the same coin. Both form a whole, and that whole is the currency for the sharing of ideas, emotions, and experiences that benefit both.

Let's explore each side of the coin.

THE WRITER

The Writer is the one who creates the object of the Reader's pleasure. The Writer is the one who gives the story to the reader. Without the Writer, the Reader would miss out on a vicarious experience that would benefit her life. Writers write with readers in mind. Readers often choose books with particular writers in mind. When the two connect, something mysterious occurs. 

The famous French author Jean-Paul Sartre wrote that writing "is the joint effort of author and reader which brings upon the scene that concrete and imaginary object which is the work of the mind." So, both writer and reader contribute with their individual minds to the creation of a story. The Writer imagines the story in his mind, while the Reader also imagines the story in his mind. While each story is fundamentally similar, they are different in that both the Writer and the Reader bring to the same story different interpretations and insights.

You've very likely had the experience of imagining what a particular character looks like in a story only to see afterward a picture of the author's image of the character. The two are usually completely different. 

This brings us to the Reader side of the coin. 

THE READER

Just as the Writer is the giver of the story, the Reader is the recipient of the story. The Reader becomes the beneficiary of the Writer's gift. How?

As the Reader reads the story, the Reader feels the emotions of the characters through the plot. The Reader shares in the emotional experiences the Writer felt while writing the story. When the Reader shares in the emotional experience of the Writer by reading the story, the Reader is giving a gift in return to the Writer. It is the gift of affirmation that the Writer's story accomplished its purpose. It has touched the heart of the Reader, making her life better in some profound way.

The Writer-Reader Connection is a sacred one. Don't take it lightly. Writers often pay a great price to write a story. They sacrifice much in order to carve out time to write. They deal with health challenges, family challenges, financial challenges. Yet, they write because they love the Reader.


Readers also pay a price to read a story.  They give of their time and their money. They sacrifice sleep. They give of their hearts and their mind to the Writer's work.

Both deserve our deepest respect. And both are necessary in the feeding of the soul. 


Blessings,

MaryAnn

P.S. Before you leave, check out my latest releases:

THE CAPTAIN AND MRS. VYE

       A 19th-century, middle-aged widow learns that her late husband has left her destitute.

PRINT

A CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING

When a woman's teenage daughter goes missing, the mother faces losing her mind,
her family, and her faith.

PRINT



MIRACLE AT MADVILLE

An angry young princess discovers the greatest power of all.

HARDCOVER

SOFTCOVER

______________________________

                                     SUBSCRIBE TO MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER.


                                             _______________________________
 

Copyright 2022 by MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.

Reader Power

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Readers have power! Power to help an author. Power to affect reading trends. Power to define a culture. If you are a reader, you are in a position of power.

But power is a two-edged sword. When used rightly, it will promote great good. When used wrongly, it will not.

Let's look more closely at the power of readers.

1. Readers have the power to help authors. How? First of all, by reading their books. An author is incomplete without a reader. When an author writes, he most often writes for a reader. A particular reader. A reader who is interested in the kind of fiction the author writes. 

When a reader reads and enjoys an author's books, both reader and author benefit. The reader-author relationship is symbiotic. One without the other is only half the equation and won't work. It's like a socket and a plug. Without a socket, a plug is useless. Without a plug, a socket is useless. So is the reader-author relationship.
 
2. Readers have the power to affect reading trends.  Social media platforms today are key methods of advertising books. When readers read and like a book, they post comments about it on social media, thereby affecting what other people read. Readers also post reviews about a book, again affecting what people read. 

Along with reader power comes reader responsiibility. By promoting certain books and not others, readers contribute to the next point.

3. Readers have the power to define a culture. It has been said that we are what we read. When readers endorse a book, that book comes into the public eye The public then purchases and reads the book. If enough readers endorse and promote a book, that book will become a force for either good or evil in the world.

Bottom line, readers have clout. Responsible readers will feed their own souls with books that uplift and make them better people. In becoming better people, they become better members of society. And in becoming better members of society, readers contribute to the good of all.

As an author, I want to thank you, dear Reader. I hold you in the highest respect. Never underestimate your power. And thank you for using it wisely for the good of the world in which we live.

Before you leave, check out my latest novel, The Captain and Mrs. Vye, to be released December 1, 2022. It is the story of a 19th-century middle-aged, childless widow who discovers that her late husband has left her destitute.




You can pre-order your copy at the link below:

THE CAPTAIN AND MRS. VYE



Thanks and Blessings,

MaryAnn 

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Copyright 2022 by MaryAnn Diorio. All Rights Reserved.