Your Invitation

About six months ago, I was in that in-between space of releasing one novel and starting the next, wondering how I was going to keep the promo/release/write/promo/release train going. Writing is hard and can be isolating. Promoting one’s work (and oneself) is hard and can feel humiliating. (Not a lot of writers are extroverts, you know?)

Growing one’s audience–without a huge stroke of luck and/or a full-time publicist–is the biggest challenge for most authors. There are a lot of books out there. How does one get the word out and still get out new work?

It occurred to me that there is a strong population of amazing authors in L.A., and there’s a rabid nation of avid readers in our fair city looking for books by new (to them) authors. Why doesn’t someone introduce all of these wonderful folks to each other?

Of course, that happens weekly. There’s always a reading for a new release at your favorite bookstore where you get a chance to ask that author a question or two, have your book signed and then wait for the next release. But what about that pesky in-between? There are months (years) between book releases for most authors, leaving the already-written tomes hiding in plain sight.

But what if there was a group of authors who did events for readers? Not just for new releases, but an ongoing conversation writers and readers could (should) have. Wouldn’t that be something unexpected in Lala Land, when so many believe we only read screenplays and movie reviews?

That’s the idea for the L.A.L.A. Society. A place for it to start, anyway. If you are a local, Los Angeles author, an aspiring writer, book lover or someone who keeps meaning to read more, please join us. Let’s get to know one another.

Sandra Ann Miller is an author and publisher (SAME ink), native of Los Angeles and a founding member of the L.A.L.A. Society.