Door to door is only way to do business
Going above and beyond for a selfie
The Front Page
Morning Update
Sunday, September 19, 2021
By Ken Tingley
I’ve spent most of the past week tooling around the region with the top down in my little Volkswagen trying to sell books.
As a first-time book author, this was the part I dreaded. I remember going door-to-door as a kid to sell Pop Warner Football raffle tickets only to have the door slammed in my face. Ok, it was more like a polite “no,” but for a 12-year-old it was often traumatic.
But this has been a much different experience. I’ve found that many local businesses are good friends to local authors, even though they don’t stand to make much from the sale of your book. It is part of that local community spirit that is in short supply these days. What was even nicer, most were familiar with me and my work at The Post-Star.
Earlier this summer, I reached out to Lake George Mayor Robert Blais for advice on selling the book. He had put out his own memoir seven years ago - somehow I missed that at the time - and he steered me toward businesses friendly to local authors. Curious, I bought his book and discovered there was a lot about Lake George’s history I did not know.
When I visited The Silo in Queensbury, the woman who was doing the purchasing was someone I knew from years ago at my church.
Talking with Dustin St. Andrews at Ace Hardware, I learned the store does a pretty robust book business, especially around the holidays. I had no idea it even sold books. That’s where I bought Mayor Blais’ book.
While visiting the book store in Bolton Landing - Trees Adirondack Gifts and Books - I ran into owners Tom and Lisa Walton. Our sons were both on the swim team at Queensbury High years earlier. It was nice to catch up with them. Her youngest son is still swimming down in Florida.
My wife and I had a pleasant drive to Cambridge to drop off books at Battenkill Books where I found a great little bookshop that was a throwback to another era. We even found an up to date Road Atlas that we had been looking for. Sorry, sometimes you’d just like to look at a map.
On Thursday, Teri Podnorszki Rogers, the executive director of the Warren County Historical Society, posted a glowing review of my book The Last American Editor. It was so nice, I decided to stop by and tell her so. I had been meaning to check out the Warren County museum over by Gurney Lane for some time.
We had a nice chat and she even bought a few books for the gift store.
All of this was a reminder of what happens when you get out of the house, when you get out and talk to people. There are many great stories out there.
Kendall McKernon, owner of The McKernon Gallery in downtown Hudson Falls, emailed me and said he wanted to carry by book in his gallery. He said it felt like a good fit. He threw in a tour of the Sandy Hill Arts Center as well. I will have more on that next week and the status of Hudson Falls.
After leaving Kendall, I walked across the street to the Village Booksmith. One person had urged me to get my book placed there.
Clifford Bruce, the 85-year-old owner, was manning the desk when I walked in. He remembered me from my days at The Post-Star.
I told him about my new book.
That’s when he told me his age. He explained that after 45 years in business he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to be doing this, and he didn’t want to buy any new books. He usually took the books of local authors, but had stopped in recent years. Looking around, it was clear there was no shortage of inventory.
I told Clifford I understood and we talked a little longer. He said business was pretty good, but it was mostly done online these days. The store is only open two days a week. He said the online business had tripled during the pandemic.
It reminded me that this was the type of story that I would have assigned when I was editor at The Post-Star as a long-time small business owner readied for retirement. It would have been the type of story that might have made The Last American Editor.
But like the small bookstores in our community, those type of stories are in short supply as well.
It turned out going door to door is the only way to do business.
Selfies continue
Greg Brownell, my former colleague and The Post-Star’s long-time sports editor, went above and beyond the call of duty to buy my book this week.
I suggested to Greg last month that he might want to consider doing a blog post on the book since there was a whole section of sports stories. Greg said to let him know when it was in a local store so he could support a local business.
But when Greg saw the book was being sold at the Albany-Rensselaer Train Station - Greg is a huge train buff - he made the drive to Rensselaer to buy the book. He then tweeted out a short six-second video selfie taking the book off the shelf. It was the first video selfie posted.
While he was there, he also took a tour of the Slater, the World War II destroyer across the river in Albany. I guess he figured he had to get his money’s worth.
Thank you Greg.
Radio Interview
Joe Donohue, the well respected radio host of the daily roundable on WAMC Radio (90.3 FM), will be interviewing me on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12. Mark your calendars and check it out. If you don’t have a radio in the house anymore, you can get the broadcast on the WAMC website.
Book signing
Many readers have been asking when I would be doing a book signing. I will be signing books at the new Book Warehouse at the Outlets on Route 9 on Saturday, October 2 from 1 to 3 p.m. I hope to see your there. There is another scheduled for Northshire Books in Saratoga Springs in November.
