Corridor bookstores, public benefit from live author events

Today's bookstores offer their customers an experience that includes everything from the sounds and aromas of frothing coffee machines to relaxing oversize sofas and chairs where they can peruse their next literary purchase.

Add live author events and a visit to the local bookstore becomes a destination where authors promote their work and meet their fans. The store enjoys increased sales, and the public has an opportunity to meet and connect with a favored writer and ask questions.

The equation is good for everyone.

Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City does a “steady stream” of author events, according to events coordinator Kathleen Johnson. It is all about bringing the spoken word from the book writer to the book reader.

How does a bookstore go about finding authors to feature?

“We are often contacted by publishers who have authors touring and promoting their books,” Johnson said. “Typically, they will call us and ask if we are interested in hosting a certain author. We usually look at whether there is a nationwide interest in the book or its author, or if there is a particular Iowa City interest in that author.”

Johnson said sometimes the authors will contact Prairie Lights directly.

“A lot of authors put a lot of effort into their own tours these days,” she said.

Occasionally the store will pursue specific writers.

“That happens less often, but yes, our book buyer, Paul Ingram, reads through a lot of advance copies from publishers and small presses as well as the big presses,” Johnson said. “If he finds somebody that maybe hasn't gotten a lot of recognition, and he likes their book and thinks it is something people should know about, he contacts the publisher to see if they will come to our store.”

The internationally known reading series, “Live from Prairie Lights,” features some of the best up-and-coming writers along with more famous authors and poets. The bookstore also is committed to presenting new and local writing talent and will include authors coming from the self-published route as well.

“We will give them a look,” Johnson said. “What we look at first is the quality of the writing,” she noted.

“We also look at it from the standpoint of is there going to be, if not national interest, will there be local interest, particularly if they live in Iowa City or close by.”

Todd Meyer, owner of Mystery Cat Books in Cedar Rapids, believes strongly in supporting local Iowa writing talent, as well as locally owned bookstores in general.

“I sat down recently with MaryAnn Peters, owner of New Bo Books, and we are going to try doing some cross promotion between our two book shops,” Meyer said.

Mystery Cat Books has hosted events in the past for local writers such as Mount Mercy College professor and mystery writer Mary Vermillion, who writes the Mara Gilgannon series.

Although Prairie Lights employs 20 people, Johnson pointed out that it does not have the manpower to coordinate multiple events stemming from, say, the visit by a big-name writer, but they are involved to the extent possible.

“We've had children's authors do an event at our store and then also go out and do events in the schools,” Johnson said. “Since we have events almost every night on weeknights we also like to partner with different area businesses.”

The world-famous Iowa Writer's Workshop serves as a wellspring for organizing author events, according to Johnson.

“We are lucky because a lot of people, who were students at the workshop, even if they become famous, are willing and eager to come back to Prairie Lights to give some of their time,” she said.

The presence of a bookstore such as Prairie Lights permeates the community in ways that may be invisible.

“We do an event every May with the Shelter House in Iowa City, where there is a writing program,” Johnson said. “We didn't have anything to do with starting that writing group, but the Shelter House has people who have benefitted from their services and they write a journal that we publish every year.”