What Bookstores Can Teach Authors About Readers
A Q&A with Longfellow Books owner Ari Gersen
I’ve interviewed a wide range of people for Author Insider: Big Five publishers, hybrid publishers, bestselling authors, literary agents, editors, marketers, and publicists. All of them have offered valuable insights into how books get written, published, and promoted. But what about the people who spend their days actually putting books into readers’ hands?
That’s why I’m excited to welcome Ari Gersen, owner of Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine, for an upcoming Author Insider Q&A.
Join us on Wednesday, June 24th, at 1 p.m. ET.
Longfellow Books has been serving Portland’s literary community for nearly 25 years, and Ari has had a front-row seat to the way readers browse, buy, recommend, and fall in love with books.
Personally, I’ve known Ari since the late ’90s when we both landed our first jobs in publishing at Crown. I was in editorial, he was in publicity, and we’ve been friends ever since.
We’ll talk about what makes readers pick up one book and pass over another, what booksellers notice that authors often miss, what makes an author event work, and whatever questions you bring to the conversation.
RSVP here → What Bookstores Can Teach Authors About Readers
I hope to see you there,
Panio
P.S. This is a paid-member event, so if you’d like to join us live, you’ll need an active paid or founding membership.
Coming Up Next
Thursday, June 18th at 4 p.m. ET
Why the Reader Is the Most Important Character in a Nonfiction Book
Why do so many smart, knowledgeable people struggle to write a nonfiction book they’re happy with? Elizabeth Dougherty and Marisa Solis—book coaches, editors, and coauthors of The Complete Expert-to-Author Guide—join me to discuss a simple but powerful idea: the reader isn’t just your audience—it’s the most important character in your book.
RSVP here → Your Book Has a Main Character. It’s Probably Not You.