Meeting bestselling authors without looking like a jerk.

I'd be curious as to what you mean by "opportunity to help get my foot in the door" and "...would also like is a bit of help"

What are you looking to get out of them?

If it is simply a little bit of advice you should be direct. "I was wonder (ask question here)"

If you want something more then you should probably re-adjust your expectations. These type of events are for authors to meet their fans. They are going to talk to a lot of would-be authors and most won't mind this nor will they mind a question or two. Just be mindful of their time and respectful of everyone else there that would also like the chance to meet one of thier favorite authors and be brief.

Door

Get your foot in what door? The thing to do is treat bestselling writers just as you would treat anyone else, and don't go there expecting to use them for your own gains.

Just talk to them, tell them you like their books, and do not volunteer anything at all about your own writing. If they want to know, they'll ask.

Bring copies of their books and ask for autographs; that's always fun. Buy them a drink if you see them out at a pub. Be nice, tell them what your really like about their books, but most of all, shut up about yourself. Maybe they'll remember you months or years from now and when they read about your deal in Publisher's Marketplace, just maybe they'll request an ARC for a blurb.

Wouldn't that be cool?

Yeah, it would, just don't expect it.

I agree with Havlan -- you can ask for advice, a brief bit of conversation, but that's probably as much as you can expect. It's going to be very tough to ask for more substantive help in a way that (a) can make an impression on such short acquaintance and (b) won't make you come across as an amateur, thus making any future help unlikely.

The "best selling" authors that I have had the pleasure to work with helped only so far as teaching the classes I took from them and chatting about writing. It was only after I obtained representation that I was able to get blurbs - No one introduced me to their agent or editor or eased the process in any way. That is not how it is generally done.
To "get your foot in the door" requires good writing.
If you want more from any of these writers take a class they happen to teach at a writers workshop or retreat.
JMHO

Squeal really loud and run up to them with your arms flailing wildly about.

Okay, this should be considered bad advice. Unless...you see Orion there. Then by all means do it and she'll know you spend time on AW.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most authors, especially best-selling ones, who have half-decent lawyers/agents/publishers are pretty much barred from reading any unpublished material. That means that a best-selling author probably couldn't help you get your foot in any doors as they could not read or reccomend your material.

However, advice I'm sure they could do. One suggestion might be to find something similar in your backgrounds and use that to ask them advice. For instance, "I have read that you were a cop before you started writing. I'm a cop too. How did you use that experience to market your books to agents and publishers? Especially since you write historical erotic fiction?"

Any thoughts? Am I wrong?

Just be charming and funny and friendly. Don't talk about yourself at all. Be a good listener. That's a difficult combination for anyone to resist. I wouldn't bring your writing unless it comes up in context. Think how many solicitations, veiled and blunt, these famous people have gotten from strangers who take advantage of "face time."

Your goal should be to strike up an aquaintance. After that, you never know what's going to happen.

I was invited to an after-reading dinner with some "best-selling" rolleyes authors and some professors once. I hadn't read any of their work, I didn't even go to the reading they just came from (wow I felt out of place and like a table leech) but I'm glad I didn't because I didn't want to talk about writing. And neither did they. We all joked about current events, Bush, movies, and they talked about their kids a lot. The only time we got to writing was one asked a few of the students at the table how long we had been writing. Everyone gave the cliche, arrogant, baloney answer of "oh I was special, I started writing when I was 3" or younger. I broke herd and said I didn't start writing until I was 17 and it was in fanfiction, so I was surely doomed. Laughter. Then one author said fanfiction is perfectly respectable and that his writing is already practically fanfiction since he's trying to be like Stephen King all the time. Joking, but he did a good job of deflating my self-deprication.

If you are in close contact with strangers who have already achieved your dream of "making it" as writers, take a breath, play it cool. They're just like anyone else, maybe a little more crazy. Don't be the asshat grad student at the table who keeps pestering them with your "amazing life-changing" novel idea (this one guy explained it, multiple times, and it sounded more awful each time). Feel out a situation, listen for the tone and the direction of a conversation. If they want to talk about writing or particularly 'your' writing, let them bring it up. Yeah, definitely don't talk about yourself for extended periods unless they ask and then they ask follow-ups.

My entire exchange with the first "big name" author I met <mumble-mumble> years ago:

"Can you sign these books?"

"Sure."

"You're very good."

"Thanks. Can you hold my jacket?"

After that it was a blur as I realized I was standing there holding Clive Barker's jacket. (This was when he was "the next big name in horror" of course.) It took all my willpower not to sacrifice the autographs and run away with his coat.

I've been conversing with a best selling author regulary now---She calls when she has time and I just listen mostly...but she has given me a lot of insight, asks questions and offers advice, but I would never expect her to get me through any door.

The safest thing to do is to act like they're not a big deal, even if you and the rest of the world feel they are. Be cool. Minus the success, they're no different than you or anyone else.

The Grift said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that most authors, especially best-selling ones, who have half-decent lawyers/agents/publishers are pretty much barred from reading any unpublished material. That means that a best-selling author probably couldn't help you get your foot in any doors as they could not read or reccomend your material.

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Yes, most agents and all literary attorneys strongly discourage their clients from reading unpublished work -- at least until it's reached the ARC stage.

And, no, the bestselling author could not help you get your foot in any door, most likely. Despite what you may have heard, there isn't a bit of truth in the "you have to know somebody to get published" BS. And, believe me, both agents and editors can get mighty resentful if they're confidently told, "You're going to love this author and his/her work!"

Prawn said:

I guess I am expecting too much, but it both exciting and frustrating to be near so many people who have gotten their books in print.

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And those people will be eternally grateful to you if you don't ask them to read something, or introduce you to someone, or -- God help them -- tell you how to get published.

As others have said, be courteous, and friendly -- and if you want them to remember you in future, it helps to have actually read some of their work and be able to offer a brief comment. Something like, "I loved the twist at the end of bla-bla." Or, "Character X in bla-bla reminded me so much of my Uncle Jack, it was fun spending time with him."

Something like that. Not a generic, "I love your work," because that's usually code for I-never-heard-of-you-before-but-please-tell-me-the-secret-to-getting-published.

Bestsellers hear that. A lot.

kimmi said:

I've been conversing with a best selling author regulary now---She calls when she has time and I just listen mostly...but she has given me a lot of insight, asks questions and offers advice, but I would never expect her to get me through any door.

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Wow. How do you get in that door? I'd love that!

*standing around the watercooler smoozing at work and cellphone rings. Glances at the caller ID*

"I've got to take this. It's Stephen King." *flip* "Hey, Steve, how's it going?"

That would be so cool.

Authors are authors not publishers or agents, don't expect them to open any publishing doors for you. Your books live or die on their own merits not what other authors think of them.

I had a few email conversations with Douglas Adams, we just talked about writing in general. Not once did I even consider asking him, "Will you read my work?" Wasn't his job. Besides even if he loved it, it wouldn't have mattered as far as the big picture was concerned because he didn't have the power to publish it.

There isn't a way. The whole scenario intimidates la merde out of me.

The list of people with whom this has played out includes Kurt Vonnegut, William Styron, Ray Bradbury, Anthony Burgess, and John Irving and Raymond Carver, both of whom I took classes from. Tracy Kidder I was a co-student with, met him again a couple of years ago, and it was intimidating. It's hard to feel comfortable amid such idols when you've been utterly, galactically, unsuccessful at the writing endeavor.

In the U.K., some 15 years ago or so, I lived within walking distance of E. M. Forster's house, used to jog past it four or five times a week. That was intimidating. The jog took me for a mile or so on a footpath along the south shore of the Thames, right where Jerome K. Jerome and his two buddies from Three Men in a Boat punted on their hilarious holiday. That intimidated me. That particular town, by specific mention, was destroyed by H. G. Wells's Martians in The War of the Worlds.

That really intimidated me.

caw

Shadow_Ferret said:

Wow. How do you get in that door? I'd love that!

*standing around the watercooler smoozing at work and cellphone rings. Glances at the caller ID*

"I've got to take this. It's Stephen King." *flip* "Hey, Steve, how's it going?"

That would be so cool.

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See, if you knew him you would be aware that all his friends call him "The 'Ven" or just "Ven." It's a thing we have.

I work with bestselling authors (and some not so bestselling) as part of my day job. You wanna know the secret? They're JUST LIKE REAL PEOPLE! Some of them are friendly, and love to chat, and some of them are complete assholes who I would wish dead, were I not afraid of tempting karma in that regard.

If you have a chance to meet them, say hello. If you liked their work, say so. If you liked their reading, say so. If you're stymied, ask them if its their first time in your town, or how they're enjoying their visit. Make a little small talk and you'll quickly get a feeling as to whether you should offer to buy them a drink or if you should just fade into the wallpaper...

If you're only doing it to get your foot in some fabled door, though, forget it. As others have said, you stand or fall on your own merits...

willietheshakes said:

I work with bestselling authors (and some not so bestselling) as part of my day job. You wanna know the secret? They're JUST LIKE REAL PEOPLE!

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Like hell they are. Real people, like my neighbors Bill Lasher and Ken Rice, couldn't write a book that shows up in dozens in every Borders and B&N in the country, and gets translated into twenty languages, to save their lives.

Sort of like me.

caw

By them a drink. I'm serious. Heck buy them two! My friend who has been to lots of these conferences and befriended many authors, always suggests hanging out in the bar of the hotel that the conference is taking place at, because after all the signings and book readings, that's where people congregate. And then just hang, just chat, basically what everyone has already advised you to do. Just enjoy being in the company of some very interesting and intelligent people and having good conversation. (I say this like any of this is easy, it does take some serious guts and my friend is incredibly brave, so got to admire that!)

Johnzakour I can't believe you chatted with my patron saint, I am SO jealous!

A friend of mine spent an entire convention evening chatting with Larry Niven about microbrew beer & tobacco as they drank craft-brewed beer & stuffed their pipes. Though music made an occasional appearance, writing didn't. Still, I bet Niven would remember that conversation.

I'm a natural chatter, & just strike up conversations with people at events, under the assumption "we're all stuck on the same leaky ship," which more often than not makes for lively happy banter. I find I'm safer if I have no idea who the hell they are when I start -- I was literally dumbstruck once to find the nice old guy I was talking to was Fritz Leiber.

willietheshakes said:

you stand or fall on your own merits...

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Dam.

caw

I've met Ben Bova, William F. Nolan, Bruce Holland Rogers, Bob Boze Bell, Bob Mayer, Stephen Mertz...the list goes on and on.

I asked every single one of them for their advice to a writer who wanted to get published. Every single one of them was helpful and interested in sharing tips, suggestions, work ethic, etc. I asked them how they started and got to hear about their struggles and triumphs.

What I never did, at any time, was ask them to look at anything I'd written, unless they offered to or asked me how they could help me in terms of my writing. Yes, some of them did indeed offer that -- and their advice was very helpful.

My RWA chapter is loaded with published authors. They're all wonderful people, but they, like the other authors, are also real people. And they also are very willing to share advice. They're also really willing to share a laugh, a drink, an appetizer or a dessert.

Writers, even hugely successful ones, are real people. Treat them as you'd want to be treated and you'll be fine.