Saturday was the inaugural Author Fair in East Dundee. It was a fabulous opportunity to meet other authors and to connect with readers – including readers who didn’t even know Agatha Christie!
The fair was held on the grounds of a reproduction depot. The original depot was torn down when the railroad was abandoned in the 1970s. With the railway land repurposed as the Fox River Bike Trail, a new depot was built as an information center and way station for folks walking or biking the trail. It’s super cute and hosts many community events on its grounds.
While quite hot, there was plenty of wind, which was nice for keeping cool, but wreaked havoc on book displays. Stickers with poetry quotes from the author next to us frequently went flying, and our display blew over once, too.
People were very interested in chatting about books, however, which was great fun. Lots of history enthusiasts and a few mystery readers as well. But I have to tell you about this one woman we met because I think it speaks a lot about finding readers where they are.
She had already bought a book of poetry from one of the other tables, so we knew she was a reader. When Don asked her if she liked Agatha Christie, she said she had never heard of her. Never. Heard. Of. Agatha. Christie.
So Don followed up with “Did you see the movie A Haunting in Venice? Yes? That’s based on an Agatha Christie book.” The woman was surprised.
“How about Death on the Nile?”
“I love that movie!
“That’s also from another Agatha Christie book.”
“Get out!” She was completely floored and couldn’t stop laughing.
We talked some more, and she walked away with our annotated e-book version of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I told her that she was lucky. If she liked this first book, there were 66 more in her future!
Readers often discuss how much they like – or more often, dislike – the recent adaptations of Agatha Christie’s work. Sure, I am a purist. But I also see value in finding a connection with today’s reader that speaks to them where they are today. Then we can seduce them into becoming lifelong Christie fans!
As part of our own campaign to win new Christie readers, we are nearing the publishing date of our annotated version of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. To celebrate Ackroyd‘s 100th anniversary, we are incorporating the words and references from Agatha Annotated right on the page as you read the story for super easy access. Coming soon!