Andrea Day brings local authors and community together in Fort Collins | Q&A
Andrea Day started out as a bookseller at Old Firehouse Books and transformed into the full-time events and social media coordinator. Old Firehouse Books is located in Old Town, Fort Collins. Day and I talked over the phone during their lunch break this past Friday. We talked about their time at Old Firehouse Books and everything that they do to bring their love for books and the community together.
Q: Old Firehouse Books does a lot with local authors and getting their name out there, how important is it that the author connects with the community?
A: We always tell authors that it’s super important for them to get into the community. Especially, if they’re trying to do events and that kind of thing. There’s only so much that bookstores can do. We try, of course, to have them on our shelves and post about them to get the word out there.
The truth is that authors are their best hypemen. So, it’s super important for authors to connect with the community, meet people who will start reading their book, and will also tell others to read their book. It’s that word-of-mouth in stories that’s so important. Bookstores can do a lot but there’s so much in our store that can be overwhelming. So when you meet the author it helps, because you’re able to connect with them.
Q: Do you see a lot of the same faces at your events?
A: There are changes because a lot of our events appeal to different genres. Within those genres, there are a lot of the same people who are really interested in Sci-Fi. I know the mystery authors we’ve had, there’s like a core group of mystery lovers who come to every event. There are definitely some faces that we see, but it does change around as well.
Q: How many events have you put on?
A: So, we only started doing our events this year, about a couple of weeks ago. So the ones that I’ve done myself, have only been about two. But before, I was helping with other ones, and that was over 10, a lot of them. We do stop our events in November and then start them up again in January and February, just to get through the holiday season.
Q: What does planning those events look like?
A: The events industry in books is kind of weird. There are multiple ways that they can happen. With local authors, they will email us and we will send them a link that asks them what their book is about, do they have an audience, and that kind of thing. If we think that their book appeals to our audience or would work well for an event… We don’t want to host an event that is not going to do well.
One, because that would not be fair to the author and also, it would not be fair to the store. So we have to think through that, and we’ll go through that process for local authors. For authors that are published by Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Random House, that kind of publishing houses, there is a website that all booksellers have access to. For events specifically, the publishing houses will send out lists of authors that are going on tour, what the book is, what kind of event they want to host if tickets are required, and where they’re thinking of going. Sometimes it’s specific cities and sometimes it’s just West Coast.
We go through those lists which can range from five authors to 200 or 300 authors, and then we pick what authors we think would work well. Then we have to write up a paragraph or two explaining why we think we’re the store, we send that to the publishing house, and then it’s on them to decide who they want to pick.
Q: Who’s your favorite author that you’ve had in the store?
A: My favorite author of all time is V.E. Schwab who is a science fiction author, and they have come for an online event. In March, we are doing an event with Mark Oshiro, who is a YA middle-grade author, and I love their writing so much, so I’m excited for that one.
Q: What’s the difference between your in-person and your online events?
A: For in-person, you get to hear them talk live and in person. There’s a signing portion after an interview, or they read. It’s just more interactive because you’re in person, you’re there. Online, still works. We normally stream it to Facebook, and then the author is interviewed by another author. At the end, there’s still a Q&A but it’s just Facebook comments on the live. So, there’s still that interaction with the author, but I think that you’re not as connected to them.
Q: Do you host any other events?
A: We are starting to. Last year, we hosted a Pride night where we put out a lot of Pride books. We also hosted a D&D night, where we got all of our D&D materials out and people meeting each other and seeing if they could get together for groups. We’re starting to work with the Lyric, and we’re going to start doing a creative writing monthly event. So, people can come together and start writing. That’s in the works now.
We’re also working with, I don’t know if you’ve heard of The Art Mart Fort Collins, but they’ve done art shows at Alleycat, and they do stuff for First Friday. They’re going to have a show where these writers and artists come together to create a joint piece of work, and we’re going to present it at the store. So, we’re trying to start working more with local artists and writers as well.
Q: What is your favorite part about hosting events like these?
A: I, personally, love two things. I really love meeting the authors, they’re always lovely people. Especially, in person, just because it’s not the same as meeting them online, so I love meeting them in person. I also really love when people come and they’re super excited about an author. We had an event with Olivia Blake, who is the author of The Atlas Six, and she got to meet people who had tattoos of her books. The enthusiasm is so great to see, and it’s nice to see that like I made this happen. I’m so glad that people are excited about it and want to be here. It just brings me joy that what I’m doing is making people happy.
Q: How do people find out about these events?
A: You can always find out about all of our events on our website. We have a calendar, and that will be the easiest way to find everything. We do also post everything on our Instagram and Facebook.
Q: As a reader yourself, are there any events in Fort Collins that you do not miss?
A: We partner with Fort Collins Reads, where Fort Collins will pick a book that the city can read all together, and we’ll sell it at Old Firehouse at a discounted rate. Normally, at the end of the year, they will bring the author in to speak about the book and then you can get signed copies at the end as well. We partner with them and it’s just really fun because you can hear the author speak. There’s Book Fest, which is happening right now, and it’s a full month… and it’s all over the city. There’s been a ton at the library, we’re hosting a Book Fest tonight at the store. Those two I think should definitely be on readers' radars in Fort Collins.
Q: Do you have any advice for readers that want to get more involved in a book-loving community?
A: I know this is probably cliche advice, but joining a book club is a really good idea. I know that there are a lot that could be the same, but there are also a lot of different ones throughout Fort Collins. We have one at the store called The F’d Up Book Club, and it’s horror reads or just things that you wouldn’t normally read about. I know one of our employees hosts it, her name is Teresa, and she picked a book about death and how it was approached in different cultures. So, it’s that kind of line of reading.
Ginger and Baker also have one, I know a couple of businesses in Old Town do. It’s a great way to meet people and talk about books. But also going to Fort Collins reads, going to Book Fest, is a good idea. There’s also creative writing. Bean Cycle has poetry reading every first Friday, so just looking for those artistic spaces.
Conclusion: Andrea Day loves bringing people together to celebrate their love of reading with one another. They believe that it’s important that authors get their names out there and connect with their readers.
