When Book Events Go Wrong

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you’re all having a great week. I once spent four days at a Con (including travel, hotel, meals, plus Con expenses) and sold one book. One. It was brutal-but also one of my most educational experiences I’ve had. Book Events and Conventions are the best way to meet readers and sell your books. There’s no denying, if you’re an author, the best way to engage your fans is to attend book events and conventions. People might tell you there are other ways, and they may be correct, however most authors will concede engaging at events is the top way to reach and build a readership. So, what happens after you’ve researched the best book events and cons for you to attend, spent the time and money to travel, and ensured you have your books (in some cases ordering more books) and ‘poof’ you don’t sell anything? Or, readers for your books aren’t there? What do you do? How do you justify doing an event again? You had huge expanses, and you had next to no return. How do you overcome such an awful experience?

The short answer is you don’t.

The Long answer (and better way to evaluate the event) is you focus on the experience. Let me explain.

Each event you go to is boiled down into did I sell books? And, did I make my money back? But there’s more to a successful con than book sales (I know crazy right). Here are ways I look at events where I didn’t sell anything:

  1. Allow yourself to be upset, hurt, and angry. Feel all your feelings, but don’t take out your frustration on others. This is difficult, I know. But denying yourself the moment to vent (privately) will do more harm than good.

  2. When you’re at the event and you notice sales are going to be bad (and you can always tell within the first day of a multi-day event or the first couple of hours of a single day event), practice different elevator pitches for your book or books. (don’t have an elevator pitch for your book, you need one and I did a whole separate article on the topic you should check out). Use the downtime to audit your display- is it cluttered? Are your Book Inserts clear and useful (Book Inserts are a snapshot of your book’s genre, heat level, series number, type of story, etc.)? You can learn a lot about your book display by observing other vendors. If you’re around other authors, see what they’re doing? Look at how they display their books. Listen to how they speak about their books? If you’re not selling, then spend time absorbing and learning (this never stops, even if you’ve been doing events for years, there is always something to learn).

  3. Use this opportunity to try different ways to sell and market your book. Maybe put together a book bundle to drive sales:

    Offer any two books for ‘x’ amount of money. Giving folks a discount

    Offer a series at a lower price

    Do you have a book you want to get rid of, maybe offer the novel as a freebee?

  4. Next up, talk to the other vendors, get to know them (especially if they are other authors) ‘dead’ events are a great place to network and build relationships. The down time gives you a chance to compare notes and ask questions. If you’re having a bad selling event, chances are so are they, so talk (avoid venting publicly-save those moments for private) to them and ask questions:

    Have you been to this event before?

    Is it always this quiet?

    I really like your display. How did you do it? Where did you get your racks from? Where can I find a banner like that? I love your bookmarks; did you create them or have them created for you?

    Talk about their books and listen to what they have to say.

    If you like their cover, ask about their cover artist (even if you are with a publisher and they have an in-house cover artist, you can still get the name).

  5. If you’re at the event alone and you can’t walk around, you can still chat with the surrounding folks, which brings me to my next point.

  6. Walk around the vendor's room at the con/event, if you have someone with you who can watch your books and your booth. This will give you opportunity to network with other vendors. Chatting up others is a great way to get a feel for the conference and you might hear about other events you may be interested in attending. It may also drive some sales to your booth as folks talk about the really cool author they met.

  7. At most cons/events, there will be various media walking about, they will often stop by and chat with you. This is a great time to talk up your books and to talk a bit about why you wrote your novels (don’t do an info dump on them, have your elevator pitch ready to use, if they want to learn more they will ask follow up questions). Often times the media are looking for people to interview or who will be willing to write an article for them. Almost every event (good sales or bad) I’ve been approached by a Vlogger/Blogger or traditional media who want to interview me. I would have never gotten the opportunity if I wasn’t at the event, so keep that in mind when you want to pack up your books and go home.

  8. Another opportunity for a bad selling con is to use the event as a Marketing/PR experience. You can use your social media to hype up the event and your attendance. Post images of you sharing news about the con (be positive in your posts, do not use your social media to blast the con and attendees for not buying your books.). Remember to tag the con and your publisher. If you are taking pictures with others, tag them. It may not sell any of your books right now, but you’re creating a buzz and by being positive and sounding like you’re having a great time the con may share your post and so might the other people you’ve tagged, which gets more eyes on you and your novels, which could lead to more sales. Also, by using your social media to promote the event you’re at, other potential cons/book events might take note of how you promoted the current event and invite you to be a vendor at their event.

  9. Get to know the Con/Event staff. Chances are if your sales are down and foot traffic is light, they know. Again, avoid venting about the event, however as you talk with the staff/volunteers it’s a great place to ask questions; Is the con/event always this slow? How is the con/event going to get more folks here in the future? Are there any panels I can join (you’d be surprised at how many speakers back out for one reason or another leaving a panel with an open spot)? The friendlier you are with the staff/volunteers and the more you chat them up, the more they will see what they can do to help you out and get you on any open panels (assuming there are panels at the con you are suited for).

  10. Most importantly after the con/book event provide feedback. Offer suggestions on improving the event for next year. People will listen to constructive critiques, but will shut down when they feel attacked. The more positive feedback you can offer (with suggestions on improving the event) the better your input will be received.

There are several other ways you can evaluate a low-performing book event, but the reality is you need to decide was the event, overall, worth it for you? And that is a call each individual needs to make for themselves. The information above is provided as additional ways to evaluate a book event/conference where you had next to no sales. Keep in mind some events aren’t known as large sale events, you go to them and participate for many of the reasons listed above and remember even a no-sale event can plant the seeds of future success-if you know were to look.

That’s what I have for this week. I hope it helps. Until next time have a great week.

Events (What you didn’t know, you need to know)

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Well, we’ve done it. We are back to attending local and distant events. It’s been wonderful to get out there and see people, make contacts, sign and sell books, and have fun. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been to a few local events with plans for more to come. Today, I wanted to talk about all the things authors need to know, when we plan for, and go to events. 

These are some fun pics from the events I’ve been at. 

As some of you may know, in my former life I did international and domestic events for a high-tech company. It was fun, but it’s a lot of work. So today I thought I would share what I’ve learned and forgotten about doing an in-person event. Keep in mind this is my experience, so what works for me may not work for you and your group. That said, look at all this information as suggestions and tips and tricks to help you out. 

Congratulations! You’ve decided to get back out there and go to a local book event, festival, book signing, etc. Here are some things to plan for and consider. 

Pre-Event: 

  • Create a Check List!!!!!!

  • Get yourself some business cards

  • Make a bookmark with all your social media info on it (you can use this as a free giveaway)

  • Depending on where you live and what you are doing, ensure you have a business license. This is important and easy to get from your local government. Also, depending on the city you are going to, you may need to get a seller’s permit for the day of the event. Some festivals will help you with this, but most don’t and it’s up to you to ensure you have everything you need in case the event management staff come by and ask you to show proof. It’s a pain in the butt, but a necessary evil. Luckily this doesn’t cost a lot, it’s more of a time suck.

  • Get yourself some bins or boxes to carry your books and all your stuff?

  • Get yourself a trolley or a cart so you can easily bring everything to your booth in one trip. Don’t have a cart get something like this (click here).

  • If you have a newsletter? Bring something so folks can sign-up to join.

  • When it comes to payments, people are leaning more towards Venmo and PayPal. Make sure you have QR Codes (you can get this from their apps, download the app if you haven’t already) for people so they can scan and pay you.

  • People use cash, so make sure you can make change.

  • Get yourself a cashbox or a flip binder to keep the cash in (or your pocket works too).

  • Keep your book pricing simple. Round up to the nearest dollar so you don’t have to fuss with change. Also, price your books to include tax so you don’t have to figure that out. For example, I sell my books at $15 and $20 and this price includes tax.

  • If you plan on taking credit cards, make sure you have everything you need to do that (Square works well and works with your cell phone, so it’s easy).

  • If you don’t have one, create an elevator pitch about your writing and your books. Here is an example of mine:

M.D. Neu is an award-winning Queer author of Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal stories who wants to tell epic tales that reflect our diverse world.

All stories are based on ‘What ifs’

All stories take place in the Bay Area

All stories have a diverse cast of characters

 Now for your Books:

  • Okay, so here’s the thing I’ve learned. You won’t have any idea what people will want to read, so if you are going to be there on your own, take all your books (5–10 of each depending on how many books you offer). If you have a book series, bring more of the first book in the series because folks will buy that (and maybe all the books in the series, but typically they will start with book one). Now also regarding your books, if you are going as part of a group, think about the others who will be there. You don’t want to be a space hog, so make sure you don’t make the group space all about you and your books. As authors, we need to support each other and help one another. A potential reader may not be interested in what you write, but they may really love something that the others in your group write, so talk them up. Because what goes around comes around and you’ll want them to do the same for you.

  • If you are going to a specific type of festival or conference, bring books that are in that genre, but bring some of your other works as well because people read more than one kind of book. 

Your Booth:

  • When displaying your books, invest in some book stands. Here is a link where you can find tons of different types get what fits your budget and will work for you. As part of the book display, invest in a tablecloth (or bring one from home) solid colors work best.

  • For each of your books, create a slip sheet that you can stick into the top of the book for folks to read (about a sentence or two), this way they don’t have to read the back cover if they don’t want to. This should be a teaser. Something to get them interested, but not bog them down. Here is an example of one of mine:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. The events of his past are finally behind him. But, true magic is gradually taking hold in the world and nothing in the Immortal community is what he thought. Now enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? What does this mean for witches, immortals, and humans?

  • Depending on the setup (if you are going to be outside) bring a canopy. Being out in the sun all day is rough and you’ll appreciate the shade. If you’re inside, a canopy can be a nice way to stand out.

  • If you have a banner or can get one, bring it, but you will also need twine or rope to hang it up (assuming that’s allowed).

  • A free-standing banner or sign is a nice marketing piece to have if it’s in your budget, but you don’t need one.

  • Swag. People love free stuff. You probably can’t bring candy or food (check with the event organizers) but buttons, pens, bookmarks, business cards, cards with a free download of your book, info cards about you and your books, you’ll be surprised what people will pick up and take away.

  • Clipboard. You want it to be easy for people to sign up for your newsletter.

  • Pens. Lots of pens (see the above about people taking stuff) It’s even better if your pens are branded.

  • If you plan on giving away anything or hold a contest, have a flyer with that information. You should put it into a plastic stand of its own so it doesn’t get messed up and people can easily see it.

Additional Items to make your long day better:

  • Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You’re going to be on your feet 8–10 hours, so you want to be comfy.

  • Bring water and snacks. If you are there on your own, you’ll want to come prepared, even if you go with a group water and snacks are a big plus.

  • Bring a box, bag, or bin with these things; pens, pencils, tape, larger binder clips (to keep your table cloth from blowing away), paperclips, notepad, labels to price your books, extension cord (in case you can plug in for power), bandages, aspirin or Tylenol, markers, and any other small thing you think you may or may not need.

  • Smile and talk to people. This is hard, especially after a long day, but people won’t come up and talk to you if you aren’t engaging with them or smiling. Think about when you go to a store. Do you go up to clerks who aren’t smiling or look like they are too busy to ‘see’ you? You want to present as open and as welcoming persona as you can. Practice in the mirror. Trust me, it’ll help.

  • Be prepared to talk to media. Create a press kit for yourself on the off chance the media stops by and wants to chat. This does happen, so be prepared. Not sure what to put in a media kit check out this page here, this is what I have in mine.

  • We all want to sell all our books, but prepare yourself for the reality that you might not sell any books. This happens, which sucks, especially after all the money and effort you put into the event. Take a breath and remember you are doing this for the exposure.

  • Bring a charging rod or brick for your cell phone (especially if you are going to use your devise to take payments).

If you are going with a group of authors here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Try to set up shifts (2 – 3 hours) and have no more then 4 or 6 people in and around the booth at any one time. You don’t want it to look crowded. Sometimes having two people in the booth and two people outside the booth to talk to people works well.

  • Have an elevator pitch for each of the authors who are going to be in the booth so you have a cheat sheet for when you are talking to potential readers.

  • Break down all the books by genre and not by author (unless you want to) this way you can direct people to the genre they like to read and that way they can see all the book on offer.

  • Use your time outside the booth to go around and talk to other authors or vendors. Or go and get some food. Breaks are nice and it’s good to get away from the booth, if you can.

  • Don’t be selfish, you are there to as part of a team, put in the same amount of effort you want others to put in for you. If you need a break fine take it, if you don’t like talking to people, then see what else you can do to help. If you are there and only taking up space then consider doing your next event solo, because no one will want to do another event with you.

  • On the flipside, don’t make yourself a nuisance and don’t make the booth all about you. Step back and give others a chance to spotlight their work and talk to people. When you are in a group setting you all need to be there to support one another.

  • Most importantly come early and help set up, or if you can’t come early plan on staying late to help tear down and clean up. This really helps out.

This is not by any means a complete list of do’s and don’ts. What works for me may not work for you and all events are different. The above info is to help you think through all that goes into an event. They can be a lot of fun, but they are a lot of work (both before, during, and after) I hope this information helps, until next time, have a great week and Happy Pride 2022.