I Booked Two Author Events for Last Weekend… Here’s How They Went

If you’re wondering why I didn’t post on this blog last weekend, it’s because I did something new. I booked two author events for the weekend. I was a little worried about how it would go, and I wanted to make sure I was really well prepared, so I didn’t plan my post ahead of time. 

Today, I’d like to share with you how I feel things went last weekend, as well as what I would like to do better next time. 

Saturday
Last Saturday, I booked another signing event at the Barnes & Noble in Sugarhouse, Salt Lake City. I’ve had another signing there, and I’ve heard that other authors do pretty well in that location. I was a little nervous about going back to that location, partly because I have heard that other authors have done well, but my last signing at that location yielded only six or so book sales in two hours. 

I honestly had a great time at this location. I was grateful for the staff for being so welcoming and for providing me with two tables to accommodate all the books I brought (I brought all ten of my published works with me). I had some truly incredible conversations with new friends, sold another six books, talked with some wonderful readers about potential book club opportunities, and had a handful of new people sign up for my email list. All in all, I felt it was a successful event, and I was incredibly grateful that - despite my lower than usual book sales for an event like this - I had such a good time. Plus, I was able to bring my husband and kiddo along, and the staff was so patient with them running around the store while I worked at my table.

Sunday
On Sunday, I attended a book fair as a vendor/author for the first time. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect, and I was a little worried that things wouldn’t work out, because I hadn’t done an event like this before. I have got to say, I was pleasantly surprised. Even walking up to the building, I wasn’t certain I was going the right way, parking in the right place, or even entering through the correct door. This was not due to a lack of information provided by the host. Honestly, the host gave me everything I needed - including a heads up that the air conditioning was out and that they recommended bringing a personal fan to accompany their air conditioning solutions. It was all my anxiety about trying something this new and this big. 

I was able to get set up fairly quickly, and because I brought my own table and requested a 6x6 space, I had plenty of room to spread out my displays. I think I might start requesting that I bring my own table to other book signings as well, because having such a large table for all of my works made a huge difference in how easy it was to set things up. 

Now for the part that I really enjoyed: talking with people. Thanks to my awesome sister who came with me and worked my booth with me, I was able to wander around a little bit and talk with other vendors and authors, and I was able to make connections with some really cool people. I think my walking around and talking with people ultimately helped my book sales, as well, which was really cool. I was surprised to find that my poetry sold the best out of all of my books. I ended up coming back home with only two copies left! 

I can definitely see myself doing things like this again in the future (booking multiple events in a row, or at least close together, AND working more fair-type situations). I learned a lot and took a lot of notes about things I would like to implement for my own growth (namely a banner to go behind my table, paper bags to send with readers when they purchase from me, a bookshelf for my displays, etc). I also need to stock up on more bookmarks, especially for Bound!

Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this journey. I appreciate all of your support and patience as I learn and grow! 

If you liked this post, or are interested in reading more writing-related content, check back next weekend! Until then, have a great week!