I'm Learning To Be Better

Hi everyone! I hope your week is off to a great start!

Between Saturday, March 21st and Saturday, March 28th, I had three book signing events. In the span of that week, I had my record high number of book sales, and my record low number of book sales. Today, I wanted to break down my experience at each book event, the sales I made (or didn’t make), and what information I’ve gathered from all of it.

Saturday, March 21st - Smutty Book Bash

This was an event that included bookish vendors and romance authors of all kinds. I had my own table, took my own payments, and got to chat with an absolute amazing bunch of people.

This event was five hours (11AM - 4PM), and rather than bringing my entire list of published works, I brought Bound, Severed, and Twice in a Lifetime, as they would be the best to appeal to the audience in attendance. I also had my book banner for the Bound Trilogy, which really drew some eyes. 

This was an amazing event, and I got so close to selling out of Bound that I actually had my husband bring me more books halfway through. 

I sold a total of 36 books at this event (with my prior record high being 29) and got a whopping 20 new folks sign up for my email list. It was incredible.

Thursday, March 26th - Literacy Night at Venture Academy

For this book event, because it took place at a school and was targeted toward young readers, I brought all my children’s books, as well as Azure Light, Emerald Shadow, and Clairvoyance. All books that are appropriate for kiddos between the ages of 5 and 15.

I got to talk with lots of kids and parents, got a couple new sign ups for my email list, and even got so attention from older readers for the Bound Trilogy, even though I didn’t bring the books with me. 

I sold a total of six books at this event.

Saturday, March 28th - Book signing event at Park City Barnes & Noble

This was the tricky one. If you’re not new to this blog, you’ll know that I have done several book signings at Barnes and Noble, and I particularly love this location. The customers are kind of hit or miss, but the staff are absolutely amazing, supportive, and so friendly. 

At this event, the store was slow for a Saturday, and most customers who came in actively avoided talking with me. I did bring all of my books, which I know can look kind of overwhelming or intimidating to folks just coming in to browse, but I thought it was strange that I didn’t sell a single book. This is actually my first event EVER where this has happened.

Perhaps I used up all of my luck earlier on in the week, but there are some things that I think I’d like to do to tweak my system a bit. 

1. Less options (at least at first). I think from now on, I’ll promote my most recent or most popular books by displaying them on the table, then if I get other kinds of readers who aren’t interested in what I have displayed, I’ll pull out a portfolio they can flip through with the other books. I do think it’s still valuable to have some of my other stuff available to buy, but maybe I just don’t put it all out on the table.
2. Nicer display. I’ve seen a lot of really great table displays, and I know this is an area I can improve. Some things I’ve thought of are…

• Lighting. Whether it’s candles or twinkle lights, I need something to illuminate the table.
• Shelving. I’ve actually found that (at least for me) the tables that are most frequented are those that have a taller display. Not clear up to the ceiling tall, but something at about eye level.
• Author banner. I’ve got the book banner, and it doesn’t an AMAZING job of catching eyes, but I do know that it’s helpful for readers if they can see my information as well.
• Other things that I’m considering… 
• Having a digital email list sign up rather than a paper one (my husband tells me it’s too scary to ask people for their “signature”)
• Having some greenery on the table (plants, fake vines, something)

Do you have any thoughts, ideas, or recommendations? Let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me at [email protected]​