As a self-published author, you must learn to self-promote, which is especially hard when most of us are die-hard introverts! After all, who else but an introvert would spend hours on their own inventing stories?
This is why I put on my extrovert hat and ventured forth to The Oxford Indie Book Fair to show off my book, Beast Be Gone, for the first time in person. I learned a lot from my adventure, and I thought it might be helpful to write up my experience for other aspiring authors, too. So, without further ado, here are my Top 10 Things I Learned From Selling At My First Book Fair…
1 – Bring Obvious Bits
It’s worth making a checklist of all the obvious things to bring because you’re bound to forget something! Stuff like pens for signing, paper for notes, portable charger, snacks, tablecloth, and book stands are all easy to overlook.
The bookstands I bought (link here) were cheap and portable. Stacked on top of a pile of books, they added dynamic height without carrying a big shelf. Critical if you are car-less!
Bookmarks were also a must. I had some whipped up on Vistaprint pretty cheaply, and they even have a designing tool you can use. Bookmarks are a great way to connect with people on the fence about buying. However, I should have put on a discreet QR code with a unique redirect to track the success rate.
2 – The Right Stock
I brought waaaay too many books. A little optimistic on my part, and sadly, it broke the wheels on the suitcase! I sold 20 books, which I think was above average (I heard of other authors selling around 5 books). My sequel sold the least at only three copies. So, the first book in a series will likely sell at least four times as much as any sequel.
3 – Helpers Are Helpful
Luckily for me, my lovely partner came with me, and she was the perfect assistant! Running off to get me lunch and coffee, leaving me to sell sell sell. It’s also nice to have moral support and someone to help with carrying. Plus, I could go to the loo without worrying that I was abandoning ship.
4 – Finding Your Audience
As a fantasy author, I could spot the demographics that would be most interested in my fantasy fiction. Basically, the fun nerds! The people at that kind of book fair were generally less interested in fantasy, so perhaps I would do better at comic conventions. However, I did have a trick to find the right crowd…
5 – Lure Them In
I had a fabulous gimmick to attract customers: if they could roll a 20 on a 20-sided die (singular for dice, of course) they would win a free book. This was a BIG hit. It gave people a reason to stop, and then I could do my sales pitch. It also attracted people who like fantasy, who would immediately recognise the iconic ‘D20’ die from Dungeons and Dragons (or similar games). One person ran over after simply HEARING the die roll from afar. It added excitement to every encounter. It attracted the right crowd for my fantasy comedy book – Beast Be Gone.
There were almost 200 rolls, and I had 7 people win a book (maths will tell you I beat the odds). It was interesting to see people’s reactions, too. Some people were clearly in the market for a freebie and were indifferent to me. Fortunately, they didn’t win.
Each book costs me around £4 to print, but I think £28 was well worth it to attract 200 people! The people who did win may go on to leave reviews or buy the sequel.
I advise anyone looking to sell at a book fair or similar: have a lure. It should be fun and free. Bowls of sweets were popular, but I don’t think they helped. Try to think of a game or prize you can play that matches your genre. Like “Spot the Murderer in 10 Seconds” if you are in mystery, or “How Many Hershey Kisses Are in the Jar” if you are in romance.
Next time, however, I’ll bring disinfectant for the much-handled die.
6 – Gather Data
Counting the rolls was a good way to track my direct interactions. Bookmarks were a good marker (pun intended) of ‘maybes’. I gave them to people who I spoke to that seemed interested, but didn’t want to buy the book then and there. There’s a very good chance they won’t, but you never know.
I gave away 69 bookmarks, and 196 people rolled the dice, with 20 sales, which amounts to around a 10% success rate. We can imagine the bookmark takers are hard ‘maybe’s’, so that’s a 35% connection rate. The organisers said there were around 1500 visitors who attended the event. Therefore, I managed to sell to just over 1% of the visitors.
I don’t know how all this compares to other events and authors, but it’s a good future reference point!
7 – Location, Location, Location
My table was right by the entrance – but I don’t know if that was good or not. You would think that you could catch more people’s attention, but people often used the excuse that they had “only just arrived” and wanted to shop around rather than buy my book. I wonder if a different placement would change that. Perhaps people at the other end of the hall would be the last seen, and therefore, the customer’s decision would be clearer by then. I would need to experiment to really know!
8 – Don’t Miss Networking
I probably could have networked more with other authors. It is such a great opportunity to see what other people are doing and make connections. However, my dice game kept a constant stream of people coming, so I barely had a moment once the doors opened! The next time, I’ll probably feel more “at home” and will take a moment to speak with the other authors before the event starts.
9 – Have Proper Signage
The other author’s big banners looked really cool, so I may try to get one made for my next book fair. I just had a framed poster on an easel. Many people stopped to pick up my book and read the blurb, which was a little awkward to watch them read all 250 words. I think having a sign/banner with an abbreviated blurb for people to read from afar would be well worth it.
10 – Take All Payments
I thought needed a sign with the prices and payment types. However, people would still ask about the prices and if I took cash or card. Many simply expected me to take card payments. Luckily, I used the Zelle app on my phone, and it worked great. After an hour, I took down the price sign, which didn’t change anything. One less sign to worry about! It also meant I could reduce prices and make cheeky deals as appropriate.
Furthermore, the younger crowd was often interested in the book but didn’t want to spend money. Poor students can barely afford the heating bills, after all! I think next time, I will offer a sizable student discount. A sale is a sale!
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Anyway, that was everything I learned from my experience. I’m sure there is much more to discover in the world of book fairs… which I look forward to discovering! I hope it helps some of you out there, too.
If you are interested in A L Billington’s fantasy books, you can find a list of them here.
