Looking Back on My First Book Fair

tyunglebower ♦ October 2, 2024 ♦ 2 Comments

A few days short of one month ago, I had my first ever author booth at book fair. It was the Love Books Festival, in Lovettsville, Virginia. With the passage of that month, and some time to let the experience sink in, I’m now ready to offer some overall thoughts on what it was like.

I have to start with a disappointment specific to the event itself. It was the first time this group attempted an event of this nature, but there was little to no communication with the authors. It was a first for me too, but other than my name on a tiny place card on the table in the gymnasium, I had no guidance. I just carried in my stuff at set it up.

Nobody from the event ever came round to introduce themselves or ask if we, the authors needed anything. I didn’t happen to need anything, but not being asked made me feel like a number on auto pilot.

It was my first time ever creating a display of this nature. I’d say given my budget, I managed it well.

Sadly, I sold only a single book. It wasn’t;t even my most recent book.

Part of it was probably the newness of the event, for everyone not just me. Nevertheless there were a nice stream of people for most of the afternoon. And I did get a few nibbles, but only the one sale.

I left about 30 minutes early.

The guy two tables away from me literally was calling people into his booth in a hard sell. “Hey you with the red shirt, you like rocks? Come here, want you to see something.”

Gauche, in my opinion. But even if that is the expectation, that was never going to be me. My books don’t invite themselves well to such a pitch in the first place, even if I didn’t find that approach obnoxious.

Half of the venders were selling kids books. Far be it from me to claim expert marketing knowledge, but in my mind, kids books and adult books should be at separate fairs, or in the very least separate rooms at the same fair. The nature of the customer and the author differs substantially, and I hypothesize having so many kids running around looking for free stuff looks away at least some of the oxygen from adult-book authors who might otherwise have found themselves in useful conversation with potential buyers.

Or one another. As it stood, my neighbor on one side never showed, and almost none of the other authors made rounds to other tables, so I met nobody.

Overall, while I was technically not as adrift in a glut of authors and books at this fair as I am on the internet, I still felt quite alone and unseen. Worse, I can think of no approach that would change this, beyond not having kids present, and that is speculation at this point.

If I did this again anywhere, I believe I will look for a category specific book fair. A fantasy fair, where people are at least looking for the sort of tale I have written in most cases. They may not buy it, but I bet that a fair dedicated to a genre would encourage more people to take time at every table, whereas an open fair for all genres (that were not even clumped together as far as I could tell) leaves too much to chance.

Otherwise, if I ever manage to swing an individual appearance at an event, where I am the author present specifically.

I won’t say I regret going to the Love Books Festival, exactly. And I am well aware that any such event can be hit or miss. But in the case of my first time trying, I don’t think the investment came anywhere near being worth the return, unless. At least not outside of, “get the first time out of the way.”

I wouldn’t have approached my presence any other way, if I had to do this all over again. I just wonder if, in hindsight, this was the best inaugural book fair for me and my work.