Market Time!

Writers are cursed.

I say this because there is an unavoidable conflict between what they want to do and what they have to do.

What they want to do is write. What they have to do is sell.

Marketing represents all the things most writers don’t want to do. I’m not talking about the introvert stereotype here, though I’m sure it’s true for some. It’s the fact that you have to sell yourself, constantly, all the time.

And if you’re taking the author-published route as opposed to being traditionally published, then all the marketing and advertising and whatnot falls squarely on your shoulders. You’re writing copy, designing adverts, maybe even creating videos for TikTok or Instagram, and setting up booths at conventions.

All that energy that could be going to your next frickin’ book.

Don’t get me wrong, conventions are great. But spending hours behind a table can get a bit lonely. So it always pays to be a good neighbour to those sitting on either side of you.

One of these was a young couple with homemade crafts for sale. The woman was an artist who used an iPad for drawing (I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab), so we were able to talk a bit about that.

The other was another author, Konn Lavery. And I gotta say, when I saw his table setup, I took notes.

That banner setup behind him? Brilliant. And he didn’t just have a tablecloth, he had a banner for the front of the table as well. You know why those are important? See my picture up top and how it’s cropped? This is why:

Yeah, nothing says professional like a discarded pizza box next to your book storage… yeesh.

Konn and I chatted a fair bit during the day. Mostly talking shop. He’s been at this a lot longer than I have. Even his website is polished to a shine.

Seriously, go have a look: Konn Lavery Canadian Vancouver-Based Horror & Dark Fantasy Author

So how did the whole bookselling thing go? Well, I was able to pay off the cost of my table and maybe another 50 bucks on top of that. The last time I did this (over a decade ago) I didn’t even pay off my table. I call that a win.

The best part of the experience, however, was when people actually recognized me. Most of these were people I knew online in one way or another, but getting a chance to meet them in person was great. And there was at least one person who had come to see me based on word of mouth.

Add on top of that being able to talk to Konn during the slow periods and it made for a pretty good experience.

I might not care for selling myself, but I do like getting to know people.