How to Sell Your Books In Person

     If I could go back in time to the first time I was selling books and tell myself only a couple things...boy oh boy, I would. My very first vendor event was an outdoor market in December. Where I'm from, we start getting snow on the ground as early as late November and it was FREEZING. I believe the high for that day was 37 degrees. As a former Girl Scout, I always tried to come prepared so I had thought to bring a blanket, but only one.

     I have the best husband who agreed to sit with me during this winter market and I thought I was ready. I had bought my sign, I had my little card reader, camping chairs, I was ready to go! I don't know if you've ever sold at a market but they usually last 6 to 8 hours on average. I remember we were running a little late but the market was a whole downtown area and we had to park a couple blocks away. It was no biggie but I remember I was so STRESSED. My first piece of advice to someone new selling in person would be to always show up at least 45 minutes before the actual event. This gives you some buffer time for traffic and any hiccups that will occur, because trust me, they do!

     So I had brought a winter hat, toboggan and one blanket but I did not bring gloves. Logan, my husband, luckily had found a set of gloves in his truck (thank goodness) but we ended up sharing the one blanket I had brought! So the first thing I would tell myself to go back in time is to buy a heater and bring gloves for outdoor events. I also did not take into account the WIND. There were times I would have to hold down my outdoor tent to keep it from blowing away! My next piece of advice would be to go on Amazon and buy tent weights because holding down a tent for 8 hours is NOT it.

 (Pictured: Me at my first winter show market back in 2022)

        Looking back, I'm still super proud of my first show. I had brought ten books and I sold them all and I was ecstatic! I think the online space can sometimes make us compare ourselves to established authors or sellers but I just was so excited that anyone wanted to buy my book. 

      I've learned a ton after doing multiple shows and I think my advice for new authors would be: Just have fun and come more prepared than you thought! I love meeting people who love Mothman and sharing that love with me. I love meeting people who are into cryptids and telling me stories about them.  I love when people give me ideas for new books or tell me they've seen my books at their local bookstore. 

     I really would encourage any new author to just get out there and meet your audience. It can be nerve racking and time consuming but in the end, it's all about meeting your audience and possibly fans of your work!