Shai August's Blog

6 Red Flags From Book Event Organizers

6 Red Flags From Book Event Organizers

There's one terrible thing about us authors; we walk around with a heart full of hope.

We drop a book and hope with no promotion, advertising, or marketing our book will become a number one bestseller.

We hope a Hollywood producer will stumble upon our book and turn it into a movie franchise.

We hope we get a million readers from one social media post.

We are full of hope sometimes unrealistically but it's there.

Sometimes our hope dies or is reduced, then we must do the hard work of marketing ourselves.

The reduction of this overwhelming hope is what finally forces us to get out of our writing caves or the coffee shops, and we start trying to do events.

My first event was a local market in the New Orleans area around 2021. I had just watched a contemporary of mine go viral and blow up on social media.

A friend was going to be vending at the market and I, in a fit of despair decided I needed to sell books face to face because obviously social media wasn’t working for me (Truth is, social media still doesn’t work for me; I’m terrible).

Turns out I love doing in-person events! I get to do the things I do best talk my ish.

These events could be anything from our local farmers markets to holiday markets, craft markets or even comic cons but the hardest events of them all is the author specific reader event.

I know for me I was almost scammed by an event organizer, and it was simply because I was trying to get out of doing events in the South.

I felt like I had over saturated this area by doing the same events year after year. It wasn't that my sales at these events were bad per se; it was just I was seeing mostly the same people.

I wanted to meet fresh readers, so I started searching. There are many groups where organizers and authors can post upcoming events. I found one that was in a part of the Midwest I'd never been too.

Here Are 6 Ways To Spot A Scam Event

 

 Red flag #1 ~ The venue or days and time change multiple times.

This event was in its initial planning stages so there was a Facebook group for authors and nothing else. At least two times that event location changed from one hotel to a different hotel, which meant that the times of the event changed too.

Back in the day, I worked at an event planning company, not as an event planner. I saw how they dissected hotels in spreadsheets comparing the tiniest differences in pros and cons.

 

Red flag #2 ~ The event organizer has no connection to the city or there is a one-person team.

Yes, professional organizers can plan multiple events in multiple cities, but a first-time author organizer doesn’t have that experience.

For this event, the author who was the organizer lived on the East Coast and as I mentioned this event is deep in the Midwest.

Which meant that the organizer would need to make multiple trips to the event site, and they never mentioned having a team of people working to make the event happen. There are stages to event management from Pre-event to On-site Operations to Post Event and all the steps in between.

 

Red flag #3 ~ The event logo (graphics) looked handmade.

When I say handmade I mean literally it looks like something children would create or leftovers from Microsoft Paint.

If they are not going to invest in professionally done graphics and logo then they aren’t going to spend your money wisely on the event and improving the readers’ experience.

Graphic design is the first impression readers will have of the event!

I let this logo go for the time being as I was assuming this was just a placeholder, but the longer the planning went on for the event the worse the graphics got.

I mentioned the graphics in the event group and the organizer ignored me.

When I mentioned my concerns via email, the organizer ONLY told me that “you can keep your opinions about graphics to yourself. I have been doing events for decades, and I do work with two graphic designers.”

 

Red flag #4 ~ The organizer will not share sales numbers for VIP or General Admission.

As I mentioned, I live in New Orleans, and I was going to the Midwest and not only that I was driving!

So, I sent a message asking simply, “Hey! What are the ticket sales numbers? I'm trying to plan how many books to bring.”

This is a very simple question! Most events/organizers will happily tell you “We sold half of our general admission tickets and ALL of our VIP tickets!”

OR

“We've sold a fourth of the tickets so far, but we have eight months left before the event. I’ll be running ads on social media channels starting six weeks before the event.”

OR

“We're five tickets away from fully sold out!”

However, this organizer didn’t say any of those. Instead, they went on the defensive. When they tell you nothing about sales, take it as a glaring red flag.

 

Red flag #5 ~ The organizer depends on you to spread the word via social media.

There is no push or ground game.

No website.

No social media accounts.

Nothing to direct people where to buy tickets or get information on the event other than a poorly filled out Eventbrite page.  

You never see ads.

There is no local coverage via radio, television, or print (or no plans to try to get that coverage).

Book influencers don’t know about the event.

I initially forgave those shortcomings because I incorrectly assumed that those accounts would be forthcoming.

The number of authors trickled in slowly; I think at the height of planning there were only twenty something authors. You can have an amazing event with 20+ authors but only if you’ve packed the event with readers.

If the organizer is always hyping the event in the event group and encouraging you to do the same; but you never see them posting on social media themselves. RED FLAG!

 

Red flag #6 No sponsors.

Many of the big-name corporate sponsors are increasingly cutting back on their discretionary spending but there are plenty of ways to get sponsors for your event. As I mentioned before, I worked at an event planning company and there were people whose sole job it was to find sponsors both big and small.

If there are no big corporate sponsors, they can lean on book-ish vendors who sell book adjacent items.

 

 

Give me a few days and I’ll post another blog about questions you should ask your event organizer later. (This blog took months to finish and post, so I need a few days.)

In Shai’s Company - My Comfort Soup…

I’m not a food blogger, so I’m going to keep this short like a pastor before the SuperBowl.

Over the weekend, I was in Tulsa, OK for the Boozy Book Tour. Myself, author Nikki Clarke, book reviewers, @bigbuttandabook and @shadesnpages shared an AirBnB. It was nasty outside with single digit temps with snow and ice on the ground, and when its cold out all I want is soup.

Originally, I found this soup on Pinterest at least a decade ago, but I’ve been doctoring on the recipe ever since. The first time I made it, it immediately replace chicken noodle soup as my go-to-comfort soup. It was good then, it’s great now, but I’ll keep working to perfect it.

I don’t just want any soup, I want Spinach Tomato and Orzo soup.

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 bell pepper

2 quarts stock of your choice or 5 tablespoons of bouillon powder and 8 cups of water

2 cans of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies

3 teaspoons oil with high heat point (grapeseed or avocado)

1 Box of orzo

10 oz bag of spinach

4 tablespoons of low salt all-purpose seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash)

1 teaspoon black pepper

Optional:

Crushed red pepper flakes

Sriracha to taste

Prep:

Dice red onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Rough chop or julienne spinach.

Directions:

1.     In the bottom of a large pot place oil and heat diced onions, garlic, and bell peppers with half of the all purpose seasoning. Let simmer until soft and onions are translucent almost browned. Don’t rush this, because the flavors start here.

2.     After those ingredients are soft, add cans of diced tomatoes and chilies (do not drain) allowing them to heat all the way through.

3.     Pour in chicken stock or bouillon of your choice and water to a rolling boil.

4.     Add entire box of orzo then reduce heat to medium. Orzo should cook within 8 to 10 minutes.

5.     Lower heat to a simmer and add spinach letting it cook on low for about 5 minutes.

Soup is done. Twenty minutes top to bottom.

 Notes:

I prefer to eat this with Texas toast, but any good crusty bread works.

The darker the broth the better it feels.

This soup is better the second day because the orzo sucks up the broth like a sponge, you’ll need to add more broth/stock or water and bouillon when reheating.

This soup freezes well.

You can make this more vegan by using vegetable broth.

I’ve added everything from shrimp to polska kielbasa to mini meatballs to leftover rotisserie chicken and salmon. Everything works in here!

@bigbuttandabook's Book Girl Summer Recs for PNR/Monster Slut

@BigButtAndABook

Over the course of my time as an author/blogger/etc, I’ve recommended dozens if not hundreds of books. I've recommended my favorite authors everybody from Kristen Britton (The Green Rider series) to Sue Grafton to Octavia Butler and everything in between.

With book girl summer I'm letting some of my favorite readers tell you what they think you should be reading right now.

1st up is Latosha also known as @BigButtAndABook.

LaTosha came with 8 PNR/Monster Slut titles to wet your whistle. Let us know if you like, love, or are too afraid to crack the covers of these books.







Shai, who dis woman?

LaTosha, a passionate romance reader and a massage therapist from Oklahoma by way of Arkansas, LaTosha has been a romance enthusiast for 28 years, ever since she picked up her first bodice ripper with Fabio on the cover around the age of 10.

LaTosha’s love for the genre is deeply rooted in the emotional intelligence of its characters and the powerful life lessons they impart. She finds solace in stories that promise healing through love and friendship, and she is particularly drawn to the “Why Choose” trope, which resonates with her belief in infinite love and connection. She says, “I stopped believing a while ago that monogamy made sense. When love is infinite and connection is essential, why limit yourself to sharing that with one person.” Her reading preferences are diverse; she enjoys enemies to lovers, fake dating, Dom/sub dynamics, and plus-size romance.

Known on Instagram as @bigbuttandabook, LaTosha finds immense joy in uplifting authors. She describes herself as a “reviewer who reviews for authors,” focusing on sharing the books she loves and supporting the writers who bring her joy. Her platform has become a space where Black women connect, share their love for books, and build a supportive community. She aspires to offer editing services and concept mapping in the future with the ultimate goal of being an honest and insightful alpha/beta reader who provides valuable feedback to authors. She says, “I think it’s a talent to be able to suggest changes that help the author tell their story while also encouraging them to believe in their work. Imposter syndrome is a real beast and I’d like to be a sword and shield against it when possible.”

-bio by Chantell Monique

Feelin' Cute, Might Write A Novel: Shai’s #NaNoWriMo Prep List

I anticipate being home for the whole month of November from my muggle job. Being off is such a Catch-22; I’m excited for the rest, but I’m overly pleased that this month of inactivity coincides with National Novel Writing Month!

I'm going to try and complete the NaNoWriMo challenge. I have successfully won NaNo once maybe twice since I've been doing it since the mid to late 2000s.

That win/loss record (in NaNo term’s more of a complete/didn’t complete) is so embarrassing. I can’t explain why I haven’t done better because even though no one in my immediate family has a birthday or anniversary; life be life-ing for me during the month of November stealing my time and sapping my creativity.

I’m taking this NaNo more seriously than I have all the others in the past and I’ve composed a list of my best writing tips and tricks. Added some new ones I’ve schemed/liberated from other writers to make this my most successful NaNoWriMo ever.  

Without further ado, here’s my nano prep list.

1.     Accountability – In addition to posting my word count on the NaNo website, I’m also going to post to social media (daily). I fear the shame and embarrassment, and hopefully it will keep me on track.

2.    Candles – It has become a ritual for me to light a candle, then turn on music…

3.    Card decks – I have multiple decks of cards, and many of them I’ve incorporated into my writing. The first is Becca Syme’s Author Stuck List. Like any author who has dabbled in The Artist’s Way and/or The Hero’s Journey I have a deck of tarot cards. My bestie (the grownup lady one, not-my-under-the-age-of-two boy version) bought me a deck of empowerment cards for self-care, and they have sparked many mantras and affirmations for characters.  

4.    Coffee in copious amounts and a very large mug – Y’all know my brain doesn’t kick in until we’ve reached the bottom of a mug. I just added an extra-large canister of coffee to my grocery delivery order.

5.    Compression socks. – I think I’ve mentioned this before I can't work without them because if I sit too long and/or don’t take my blood pressure meds my feet start to swell like balloons.

6.    Craft books – I may have already done a blog post on these, if not I’ll do one.

7.    Creativity Toolbox – This is one of the things I liberated from another author, Sarra Cannon. It’s a group of items personal to you that spark the creative juices.

8.    Fresh flowers – They create a vibe in my office, and I feel like a soft lady.

9.    Line-item in my budget for my November coffee usage. There are days when I can’t write in my house, and I need to get out of Dodge. I’ll head to my favorite coffee shop, the library, etc. This budget will also cover coffee for when I attend in person NaNo events.

10.  Menu planning - This is something new I'm trying this year. I have menu planned breakfast, lunches, dinners, and even snacks enough for two weeks. If it works for the two weeks, I’ll repeat again to make it for the month. Instead of assigning each item a day, I’ve made a pick list, and I’ll tell myself “This is what’s here – pick from it” or the grown-up version of you have food in the house. Hopefully, by combining this with weekly batch cooking I’ll stay on track and on budget.

11.   My Tiddly Wiki – This is where I keep all of my or should I say most of my world building and character development information.

12.  My writing playlists on Spotify, after I light the candle, I select one of four playlists to fit the scene I’m writing. #Nerdland Mixtape. The boringly titled Romance Writing Music - RWM. Purge.  Strings.

13.  Planner – this is to help me stay on track with life outside of NaNo, and help identify the few non-writing days I have for doctor’s appointments, in person events, bills, etc.

14.  Podcasts – I compiled a list of my ten favorite podcasts (especially the ones I’m behind on like Scam Goddess). No television shows or movies or YouTube videos until I’ve hit my word count for the day.

15.  Rewards:  I’ve already picked my rewards for each writing level; I've only done four. The 5k, 10k, 25k, and 50k marks.

16.  Scene List – This is a list of all the scenes I need to write to complete a chapter.

17.  Snacks – If I snack hopefully, I won’t get distracted by my stomach. I’m making little snack boxes that can sit on my desk, so I don’t have to leave the office (or stop writing).

18.  Sticky notes – My brain runs on two tracks, unfortunately that means I solve problems while working on other things or have problems that I thought I solved come roaring back to the forefront of my mind. I can jot down a quick list, note to myself, or line of dialogue that doesn’t belong in the scene or even book I’m writing. I usually take a break to consolidate these in my planner later.

19.  Strict Workflow – is a Chrome extension that is a Pomodoro timer that blocks my distract websites like Pinterest, Facebook, etc. I can set this when I’m sprinting alone. For my phone, I have the Forest app.

20. Writing sprints – Sprints work for me for multiple reasons; I’m competitive and having others write more than me makes me a sour loser but also challenges me to write harder and faster. Secondly, the older I get the less I can concentrate for long periods of time without a break.

 

Stuff Your Reader!

I know some of you get tired of these emails and social media posts that are nothing but go get free books!

But let me share something I've discovered. Some if not all of my books are on the pirated sites. 

Its depressing and hurtful to see that in terms of numbers - those pirated sites have more downloads of my books than I've had monetary sales of my books.

Fighting the pirating sites is like arm wrestling with multiple octopi when both of your arms are tied to your left thigh. 

So my (and many other author's) solution is to offer the bookfunnel promos and participate in Stuff Your Reader Days to introduce ourselves to new-to-us readers and hopefully make those pirate sites obsolete.

We understand the urge to want something for free.

We want to entertain you.
We want you to dive head first into our worlds.
We want you to think of our characters as your heros, best friends, and soul sisters.
Our men as your book boyfriends, brothers, and best friends.
Our bad guys as your arch nemesis.


BUT we also deserve to get paid for the blood, sweat, tears, and mental prowess it takes to manhandle a book into being.

We can only ask you to request our books at your local libraries so much.
We can only beg so much.
We can only say please don't take my work and treat it like it has no value.

Go forth to "Stuff Your Reader!" and Read Free Books!

Coming Up Really Short of My Goals

2022 was going to be the year!

I had high hopes, this was going to be not just a good year but MY year. The year I’d been planning on, striving for, and hoping for since…. I can’t even tell you.

I was convinced I would break out, become a reader favorite. Break through and double or triple my social media following. Finally get my energy levels and emotional levels together so that I could exercise losing this second grader around my middle.

Can you feel the hope? Its a warm ball of sunshine.

Hold it in your hand, let the warmth soothe your spirit.

Now, dash it on the ground.

That’s how 2022 went for me and the twenty goals I wrote. Have you seen the viral video of a woman reviewing her 2022 goals by crossing out, and renaming them?

Even that type of creative editing wouldn’t help me…I officially completed one goal – I paid off my auto loan and I paid it off early. I was giddy when I hit the button, twirling in my office chair, laughing manically, smiling so hard my jaws hurt.

I partially completed four goals. I gave myself partial credit if I was 75% or more done. Learning to swim was included in this category, I am no longer deathly afraid of the water, and can kick with the best of them. However, I haven’t mastered the art of turning my body to breathe which means I’m not up to swimming laps. Not quite a full success story yet, but not a failure either.

Which means I did less than 75% on fifteen goals, it’s so embarrassing.

But as my MuDear loved to say, ‘…a hard head makes a soft behind…’ and my proverbial hard head combined with the fact that I feel no shame means I have even more goals for 2023.

How did your goal setting and completing go in 2022? Did you do better than I did? Are you setting goals for 2023? Have you given up that goal life altogether?

I most definitely won’t be posting more here before the end of the year, so I’ll wish all of you a Happy Holiday for whatever day, spirit, or god you believe in and an even Happier and Productive New Year!

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Finished All of My Books? Go Read These Authors...

I made the mistake of introducing my books to a coworker.

I say mistake because she devoured all of them in a matter of weeks, then stood expectantly at my desk almost every day like, "Where's the next one?"

I told her to get in line because all of y’all are asking the same question. My answer of “It’s coming!” and referring her to my publishing schedule didn’t seem to do the trick.

In an effort to get her away from my desk so I could get my actual work done, I promised to give her a list of other black paranormal romance authors.

Here are some authors to tide her (and you) over until my next paranormal book releases. Below are all the shifters, witches, vampires, etc to fill your TBR. If you can think of any others I need to add let me know in the comments and I’ll adjust.

I left the O.G.s (Octavia Butler, et al) off on purpose because I’ve already got a post about them in the works.

Alexis D. Craig

Ebony Bowser

Edwina Fort

Erin St. Charles

Jade Royal

Jessica Cage

Kenya Wright

Leesha McCoy

Moni Boyce

Natavia

ND Jones

Neicy P.

Nikki Clarke

Phoenix Williams

Rune Hunt

Salem Cross

Siren Allen

Stella Williams

Theodora Taylor

Fear, Panic, & Head Condoms: Learning to Swim as an Adult

This last week I've been doing something that has/had been on my vision board/bucket list/conquer-this-fear list for years.

I’ve been taking adult swim lessons.

Even writing that now on what is going to be Day 5 still gives me jitters, and low key heart palpitations and I’m no where near a pool nor is it time for class.

I told my friends, “I let Brave Shai sign us up for swimming lessons and now I have to start going. Anxious Shai is not ready, and Frugal Shai is not going to let any of us waste money.”

I will freely admit now that I’m the very worst person in class & that has shaken me more than the panic I fight every other time my face and head are submerged under water.

Don’t blame my instructor, because he is the gentlest, most even keeled human I’ve ever met; think the old black man version of James Cromwell in "‘Babe’ but with swimming instead of herding.

I have to work hard to still my mind, and relax during class. The first night, I could barely dunk my head under for two seconds without feeling the need to head for the stairs and my vehicle.

Now, I can flutter kick face down in the water across the short side of the pool, the rest of the stuff we’re learning. I can’t do it. At All.

I struggle with coordination. Every time a new step is added, I lose all my rational thoughts and start struggling in the water like I haven’t just learned what to do or practiced all the previous steps dozens of times.

I fight panic when I can feel the water churning too much near me.

I hate being the worst person in a class.

Any Class.

This goes against my nature, I hate looking bad and loathe for people (even strangers) to see me struggle; so I keep showing up each night trying to get better.

The instructor, Mr. Mike told us that to learn to swim or float on your back, you have to be able to relax. And I cannot relax, I’m too tightly wound.

I’ve known most of my life that I’m uptight, (my Uncle Bubba would remind me of this often enough), but it was a revelation to me that other people were not. Floating on my back is a struggle, because that requires you to be completely at ease.

Even sitting alone in my house, I don’t think I can achieve that level of ease without some type of external vice being added like sugar or alcohol. I’m going to have to work through this in therapy.

I’m debating whether or not to sign up for another round of lessons, because I haven’t completely overcome the fear and panic.

Also, swim caps aka head condoms are of the devil.

steady streamer: march 2022

I can’t really tell if I watched more in March than February or not. It felt like a slow month watching wise because I was so hyped for the return of certain show cough Bridgerton cough.

Before you ask, I had previously read the entire series because I don’t think you can be a fan of Romance without having a Regency romance phase. Season 1 was so amazing, that I’m sad to report that Season 2 of Bridgerton hit the proverbial sophmore slump.

I don’t think it was ever going to impress everyone, the book readers, the first season bingers, the ones who only watched for Rege.

Here is everything else I binge watched…

Peacock:

Belaire

HBOMax

The Gilded Age

Amazon:

Low Winter Sun

Upload - Season 1

Mr. 3000

Law & Order: Los Angeles Season 1

Netflix:

Standing Up: Season 1:

The Blacklist: Season 3:

The Adam Project

Blackhat

Is It Cake?: Season 1: "Fast-Food Fake out"          

Moneyball          

800 Meters: Limited Series: "A Group of Friends"              

Bridgerton: Season 2: "Capital R Rake"   

Bad Blood: Season 2:

Bake Squad: Season 1: "Brother Birthday Bash"  

Black Crab          

The Sinner: Season 1: Cora: "Part II"

The Sinner: Season 1: Cora: "Part I"

The Last Czars: Season 1: "The Chosen One"        

Lost in Space: Season 3: "Three Little Birds"         

Marriage or Mortgage: Season 1: "

Young, Famous & African: Season 1, Episode 1-4

Swap Shop: Season 1: "This Is Swap Shop"

The Great Robbery of Brazil's Central Bank: Season 1: "The Crime"

Summer Heat: Season 1: "Episode 1

Cleaner

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.:

Last Tango in Halifax: Season 4:

Last Tango in Halifax: Season 3:

Last Tango in Halifax: Season 2:

Bad Sport: Volume 1:

Last Tango in Halifax: Season 1: "Episode 1"

Love is Blind: Japan: Season 1: "An Ill-Fitting Dress"

Major Dad: Season 4:

Major Dad: Season 3:

Worst Roommate Ever: Season 1

Love Is Blind: Season 2: "The Reunion"

Release Day! Tame: The Girl