What I Learned at the Lichfield Book Extravaganza

A few months ago I discussed the pros and cons of authors paying for tables at book fairs.

Meeting the Deputy Mayor of Lichfield at the Book Extravaganza

That post was based on the experiences of other writers. I’ve now taken part in one of these events as a stallholder. Here is what I learned:

1. A tall pop-up banner proclaiming your name, genre, book titles etc. is not essential. Individually they look professional, but space around the stalls can be limited, meaning the banners crowd each other out. I don’t have a banner and don’t plan to get one in the near future.

2. It’s essential to be able to accept both cash and card payments. I downloaded the Sum Up app onto my android phone in order to take card payments – this app doesn’t require the purchase of a separate card-reading device. I practised at home to ensure that I knew where on the back of the phone the customer needed to tap their card/phone. I had a couple of failed payments on the day but discovered that closing the app and starting again solved the problem. Sum Up takes a very small commission on each transaction. Also ensure you have a cash float in order to give change to those who hand over a £20 note.

3. Very few people will stop and peruse your table of their own free will. Make eye contact as people pass your stall and then immediately engage them in conversation; a question about the weather, compliment their outfit, bag etc., make a general comment about the event or whatever else pops into your head. Then lead gently into the books on your table. But accept that a lot of people will ignore you or not be your target reader. As with the rest of the publishing industry, you need a thick skin!

4. Have an ‘Event Special Offer!’ to attract people’s attention and act as a conversation opener about your books. This helped me a lot.

5. Make friends with an adjacent stallholder – you will need someone to watch your table when you go for a toilet break or in search of a cup of tea.

6. Take enough food and drink to last the whole day to reduce the amount of time you spend away from your stall.

7. Have business cards and bookmarks to give out.

8. Take a tablecloth plus book stands and an easy to see price list. I noticed that the few stalls with books just laid flat on a bare table attracted the least interest.

9. When someone buys a book, encourage them to join your email list either by displaying a QR code for direct online signup or by taking down their email address on paper to manually add later. I regret that I forgot to do this!

The Lichfield Book Extravaganza was a success for me (as well as a learning experience). I sold twenty books which more than covered my costs and I enjoyed the day. I will do this event again because it was fairly close to home, but I would think twice about travelling a long way unless it was for something special.

Please leave a comment if you’ve had experience of similar events?