Marketing 101 – Attend Book Festivals ~ Workshops ~ Conferences
These are great venues to take part in for many different reasons. You can easily do a search on any of those key phrases and find countless festivals, book festivals, workshops and conferences.
Once you have narrowed down a search of festivals, you can get in touch with their appointed contact, usually found on their website, to see what a booth or table space would cost. It doesn’t have to be a book festival for authors, there are always town festivals taking place throughout the year, and if you are able to attend a few, you may be surprised at how many books you sell. Book festivals are a great way to meet other authors, as well as new readers.
If you rent a booth at a festival or table space at an author book festival, you will need to have a few things to showcase your book(s). First you’ll want your business cards, which I have created through VistaPrint, along with bookmarkers, postcards, and even table signs.
I also use a three tier table top book display stand that holds three books in each slot. This won’t take up a lot of space on your table and will easily display your books for view. I also print out an 8.5 x 11 sheet that includes the images of my books, with their synopsis and the price you are selling the books at this particular event, as well as a QR code for each book. My printed books sell retail for $13.95 and $12.95, so I round down to make it easier to use cash instead of dealing with change. I place that sheet in a picture frame, which keeps it protected and it too can easily sit on the table for display.
If space permits, I take along my laptop and run my book trailers. It’s amazing when someone walks past as the book trailer reels them in, and this is all you need to begin a dialogue about your books.
I have a great organizer/planner that contains a calendar, place for notes, pen, business cards and also a section that has a zipped compartment that I place my cash to make change. The entire organizer zips shut into a very easy carrying type case that keeps everything together. It’s not big or bulky and I’m able to keep it right in front of me at all times, it even has a little outside case to place my smart phone.
Speaking of my smart phone, if you don’t have one, that’s perfectly fine, but once I caught on to using mine, I can’t live without it. Not only am I able to stay on top of emails and communications for my entire author platform, but I have used it to accept credit card purchases. That’s right, I use the Intuit® GoPayment app and it’s amazing. There is also the FourSquare, whichever you choose is fine, I happened to have an account with Intuit® and chose this option.
It’s an amazing tool because the app is free to download and once you login and create an account at their website http://intuit-gopayment.com, they will send you the card reader for free. That’s right, for free.
It’s one of the slickest ways to allow anxious readers to purchase your books with their debit or credit card. Let’s face it, it’s the way of the future and a lot of people don’t carry cash. And even if they do have cash specifically for a book festival, they may have spent their last cash transaction at another table, but then they stroll upon your display and really want to purchase your book, but only have a credit card. This just allows another way to make it easier to sell your book(s).
You can access your account through your phone and on a computer. You can even customize a receipt that gets sent to the buyer. You either swipe their card on the card reader, or enter the information manually. Follow their easy instructions to set up your account (i.e. bank account used for the deposit/transaction, etc.). It’s a secure site and I’m very comfortable using it. The fees are minimal and I feel it’s a great added tool to have when you travel.
The last added touch I have on my author table is a candy dish filled with chocolate. It may sound silly, but I have had many folks head for my table specifically for the candy, but once they’re there, I can begin my sales pitch about my books. They may not always buy a book, but there is always that chance you’ll entice them with the book trailer, and then if they use the excuse they’re out of cash, you can continue the sale by showing them the nifty display sign Intuit® sends you stating you accept credit cards. If they still don’t buy a book, you can feel confident that you used every last effort for a sale. Don’t get discouraged, every festival is different and the main point is getting out there, even if you’re shy. You get the opportunity to meet other authors, share ideas and tips, and make new friends.
Attending writer workshops or conferences is another way to network, as well as gain more knowledge about your craft. Again you can do a search for writer’s conferences and/or workshops either in your area or genre. Once you find the right venue, then relish in having the opportunity to meet authors at your level and higher. You never want to turn down the chance to improve in your writing or learn new ways about marketing.
