Indie Publishing Guide: Book Marketing Tip #1—Bring your work to the people who want to read it.
It sounds pretty obvious, but most likely the reason your book isn't selling is because nobody knows about it. So take it to them. Since I write horror, post-apocalyptic, and science fiction books, the first thing I did was sign up to be a vendor at as many comic and horror cons as I could afford. (I got this idea from Tim Grahl's book
, by the way.)
*NOTE It can be expensive. The tables at some of these conferences fall somewhere between $100 and $350. Some conferences (mainly the publishing industry conferences) can charge somewhere between $850 and $1,000 (or more) per table. Add to that gas, a hotel room, and food, and it can be quite a bill.*
I chose to start small. The first con I attended as a vendor was the Gaithersburg Book Festival in 2013 (www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org). The table was only $100, and Gaithersburg is only an hour or so away. Unfortunately, It was rainy that day and not very many people showed up, so I didn't really think much of it at the time. In hindsight, I should have been more persistent.
More recently, I was asked to vend at the CRRL Comic Con, hosted by the local library system. It was free and close, and the organizers invited me, which was very nice. I thought of it as my practice run. It went very well. Over 1,100 people attended over the course of three hours, I sold fifteen books, and, more importantly, started my email list.
Since June 2016, I've attended about fourteen different events, some big, some small. Here are ten of the larger events I've attended:
Awesome Con (Washington D.C.)
The VA Comic Con (Richmond, VA)
Heroes Con (Charlotte, NC)
Art in the Park (Fredericksburg, VA)
Scares that Care (Williamsburg, VA)
The Baltimore Comic Con (Baltimore, MD)
The Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival (Fredericksburg, VA)
The VA Comic Con Halloweekend (Richmond, VA)
The Garfield Craft Show (Prince William County, Va)
Alexandria Holiday Market (Alexandria, VA)
Here's what I've learned so far:
On average, I've sold about fifteen to twenty books at each event—even the CRRL con and Art in the Park-- both of which were small, local events. One cost nothing for me, and the other was only $25, so monetarily, they were both more successful.
I didn't do as well at Scares that Care as I anticipated, mainly because there was tons more competition. At the comic cons, I'm one of two or three horror writers. At a horror con, I'm one of ten to twenty. At the Garfield Craft Fair, I was the only author there!
The VA Comic Con's Halloweekend was a huge success, both in terms of selling books and growing my email list. As the guy next to me said at the end of it, "I love these events because I get to talk to people who really like what I'm doing. And tomorrow I have to go back to work, where that doesn't happen."
It is very difficult to turn a profit at any of the larger events. Like I said, the tables generally run between $250-$300 for the weekend. Add travel expenses (hotel, gas, and food), and I'd have to gross at least $800 to break even.
The exposure is good: I've built my email list from zero to 250.
I've been able to network a little bit with some authors and other publishers.
Because of all of this, until I can turn a profit otherwise (through my email list or other venues), staying local is the better option. For the time being, I'm not going to travel more than three hours to any event.
Three day events are great, especially if they're run well. However, they're long and draining. They usually start on Friday afternoons and run until Sunday evenings. The Fridays, as a whole, seem to be a bust in terms of sales, but very good for making connections, talking to other vendors, and checking out all of the cool stuff. Attendance is low, and while I do get to meet some very nice people, they're just browsing or chatting. Not a bad thing! But very rarely does it translate to an email list signup or a transaction.
One to two day events are great; they seem to work just as well as the three day events. Less time, equal amounts of sales, and, if they're within driving distance, very little extra expenses (hotel, food, gas).
Of all the tactics I've tried so far, attending these conventions works the best, for obvious reasons. In seven months, I've gotten my books into the hands of 286 people (about 41 a month). There are people out there doing tons better than me (especially in e-book sales), and in industry terms, my numbers are nothing, and I get that. But what's the alternative? Doing nothing. And doing nothing will result in . . . nothing. These are 286 people who are now reading (or have read) my fiction that wouldn't have otherwise, and who will, if they like what I've done, either pick up the next book in that series, or be waiting for my next series (the first book of which I'm publishing in the late summer).
Even more importantly, I get to make a personal connection to the people who attend these shows, who are there to meet celebrities (I met William Zabka and Martin Kove—Johnny and Kreese from The Karate Kid—at Scares That Care!), and shop and support indie-efforts: artists, graphic novelists, and writers like me (and you!). It's pretty awesome to talk to these folks. They obviously love reading, and we get to talk about our favorite books, movies, actors, authors, shows. Many of them are aspiring authors, too, and I get to talk to them about writing and indie-publishing. Never underestimate the power of engaging with people who share your interests. It's fantastic.
Next up: Book Marketing Tip #2: Build an email list
Are you a fan of horror or post-apocalyptic fiction?
CLICK HERE to join my email list and receive a free short story, audio book, and theme song for "Beta":
A monster terrorizes an isolated village in the mountains of Eastern Europe, draining the blood of its victims, leaving them frozen in the snow. The villagers hunt wolves, decapitate “vampires,” but the murders continue. As each new body is found, the residents grow more and more paranoid. The cobbler's son decides to investigate, putting himself in grave danger. Who will be next? Will it ever end?
Sign up here!
www.jamesnoll.net
--JN
, by the way.)*NOTE It can be expensive. The tables at some of these conferences fall somewhere between $100 and $350. Some conferences (mainly the publishing industry conferences) can charge somewhere between $850 and $1,000 (or more) per table. Add to that gas, a hotel room, and food, and it can be quite a bill.*
I chose to start small. The first con I attended as a vendor was the Gaithersburg Book Festival in 2013 (www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org). The table was only $100, and Gaithersburg is only an hour or so away. Unfortunately, It was rainy that day and not very many people showed up, so I didn't really think much of it at the time. In hindsight, I should have been more persistent.
More recently, I was asked to vend at the CRRL Comic Con, hosted by the local library system. It was free and close, and the organizers invited me, which was very nice. I thought of it as my practice run. It went very well. Over 1,100 people attended over the course of three hours, I sold fifteen books, and, more importantly, started my email list.
Since June 2016, I've attended about fourteen different events, some big, some small. Here are ten of the larger events I've attended:
Awesome Con (Washington D.C.)
The VA Comic Con (Richmond, VA)
Heroes Con (Charlotte, NC)
Art in the Park (Fredericksburg, VA)
Scares that Care (Williamsburg, VA)
The Baltimore Comic Con (Baltimore, MD)
The Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival (Fredericksburg, VA)
The VA Comic Con Halloweekend (Richmond, VA)
The Garfield Craft Show (Prince William County, Va)
Alexandria Holiday Market (Alexandria, VA)
Here's what I've learned so far:
On average, I've sold about fifteen to twenty books at each event—even the CRRL con and Art in the Park-- both of which were small, local events. One cost nothing for me, and the other was only $25, so monetarily, they were both more successful.
I didn't do as well at Scares that Care as I anticipated, mainly because there was tons more competition. At the comic cons, I'm one of two or three horror writers. At a horror con, I'm one of ten to twenty. At the Garfield Craft Fair, I was the only author there!
The VA Comic Con's Halloweekend was a huge success, both in terms of selling books and growing my email list. As the guy next to me said at the end of it, "I love these events because I get to talk to people who really like what I'm doing. And tomorrow I have to go back to work, where that doesn't happen."
It is very difficult to turn a profit at any of the larger events. Like I said, the tables generally run between $250-$300 for the weekend. Add travel expenses (hotel, gas, and food), and I'd have to gross at least $800 to break even.
The exposure is good: I've built my email list from zero to 250.
I've been able to network a little bit with some authors and other publishers.
Because of all of this, until I can turn a profit otherwise (through my email list or other venues), staying local is the better option. For the time being, I'm not going to travel more than three hours to any event.
Three day events are great, especially if they're run well. However, they're long and draining. They usually start on Friday afternoons and run until Sunday evenings. The Fridays, as a whole, seem to be a bust in terms of sales, but very good for making connections, talking to other vendors, and checking out all of the cool stuff. Attendance is low, and while I do get to meet some very nice people, they're just browsing or chatting. Not a bad thing! But very rarely does it translate to an email list signup or a transaction.
One to two day events are great; they seem to work just as well as the three day events. Less time, equal amounts of sales, and, if they're within driving distance, very little extra expenses (hotel, food, gas).
Of all the tactics I've tried so far, attending these conventions works the best, for obvious reasons. In seven months, I've gotten my books into the hands of 286 people (about 41 a month). There are people out there doing tons better than me (especially in e-book sales), and in industry terms, my numbers are nothing, and I get that. But what's the alternative? Doing nothing. And doing nothing will result in . . . nothing. These are 286 people who are now reading (or have read) my fiction that wouldn't have otherwise, and who will, if they like what I've done, either pick up the next book in that series, or be waiting for my next series (the first book of which I'm publishing in the late summer).
Even more importantly, I get to make a personal connection to the people who attend these shows, who are there to meet celebrities (I met William Zabka and Martin Kove—Johnny and Kreese from The Karate Kid—at Scares That Care!), and shop and support indie-efforts: artists, graphic novelists, and writers like me (and you!). It's pretty awesome to talk to these folks. They obviously love reading, and we get to talk about our favorite books, movies, actors, authors, shows. Many of them are aspiring authors, too, and I get to talk to them about writing and indie-publishing. Never underestimate the power of engaging with people who share your interests. It's fantastic.
Next up: Book Marketing Tip #2: Build an email list
Are you a fan of horror or post-apocalyptic fiction?
CLICK HERE to join my email list and receive a free short story, audio book, and theme song for "Beta":
A monster terrorizes an isolated village in the mountains of Eastern Europe, draining the blood of its victims, leaving them frozen in the snow. The villagers hunt wolves, decapitate “vampires,” but the murders continue. As each new body is found, the residents grow more and more paranoid. The cobbler's son decides to investigate, putting himself in grave danger. Who will be next? Will it ever end?
Sign up here!
www.jamesnoll.net
--JN
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