One sure-fire way to set yourself up for misery is if you spend your conference worrying about how many books you sell and/or compare your sales to those of the vendors around you. Of course sales are important, setting your book out there is important, and building your audience is important, but nobody can control the amount of sales at any given convention. However, there are ways doing business that go well-beyond a point-of-sale. People might get to know you if you're obnoxious about drawing attention to your work, and you might even sell a book or two, but nobody will like or trust you very much if that's all you're worried about. Which leads me to my first suggestion:

Don't Be A Jerk

Let me give you an example.

Last year, at a con-that-remains-to-be-unnamed, I was set up next to another horror author who literally stepped out in front of people and guided them away from other tables and towards his. I remember watching one potential customer see my books from about ten feet away and start to walk toward my display, only to be intercepted and steered away. It was the most brazenly awful behavior I'd seen at a convention.

Don't do this.

I agree with competition, but that kind of behavior is not competition. It's poaching. Some people might say, "All's fair when it comes to business," but I refuse to run my operation that way. Competitors, especially in the indie-arts world, can work together and still be profitable and successful. In fact, Nick Stephenson devotes several podcast's and emails to the idea of cross-promotion between indie-authors, specifically emphasizing the idea of networking and collaboration with your fellow authors—people who are effectively your competition. I've seen it work in a different indie-medium when I was touring and playing music (a looooooong time ago). There might have been three or four bands on a bill, but we all helped each other out. We encouraged our fans to watch each other's set, to purchase each other's shirts and cds, and we even loaded in each other's gear. Not once did one of us say, "Don't buy their stuff. Buy ours. We're better." Instead we networked and collaborated, and we all ended up better off for it.

Stealing customers effectively cuts you out of any kind of networking, because who wants to work with someone who acts like that? Here's an example of what you can instead of poaching: At the last convention I went to, the guy at the table next to mine, of his own accord, asked people who were at his table if they liked horror books. If they did, he sent told them to check my stuff out. So I returned the favor. I asked my potential customers if they liked what he was selling, and if they did, I sent them his way. Though we worked in different mediums, we figured out a way to make the day work for both of us, and, more importantly, set up a business relationship for the future.

See If You Can Get On A Panel

If you're an artist or a writer, you have more to offer than just your work. You have your experience. People are fascinated by the creative process. They love talking to me about writing, where I get my ideas, how long it takes to draft a novel, how I market my work. And I, of course, really like talking about what I do! At nearly every single conference I go to, one of my fellow vendors will eventually approach me and ask me about writing, like it's some secret, romantic world they want access to but can't seem to give themselves permission to join.

The first time it happened was at Awesome Con. The woman selling bags and shoes and shirts at the table next to mine crept over to my side one day and, very timidly, said, "I've always wanted to write."

"Well why don't you!" I replied.

We spoke for thirty minutes. I gave her tips, talked to her about how I do it, provided some practical information about which services I use as well as some book titles on marketing.

Most of the conventions I've attended have panels running all day long, ranging in topics from "Big Cons v Little Cons," to "Tips on Making Your Costume," to "Is it Hard Sci-fi or just a Space Opera?" If you want to build your audience, get to know other authors and people in your industry, offer to join or moderate one of these panels. Often the organizers are looking for events to fill up the day, and if you can propose a topic and gather together a couple of interested artists, some might be happy to give you some time.

Recently, I sent an email to the organizer offering to be on a panel at one of the cons I was attending, and I ended up moderating one about organizing conventions. I met three really cool, hard-working organizers, talked to some just-as-cool attendees, and even made a sale out of the whole thing.

I didn't get into this to be a cut-throat seller of horror fiction (pun intended). I don't want to make enemies or irritate people. I want to be a part of a community and work with people, not against them. Creating a community allows people to get to know, like, and trust not just me but the entire group. And that seems to spell success for everyone

Next up: Three Tips for Varying Your Reading

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