Another Chance to Conquer the Annual Book Fair
Last October, I didn’t do very well at the Collingswood Book Festival (for CBF details, scroll down). I was in a bad mood. That sounds ridiculous, and it was, but trust me when I say I had my reasons and one of them was a very loud vendor neighbor who did her best to dominate the general vicinity.
Second, I didn’t feel great that day, and as swarms of potential readers flowed past my booth with scowls on their faces (I may have imagined the scowls), I wondered why I was there.
It was my fourth time participating, and I usually sold about twelve books (not terrible but not what I’d hoped for in a six-hour event). I had to get up super-early in the morning, booth setup was physically difficult, and being a vendor from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. made for a long, exhausting day.
So, why was I doing it?
“Because you’re an author and you need to meet the public and learn how to talk to people about your books,” the adult voice inside my head said. Like a teen, I rolled my eyes and answered, “Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
NEW STRATEGY
I was determined to have a good festival. I would try something new. The prior year, I had focused on creating an appealing design for my booth. This year I found better giveaways in the form of more-appealing stickers and bookish buttons. I also refined the summaries—elevator pitches—for my books. I have seven now, so I wouldn’t pitch them all. I would pitch the new book (a dark love story), the first in my sci-fi series, and the vampire book.
I wanted my pitches to be smooth and intriguing.
For two weeks prior to the big day I recited the sentences I’d use to describe the three books. Memorizing words is not one of my strengths, so I required the full two weeks before I had all three down in a natural way. I knew there was a chance I would stumble in front of real people—it’s much easier to speak to the mirror than to strangers—but that was fine. As long as I had phrases in my head to grab, I would be confident enough.
The strategy centered on talking to as many people as possible:
Get their attention. With a literal stream of people walking by and a lineup of about 150 vendor booths competing for attention, festival goers are understandably overwhelmed. If your book covers or booth design alone don’t draw them in (for 90% of them, it won't), then a simple greeting can get the ball rolling. “Hi! How are you today?” Or whatever feels natural to you. Smile, too. Remember that you want to meet and talk to people. That’s why you’re there.
Give them a reason to stop and talk. The greeting is a good start, but many will just say hi and keep going. You have to do more. Asking a question can do the trick. “What kind of books do you like?” “First time at the book festival?” “Would you like a free sticker or button?” “Are you a writer too?” “Where did you get that cool book bag?” Be curious about the people you encounter, and the meeting will be authentic.
Throw your pitch. Now that they’re right in front of you, it’s time to start talking about your books. Grab the book you want to share and hold it up so they can see the cover. Then go into your elevator pitch: “This is my new book. It’s a dark love story about a couple that becomes engaged, but then a tragic accident occurs and . . . ” Recite those short summaries you’ve rehearsed.
Discount your books. Of course you want to make money, but you also want to inspire people to buy. I charge $15 for paperbacks (discounted from $18/$20). If they want two, it’s $25. Be sure to have a small sign that lets them know what you charge per book.
Practice a hands-off, no-pressure manner. I am not by nature a “seller.” When I finish my pitches, if I sense the listeners don’t want to buy but feel awkward about it, I either hand them a bookmark, which has my info on it, or I thank them for letting me practice my speech. Then I ask them to feel free to take a few of my giveaways. This is also a good time to tell them that your books are available on Amazon and that they can request them at any library.
In a couple cases festival goers said they wanted to walk around but would possibly come back and buy a book before they left, so I gave them a bookmark with my info and cover images to remember me by. This happened twice, and they both came back to make purchases.
BETTER RESULTS
The big difference for me this year was that I made more of an effort to talk to as many people as I could. I could have just stood there and let their eyes graze over my table as they walked by, but I took that extra step and reached out with a smile and a question. “Can I tell you about my books?” Most people said, “Sure. Why not?”
The vibe was positive, fun, and cheerful. And as icing on the cake, I sold thirty books (give or take a few), which is more than I’ve ever sold at an in-person event before.
I did what I set out to do, and I had a great time! People liked my premises and told me so. They complimented my covers and in general seemed really impressed. All of that made me feel good about myself as an author. I’m still enjoying residual happy vibes days later.
I always get to the end of the year and wish I’d signed up for more festivals. Now that I know what I need to do to as a vendor, I want to get out there and do it!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat—and thank you to everyone who supported me by making a purchase. Meeting with you face to face inspires me to get the next book written—and to get out there and do more in-person events.
Collingswood Book Festival
Collingswood, NJ
First Saturday in October
Thousands of Festival Goers
150+ Vendors
Indie and Traditional Authors, Bookstores, Publishers
Speakers, Poetry, Activities for Kids, and Food
