The Journey So Far

Below are a few things I learned as I continue my third year of being a published author.

All book fairs are not made equally:

Just because it says “book fair" that does not mean your audience is there. I made the mistake of thinking that book fairs will bring out different readers. Which is true to a certain extent. What I find with book fairs it depends on where the book fair is held and who is sponsoring/hosting the book fair. I’ve noticed that my audience are usually at the off the beaten path book fairs or events. So not only should you know your audience, know where you will find them.

I said it before and I’ll say it again what works for one person may not work for you:

As with any industry, the publishing industry has constant changes and trends especially for indie authors.  I’ve noticed for some authors some things come easy for them or work better for them. I may try it and find it doesn’t work for me. Social media is a big one for me. Some authors post often and consistently across several platforms! Unfortunately for me I can’t post as much as other authors much less on several platforms. I have gotten better since I first started on this journey. I find going live at book events and posting stories about my work in progress is more authentic and engaging for me and doesn’t cause burnout and isn’t overwhelming.

Give the people what they want:

When you write a book and folks like it, they want you to hurry up and write another one. I’ve been asked several times when is my next book coming out. I appreciate the love and I am definitely working on it. But I know now not to make my readers wait too long in between books, it wasn’t done on purpose but life happened. My goal is to make the time shorter in between books two and three.

Do your research before spending money:

 As with any endeavor or investment you’re going to spend money. Do your due diligence make sure it’s something you need in your author repertoire (or whatever business you’re in). Don’t be cheap!  Spend extra money upfront and it’ll save you money in the long run. A lesson I had to learn a few times, but I got it now.

Network and have fun:

Grant it I would love to sell my books without necessarily talking to anyone, but I also get value from talking and networking with other authors. I learn different things and get new ideas for my table at events, different methods to market my book and most importantly meeting new people. Being an introvert, I’m still surprised how much I enjoy going to the events.

Kids love chocolate adults don’t:

I notice when I bring chocolate to book events the adults walk past it but the kids run to table asking for it, but children aren’t my target audience. Now that I bring peppermints adult are more likely visit my table. I still get the occasional kid or two who just see candy and want one.

Hope this sheds some light on what I been experiencing on this literary journey. I still enjoy it and look forward to learning more things and meeting new people.

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