Saturday, September 29, 2012

BOOK FAIRS—ARE THEY WORTH IT?

Last Saturday, the Autumnal Equinox, Susan and I spent the day attending and exhibiting our wares at the Sonoma County Book Festival, in a public square in downtown Santa Rosa, California. The weather was  perfect: a bright blue sky, and the air warm but not scorching. The staff running the show were friendly and helpful. We enjoyed getting to know some of our fellow exhibitors, and it was, as always, a pleasure to show off our Perseverance Press mysteries. 



We’ve done a lot of exhibiting at trade shows and book fairs over the years. We’ve displayed at ABAs and BEAs all over the country, we participated in the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for its first ten years. We showed at the Santa Barbara book fair, and early in our company history we even organized that event for two years running. We’ve had tables at Left Coast Crimes and Bouchercons.
Why do we do this?
It ain’t cheap. The cost of a space is substantial, and then there’s the equipment rental cost. (Oh? You wanted to put your books on a table? That’ll cost…) Plus travel expense, plus lodging.
So far we’ve never sold enough books at any book fair to make back our investment. (At the trade shows, you don’t sell any books on the floor.) I won’t tell you how many books we sold at the Sonoma County Book Festival last week, because I don’t know the number. I do know how much cash we took in, and I won’t tell you that number because I don’t want to.
But we had fun. We took turns strolling around and looking at the wares and services on display by other vendors. A lot of one-book self-publishers. Some religious cult publishers. A staff member of Pathfinder Press tried to enroll me in the Communist Party. There was a small press who specialized in books about vampires, Satan, and gore. There was a publisher of exquisitely written and illustrated children’s books; Susan bought a book from them (Barefoot Books) for one of our granddaughters.
It was our (good/bad, you decide) luck to be positioned next to a poetry slam in the midafternoon.
Most of all, we enjoyed talking to those several people who stopped by to chat about books. Our books, and books in general. And best of the best of all, occasionally after such a conversation somebody reached into a pocket and pulled out money. Books and smiles for money and smiles: an exchange remarkably like romance.
But there comes a time at every one of these events, usually late in the afternoon, when there’s a lull in the traffic and we’re tired of standing and tired of sitting and tired of smiling at looky-loo passersby, when one of us will turn to the other and say, “We’ll never do this again.”
And then somebody who was at the table hours ago will return, and buy a book, or another copy of a book she’s already bought.
And later, after we’ve packed up our wares and left the show, as we lift our glasses in a nearby bar and grill, one of us will turn to the other and say, “When we come back next year, let’s…”

18 comments:

  1. John, your love of books comes shining through here. I could, and have, wander through books fairs for hours!

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    1. I know you could, Bill . In fact I've seen you do so at LCC in Sacto!

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  2. Oh, yeh, I remember some book fairs, froze our feet in the morning when the sun was behind a building and cooked the afternoon when it was in our faces. You're right. It's rare that you recover the cost of the booth. But it is fun because of the people you meet. You can never tell how much you really recover in publicity and, down the road in sales, so you do it for the love of books, as Bill pointed out above..

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    1. You're right, Lesley. Somehow we know some benefit will come as a consequence of having spent the time. Meeting the public pays off.

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  3. Thanks for this, John. I agree with Bill: you're a book person and a book lover and, of course, you'll keep showing up at book fairs. I wanted to attend the Brooklyn Book Festival last weekend but couldn't get into the city. Maybe next year...

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    1. There's always a book fair somewhere, Eileen. Plenty to enjoy.

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  4. So true, John. I try to remember that one of the reasons I became a published author was to be able to do book fairs and events like a REAL published author! It's one of the perks.
    Because to be truthful...if we were in this for the money, we'd all be put away. Most of us are in this to be read. And as one of our colleagues reminded me lately, "books are sold one at a time."

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    1. You're so right, Melodie. Authors and publishers at the small-press level aren't in it for the money. As the guy at the racetrack said, "I sure hope I break even today. I could use the cash."

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  5. Consorting with book people is a benefit in and of itself. I'm sure it would hurt if they bought a few books. Books, museums and the outdoors. Can't think of many better places to spend time.

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  6. Great piece, John. Many of us who love books understand exactly what you talk about. Economically, a book fair isn't worth the time and money. But for people who love books, there are other benefits, just perhaps worth more to us than the money we spend.

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    1. Thank you, Jim. You're right. When I look back on my life in publishing, the highlights I remember are not about money.

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  7. I've only done a few book fairs, and never had great success selling at them. However, I'd do it again because I had such a good time and met some wonderul people, both writers and readers. You're right, it's not about the money. And it must certainly help get your name out there.

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    1. Yes, Marja, it's good to spread the word about our company and our books. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. Yes, yes, know the "I'll never do this again," feeling, then, next event, it's "Oh that should be fun!"

    Eternal optimism. Love it.

    Madeline

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    1. Eternal optimism is a curse of sorts, Madeline, but we need it.

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  9. Oh, John, you echoed my thoughts exactly. I do a lot of book and craft fairs, once in awhile I make money--usually I don't. But---I really like doing them. It's fun to talk about my books to people who are interested in books.

    Marilyn

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