Creating an Interesting Event Table
Most authors head to a local book event with one goal: sell as many books as possible. If the sales are slow, it’s easy to feel like the whole day was a waste of time. But we’re sitting on a goldmine of content to use for our social media, blogs, and newsletters.
1. Give Them Something to Look At
Instead of just a flat table of books, bring a few prop pieces from your stories. If you’re writing about ghosts or time travel, put a dusty old locket or a vintage clock on the table. It stops people in their tracks, but more importantly, it makes for a great photo op. Snap some close-ups of your table setup; these look much more "author-like" on Pinterest or Substack than a book cover ever will.
2. Listen to the "Walk-Ups"
Every person who stops to chat is giving you a free lesson in what readers actually care about. When someone asks, "Is the ghost actually scary?" or "How does the time travel work?" they are literally handing you your next blog post. Write those questions down! If one person at a fair is curious about it, your online followers probably are, too.
3. Make the Day Last All Month
Packing the car and setting up is a lot of work, so you might as well get some mileage out of it. Take a quick "behind-the-scenes" selfie or a photo of your messy trunk. It shows your readers that you’re a real person putting in the work. By the time you pack up for the day, you should have enough photos and ideas to keep your social media busy for weeks, making the event a win even if you only sold a few copies.
4. Ebooks
Don't forget to handout business cards, bookmarks, or synopsis sheets with a QR code to make it easier to find your Author Page or Website. Customers might prefer reading on their Kindle or tablet and purchase your books after the event.
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