After the trip to Michigan, I got bitten with the events bug. More, please! I was going on that trip would reveal one of two things: either I’d hate it and never want to do it again or I’d be all in. Well, I’m all in.
With that said, organized book events and conventions plan like a year in advance. I do already have some events booked for 2025. And I booked the Traveling Bookshelf event I’m going to this October in Texas in December. So I knew if I wanted to do any other events in 2024, I’d have to get a little creative.
Enter: local vendor events.
My first local vendor event as an indie author
I’m not going to lie, finding local events to sign up for was a bit tricky. After searching for a while, I ended up searching for “what to do this weekend in ____” (insert city/town/county name here). That brought me to a few calendars of events that were happening in the next like 5-7 days (usually the upcoming weekend). Obviously, that wasn’t going to do me much good, but it was a place to start.
Some of the upcoming events were hyperlinked, which brought me to that specific vendor host’s information. I clicked around and found one that had an event in the timeframe I was thinking. They had a form available to apply right then and there, but I did something a little different.
I understand that vendor events typically feature things like handmade art, jewelry, candles, etc etc. I wasn’t sure if an indie author would be allowed. So I emailed the host. She replied immediately with enthusiasm. Green light.
There ya go. Event booked. Now what?
Setting up at a local vendor event as an indie author | What I learned
Makers are freaking amazing. No, really. There are some seriously talented people out there. Beyond that, though, I found the vibe to be very inclusive. In fact, the host was thrilled I had a smaller set up (humble beginnings, my friend), and asked if I’d be okay being in a particular spot. I agreed, but wanted to make sure my sign wouldn’t interfere with my neighbor’s set up. He was so accommodating that he offered to trade spots so we could each be super visible.
Make it easy to pay. At the book ball, I found myself having to pull up my venmo QR code every time someone wanted to buy a book. I vowed at my next event to have a sign with my payment QR codes easy to access. This time, though, I learned I won’t attend another event without being able to accept payments from my phone (using something like Square. You could also use something like easy invoice generation by Payanywhere).
Be prepared for anything. The first “issue” we ran into (if you could even call it that) was our table was right in front of a fan. Excellent for us. Not so great for the stickers I like to have sprawled on my table for picking. I’ll be thinking up some ideas on how to better display those at future events. (If you have any ideas, I’m all ears.) The next issue? It rained. The whole event. Luckily, we were under a pavilion, so we stayed dry, but the moisture in the air wasn’t great for my inventory. Next time, I’ll bring a plastic tub for extra inventory that I’ll keep under my table cloth to pull from. That way only my display books are exposed to the elements.
Act less surprised. You guys. You guys… A lovely lady came by my table and we were chatting about the books. She shared that she was a former middle school teacher so she knew alllllll about the drama that can infiltrate those young years. Then she says “I’ll give it a try,” picking up a book for me to sign. My response? ARE YOU SURE!? 🫠 Good one, Joey.
Would I do a vendor event as an indie author again?
Yes. Even with the rain and the crummy turnout, I would call the event a success. I can definitely see the value of participating in events like these as an indie author. You might feel a little awkward or out of place at first (I definitely did), but don’t we always? 😅 They’re relatively inexpensive to participate in, and on a nicer day, I can imagine just the exposure alone would be worth it.
0 Comments