Meet The Author Event Dec 2023

Happy Holidays Scribblers, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. As you can see, it’s been another busy few weeks for me. Today I wanted to share that this week I was a guest at the Meet the Authors Night hosted by the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce at the Milpitas Police Department. The event spotlighted 15 local authors from all different genres. Being the only Queer Author invited, I won’t lie, I wasn’t sure how I would be received. The night, however, turned out to be wonderful, and I managed to meet some terrific people. Plus, I even sold several of my books, which is always a nice plus.

Here are a couple of photos from the nights event.

I’m hoping to do more in person events in 2024, if you aren’t following me in social media please do, as this where you can hear all about my upcoming events. Until next time have a great week and a wonderful Holiday Season.

Events (What you didn’t know, you need to know)

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. Well, we’ve done it. We are back to attending local and distant events. It’s been wonderful to get out there and see people, make contacts, sign and sell books, and have fun. Over the last couple of months, I’ve been to a few local events with plans for more to come. Today, I wanted to talk about all the things authors need to know, when we plan for, and go to events. 

These are some fun pics from the events I’ve been at. 

As some of you may know, in my former life I did international and domestic events for a high-tech company. It was fun, but it’s a lot of work. So today I thought I would share what I’ve learned and forgotten about doing an in-person event. Keep in mind this is my experience, so what works for me may not work for you and your group. That said, look at all this information as suggestions and tips and tricks to help you out. 

Congratulations! You’ve decided to get back out there and go to a local book event, festival, book signing, etc. Here are some things to plan for and consider. 

Pre-Event: 

  • Create a Check List!!!!!!

  • Get yourself some business cards

  • Make a bookmark with all your social media info on it (you can use this as a free giveaway)

  • Depending on where you live and what you are doing, ensure you have a business license. This is important and easy to get from your local government. Also, depending on the city you are going to, you may need to get a seller’s permit for the day of the event. Some festivals will help you with this, but most don’t and it’s up to you to ensure you have everything you need in case the event management staff come by and ask you to show proof. It’s a pain in the butt, but a necessary evil. Luckily this doesn’t cost a lot, it’s more of a time suck.

  • Get yourself some bins or boxes to carry your books and all your stuff?

  • Get yourself a trolley or a cart so you can easily bring everything to your booth in one trip. Don’t have a cart get something like this (click here).

  • If you have a newsletter? Bring something so folks can sign-up to join.

  • When it comes to payments, people are leaning more towards Venmo and PayPal. Make sure you have QR Codes (you can get this from their apps, download the app if you haven’t already) for people so they can scan and pay you.

  • People use cash, so make sure you can make change.

  • Get yourself a cashbox or a flip binder to keep the cash in (or your pocket works too).

  • Keep your book pricing simple. Round up to the nearest dollar so you don’t have to fuss with change. Also, price your books to include tax so you don’t have to figure that out. For example, I sell my books at $15 and $20 and this price includes tax.

  • If you plan on taking credit cards, make sure you have everything you need to do that (Square works well and works with your cell phone, so it’s easy).

  • If you don’t have one, create an elevator pitch about your writing and your books. Here is an example of mine:

M.D. Neu is an award-winning Queer author of Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal stories who wants to tell epic tales that reflect our diverse world.

All stories are based on ‘What ifs’

All stories take place in the Bay Area

All stories have a diverse cast of characters

 Now for your Books:

  • Okay, so here’s the thing I’ve learned. You won’t have any idea what people will want to read, so if you are going to be there on your own, take all your books (5–10 of each depending on how many books you offer). If you have a book series, bring more of the first book in the series because folks will buy that (and maybe all the books in the series, but typically they will start with book one). Now also regarding your books, if you are going as part of a group, think about the others who will be there. You don’t want to be a space hog, so make sure you don’t make the group space all about you and your books. As authors, we need to support each other and help one another. A potential reader may not be interested in what you write, but they may really love something that the others in your group write, so talk them up. Because what goes around comes around and you’ll want them to do the same for you.

  • If you are going to a specific type of festival or conference, bring books that are in that genre, but bring some of your other works as well because people read more than one kind of book. 

Your Booth:

  • When displaying your books, invest in some book stands. Here is a link where you can find tons of different types get what fits your budget and will work for you. As part of the book display, invest in a tablecloth (or bring one from home) solid colors work best.

  • For each of your books, create a slip sheet that you can stick into the top of the book for folks to read (about a sentence or two), this way they don’t have to read the back cover if they don’t want to. This should be a teaser. Something to get them interested, but not bog them down. Here is an example of one of mine:

The world is changing quickly for Chris now that he’s part of the Immortal Community. The events of his past are finally behind him. But, true magic is gradually taking hold in the world and nothing in the Immortal community is what he thought. Now enemies must work together and longtime friends may not be trustworthy. Who is lurking in the shadows? What does this mean for witches, immortals, and humans?

  • Depending on the setup (if you are going to be outside) bring a canopy. Being out in the sun all day is rough and you’ll appreciate the shade. If you’re inside, a canopy can be a nice way to stand out.

  • If you have a banner or can get one, bring it, but you will also need twine or rope to hang it up (assuming that’s allowed).

  • A free-standing banner or sign is a nice marketing piece to have if it’s in your budget, but you don’t need one.

  • Swag. People love free stuff. You probably can’t bring candy or food (check with the event organizers) but buttons, pens, bookmarks, business cards, cards with a free download of your book, info cards about you and your books, you’ll be surprised what people will pick up and take away.

  • Clipboard. You want it to be easy for people to sign up for your newsletter.

  • Pens. Lots of pens (see the above about people taking stuff) It’s even better if your pens are branded.

  • If you plan on giving away anything or hold a contest, have a flyer with that information. You should put it into a plastic stand of its own so it doesn’t get messed up and people can easily see it.

Additional Items to make your long day better:

  • Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. You’re going to be on your feet 8–10 hours, so you want to be comfy.

  • Bring water and snacks. If you are there on your own, you’ll want to come prepared, even if you go with a group water and snacks are a big plus.

  • Bring a box, bag, or bin with these things; pens, pencils, tape, larger binder clips (to keep your table cloth from blowing away), paperclips, notepad, labels to price your books, extension cord (in case you can plug in for power), bandages, aspirin or Tylenol, markers, and any other small thing you think you may or may not need.

  • Smile and talk to people. This is hard, especially after a long day, but people won’t come up and talk to you if you aren’t engaging with them or smiling. Think about when you go to a store. Do you go up to clerks who aren’t smiling or look like they are too busy to ‘see’ you? You want to present as open and as welcoming persona as you can. Practice in the mirror. Trust me, it’ll help.

  • Be prepared to talk to media. Create a press kit for yourself on the off chance the media stops by and wants to chat. This does happen, so be prepared. Not sure what to put in a media kit check out this page here, this is what I have in mine.

  • We all want to sell all our books, but prepare yourself for the reality that you might not sell any books. This happens, which sucks, especially after all the money and effort you put into the event. Take a breath and remember you are doing this for the exposure.

  • Bring a charging rod or brick for your cell phone (especially if you are going to use your devise to take payments).

If you are going with a group of authors here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Try to set up shifts (2 – 3 hours) and have no more then 4 or 6 people in and around the booth at any one time. You don’t want it to look crowded. Sometimes having two people in the booth and two people outside the booth to talk to people works well.

  • Have an elevator pitch for each of the authors who are going to be in the booth so you have a cheat sheet for when you are talking to potential readers.

  • Break down all the books by genre and not by author (unless you want to) this way you can direct people to the genre they like to read and that way they can see all the book on offer.

  • Use your time outside the booth to go around and talk to other authors or vendors. Or go and get some food. Breaks are nice and it’s good to get away from the booth, if you can.

  • Don’t be selfish, you are there to as part of a team, put in the same amount of effort you want others to put in for you. If you need a break fine take it, if you don’t like talking to people, then see what else you can do to help. If you are there and only taking up space then consider doing your next event solo, because no one will want to do another event with you.

  • On the flipside, don’t make yourself a nuisance and don’t make the booth all about you. Step back and give others a chance to spotlight their work and talk to people. When you are in a group setting you all need to be there to support one another.

  • Most importantly come early and help set up, or if you can’t come early plan on staying late to help tear down and clean up. This really helps out.

This is not by any means a complete list of do’s and don’ts. What works for me may not work for you and all events are different. The above info is to help you think through all that goes into an event. They can be a lot of fun, but they are a lot of work (both before, during, and after) I hope this information helps, until next time, have a great week and Happy Pride 2022.

What it’s like being an author in a small publishing house?

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all doing well, and for those of you here in the US I hope you are looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday and the mad dash to Christmas and the New Year. With the end of 2021 fast approaching, I’m looking back at my writing career to date. I have so much to be grateful for and I’ve learned so much over the past few years. I thought I would share my experience and thoughts as an author from a small publishing house.

I started my official writing career in May 2017 with my first contract from NineStar Press. Getting that first contract was such an exciting time. I couldn’t believe the news. Someone other than my family and friends believed enough in my writing to want to publish my work. I still feel that way every time I get a new contract.

At that time, I had zero knowledge about the publishing industry. So, everything that happened after that first signing started my new education. Since then I’ve signed seven more contracts, and I’ve not only worked with NineStar Press, but with ACX (for my audiobooks) and with an additional publisher for a new short story that has been picked up to be part of a new anthology (more details on the short story and anthology coming soon). Also, I’ve worked with two different author collectives to self-publish two more anthologies. With each new contract and with each new book release, I’ve learned more and more about publishing. I’ve also created a list of things I like and I don’t like about the industry.

Being part of a small publishing house, you are expected to do a lot of work, not only writing, but you have to market your books, promote your books, advertise your books, find opportunities for you to showcase your work, spend a lot of time and money to build your following…

All these new tasks are daunting.

Everyone thinks that once you sign on the dotted line with a publisher, you are set; you get to sit back, write, and collect royalties. You get to go to a few interviews, maybe a book tour, but most of your time from then on will be you doing what you love… writing. That may be the case for some authors, but not the vast majority, including myself. Yes, I suppose you could just sit back and write, but don’t expect to make any money, unless you are lucky and hit the right mix of story and audience. As a member of a small indie publishing house you have to put in the work in or your much dreamed of writing career won't go anywhere. Small houses like NineStar Press do not have the resources for huge marketing campaigns or getting you on the speaking circuit. They don’t have people who will enter you in book competitions, get you on TV, radio, YouTube, or podcasts. In order to get into any of these things, finding these opportunities is up to you. Now they might have sources and they might point you in the right direction, but all the legwork that comes from you. Some, like NineStar, may even have a contract source for a book marketing professional, but even these services can be limited.

As an example, I was looking into going to Saints and Sinners (Saints and Sinners is a LGBTQIA literary festival held in New Orleans each year). Several authors who I’ve spoken with have said is a wonderful event and worth going to if you can. Eric and I looked into going and for the three-day event we were looking at a cost of about $3,000, and there are no guarantees that I would see any kind of return on investment, other than making contacts and getting to know people (which isn’t a bad thing). Going to this event is on hold for this year.

Keep in mind that is one event, and there are many book events throughout the year. Currently, I’m looking for literary events closer to home.

Because NineStar is a small publishing house, there is no way they could cover these costs, not only for me, but for any of the authors in their catalog, nor would I expect them to. Still, it would be nice.

What’s a small publishing house to do?

The advice all authors get is to keep writing and reading, build up your backlog of books. That is the only way to get better royalties and with better royalties comes the opportunity to afford to go to literary festivals like Saints and Sinners. Another must get those reviews. Reviews equal exposure and the exposure turns into money. This is why you’ll see authors begging for readers to review their works (myself included). When it comes to reviews, remember the author is not the only one looking for reviews. There are thousands of authors out there and there are only a limited number of reviewers. Some publishers will have a list of reviewers they work with, which is helpful. NineStar is building out that list, which will be a great help. However, finding review sites and people willing to review your work is mostly up to the author.

I have a small list of reviewers that I’ve created and with whom I contact when I have a new book out. Still, those few reviews aren’t enough. You need hundreds of reviews to be a blip on anyone’s radar.

Another avenue for authors to build a following and sell books is to get their works in all the local bookstores and libraries, this again is something the author has to do on their own, yes, the publisher will ensure your books are available for bookstores and library to buy, but as for getting your books into a local bookstore, that is up to the author. I have a list of LGBTQIA book stores I email and let know when I have a new book coming out. Some have been responsive, which is wonderful. Also, I have a list of local book stores who I contact as well, in hopes they will carry my books, or better yet, let me come and do a reading.

I’ve heard in large publishing houses they have people who will do this, which is wonderful. But again, small publishing houses don’t have that kind of capacity, which is a shame.

Being part of a small publishing house is a lot of work and with each new book title, you continue to learn more and improve on what you have already learned. As a small house author, you have to build up your network of followers and build opportunities for yourselves, because no one, not even the big five publishers are going to give you a pass on selling your work. Sure, they have more resources to do more, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t involved. I’ve heard having a book agent can help (but they will take a cut of your royalties) in all areas of marketing, but getting an agent, let alone a good, well-connected agent is challenging. I know authors who are much farther down the path of their author career with several more books out than me, who still can’t find an agent. Which is a shame because these authors are amazing.

Additionally, part of my publishing journey has included the realization that I have to spend a lot of my money to hopefully accomplish my dream of becoming a well-known career author. To date, I’ve spent more than I’ve earned… that’s right… let that sink in… as of the writing of this article, I’ve yet to turn a profit. That was something I never thought would be the case. This lack of profit is also why I have my full-time job and am lucky if I can publish one to two books a year (with the pandemic it’s been more like one book a year) which I will admit is frustrating as I have books written, but they are in the queue with my publisher.

Ah, that is another thing. As a small house published author, you have to have a lot of patience because publishing has its own time schedule. You may have two, three, five, ten books ready to go, but your publisher decides when they will be edited, proofed, have cover art created, and finally when they will be released. All decisions that are out of your hands, so patience is key. Patience is also something I’ve had to learn quite a bit of and I can admit to you all that I’m not a big fan. NineStar has offered to translate my books into Spanish, which is wonderful, however; patience. I have to wait for my turn for my books to be translated. I don’t how long this will take and I can’t even be sure having my works translated will ever happen (unless I pay for the translations myself). My problem is I’m used to working in a world where deadlines are created and we live and die by them. There are no delays. The world doesn’t stop moving for one reason or another. Work still has to be done and there are still expectation and obligations that must be met. Yes, there is some of that within these small publishing houses, but their time lines and their sense of urgency differ completely from what I’m used to or, if I’m honest, had hoped for. This isn’t one publishing house, this is the industry, even the big five, from what I’ve heard.

I don’t want you to read this and think that I’m not happy with being part of a small publishing house, because I’m grateful to them for the opportunities they have given me. I’m also grateful for the education I’ve gotten when it comes to publishing. Publishing is not as easy or as glamorous as you see in movies or TV. Being a published author means you have a lot of work ahead of you and you have to learn a lot, and become a lot if you want to make writing your career.

Given all that I’ve learned and all that I continue to learn. And all the hardships (which there have been many) being an author in a small publishing house hasn’t been bad. I can say I’ve enjoyed most of it. I’ve met great people and learned a lot. I can’t wait to see where this all goes and what else I’m going to learn. What do you think being an author for a small publishing house was like? Did you think it would be like this? Or did you have some other vision? I’d love to hear what you think.

That’s all for now. Until next time, have a great week.