As someone who's often asked to do readings and sell books in all kinds of places, this really strikes a chord.
This, especially gets my goat: You're asked to appear, and there's no follow-through by the organizers. No signage, no advertising, nothing. I've gotten pretty savvy about asking exactly what organizers are doing to promote an event, and then making sure they hold up their end of the bargain. Of course, I promote the heck out of everything myself, too.
And still, it's a crap-shoot, isn't it? Places I think will be a sell-out are a bust. Places I go into thinking will be a bust are sellout. There's a kind of energy, I think, that makes people buy books--but I haven't quite cracked the code for every situation!
As someone who's often asked to do readings and sell books in all kinds of places, this really strikes a chord.
This, especially gets my goat: You're asked to appear, and there's no follow-through by the organizers. No signage, no advertising, nothing. I've gotten pretty savvy about asking exactly what organizers are doing to promote an event, and then making sure they hold up their end of the bargain. Of course, I promote the heck out of everything myself, too.
And still, it's a crap-shoot, isn't it? Places I think will be a sell-out are a bust. Places I go into thinking will be a bust are sellout. There's a kind of energy, I think, that makes people buy books--but I haven't quite cracked the code for every situation!
Thanks for this.
Thanks. It takes a fellow in-person bookseller to relate to this sort of thing. I noticed you're at a mall today. Good luck!
It went well! I went in very realistically, and came out pleasantly surprised. Of course, the mailing list I maintain really helps! Thanks.
Super. You never know how these things will go