Michelle's corner

Over on Rod Raglin's post there's been a little chatter in the comments ( http://rodraglin.booklikes.com/post/1267228/too-anti-social-for-social-media ) and Rod makes some suggestions...

The table at the convention is likely to be a humbling experience, Michelle, and I can only hope not an expensive on as well. Here are some ideas to maximize every contact you make (you’ve likely thought of them yourself, but just in case):
- have a draw for a free set of your books – make sure entrants have to include their email address on the entry form.
- have lots of free giveaways – pens, pencils, book marks, etc. with your name and website on it.
- get out from behind the table and chat people up
- ask questions. What makes them buy a book – the cover? the blurb? the price? How do they find new books – the internet? bookstores? friends?
I’m interested in hearing how you make out and what you learn. I suppose the easiest way would be to - “follow” you?

So, now that he's following I guess here is the best place to continue on with that part of the thread!

As mentioned in earlier posts, this sort of just happened, as documented in early September - http://msknight.booklikes.com/post/1248396/24-hours-ago

My father, who passed on nearly three decades ago now, lived by the motto that if a job is worth doing, then it is worth doing well.

So I did my research and talked with the organiser who was actually a very nice person to chat with on the phone and quite realistic. Among the various bits and pieces was the nugget that the least number of books he had heard were sold, was three, and the most ever was thirty.

Having heard that, I promptly went and ordered two hundred books.

If I don't make a good sales weekend of this, then I should at least go bankrupt in style. Thanks for the advice, Dad!

The late, great, Terry Pratchett had a few words to say about signings. If I find the article that I read many moons ago, I'll post it; but in its absence this will have to do instead - http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/24/terry-pratchett-signing-nearly-killed-me - Among the information that Pratchett passed on in the missing article was to check that the book shops had not only advertised the signing event, but also had some books to be sold and signed! Oh, and ensure you're back is up against something solid, because there's inevitably some kid with the flu, in a parka, who will stand behind you and leer over your shoulder ... or something ... Pratchett put it a darn sight more eloquently.

So...

1) Have a draw for a free set of the books. That's actually a good idea. There is, however, a slight drawback.

Rather than buy a set of books there and then, people might enter the draw, walk away and forget all about me. It allows a grey area between buy and not-buy which is a double edged sword. It could be said that if people were going to buy, then they'd buy anyway, and if they weren't going to buy then I might win over some readers that I might have not got. You could also say it the other way, but by now there are so many could, maybe couldn'ts that my logic circuits might be in danger of a breakdown.

Add in that I'll already have my hands full with a new experience, and orchestrating this will be an extra burden on me at a time when I'm already highly nervous.

Effectively, the trade off is potentially lost sales there and then, for having their e-mail address for marketing later on. I'm going to have to think on that.

2) Lots of free giveaways.

My friends and I have to attend a number of trade conventions as customers, so we have experience on the other side of the fence. We call them, "Gizzits." It's a case of, "I don't really care who you are, or what you're selling, but I'll have three of the pens, one of the mugs and ... those key rings look nice. Yes, just gizzit here and stuff them in this bag. Thank you. Toodles!"

From a customer perspective, most gizzits have no value to me at all; they just sit in the drawer somewhere and pick up fluff. Add on the aforementioned proximity to bankruptcy and you can see that I'm not inclined to invest that much in these things.

I will, however, have business cards with web site and e-mail but no phone number. Also, the web site address is now in the re-formed books. People will forget where the free pen is with the details are, but they'll know where to lay their hands on the signed book with the URL inside the cover, should they want to guide a friend to the web site.

3 & 4) Getting out from behind the table, chat people up and give them the Spanish inquisition (or in my case, the Eastbourne inquisition I guess.)

I was already of a mind to do this. The table comes with one free chair, and I'll have a friend coming with me for moral support; plus to be a beedy set of eyes to protect the prescious while I need to nip off for a comfort break.

When the organiser told me of the poor sales, I determined that something must be wrong with the approach to sales. Sitting behind a desk, moping around waiting for people to come to me was never going to achieve much. Also, the organiser has a habit of filming stuff for the web site to promote just how good a time people are having, and what's on offer ... so I know I'm going to have to be primed, set and ready to rock and roll. Turn on the charm. Lights, camera, action. Seize the moment ... or the potential punter as they pass by. I'll be selling myself as much as the books.

The various articles and statistics I've read over the last year already points strongly to sales coming through word of mouth. I've already worked out the price. I'm going down to the whole pound lower than the web site print price. Check Mate runs for £6.99 so I'll be selling for £6. The three SH books go for £7.99, so I'll be selling for £7, or £18 for all three (the fourth will be with the editor at that point.) thus giving some reasonable savings. And yes, I did my research about what last years books "didn't" sell for at the same event. So I'm priced keenly before I start.

The prices are also at the round £1 so that I don't have to muck around with carrying much change. I've been collecting the £1 and £2 coins from my change for the last couple of weeks. The last thing I want to do is having mathematics hassle and fumbling for change at the table.

What I'll probably do at the weekend is give you a shot at what is in the last segment of the tool boxes. There are also plastic A4 presentation thingies, so if I'm caught up in conversation with someone, those can do some of the sales work for me, as they contain segments from people's reviews; extracts from the books, etc.

I'll also be prepared to discuss my next projects. I'll have the first couple of chapters of, "The Lucky Pig," and also, "The White Wizard," with me so that people can latch on to what I'm doing rather than just the books that are there. Just sitting there, staring at the backs of people's heads and willing them to buy my books just isn't going to cut it.

Also of course, parking, time schedules, overnight accommodation have already been sorted out. The car tyres get changed on the weekend as they need replacing anyway and I don't want to risk them failing on the journey. Yes ... I'm being a little anal about this ... but I put it down to fear, myself!