So due to a lucky break a spot opened up in this past Saturday’s Grand Rapids Indie Flea. This pun is in exceptionally poor taste as the space I’m taking belonged to someone who just broke their arm. However, I couldn’t not use the pun. It’s a sickness for which I am seeking treatment. Pray for me as I struggle with this punbearable disease.
But seriously, I abandoned my glorious plans of sleeping in till 8AM and woke up bright (except it was still dark) and early and road tripped it up north. If you’ll recall, my previous attempt to sell books at this event were mediocre at best. However, this time I know better. I have a tablecloth for one thing, I also have a spot in the theater so I won’t be relegated to just the stragglers who ventured beyond the main area.
I’ve developed a routine on these book trips. I’ll listen to 95.5 till I lose signal and then switch over to an audiobook. I’m about two thirds of the way through The Martian. It’s an amazing book.
I stopped at Cracker Barrel around 7AM to fuel up and arrived at the Wealthy Theater just as people were starting to unload. Within 15 minutes of the doors opening I sold my first book so I knew this was a whole other ballgame I was in for.
There was certainly more foot traffic but I planned on managing my expectations and keeping my goal reasonable. I figured if I sold 10 books and obtained 10 potential amazon review to help bolster my book on release day then I was in good shape.
I sold 11!
It was a very fun event, though I think, moving forward I will try to secure the assistance of a friend or family member moving forward so I’m not doing all these events by myself. It gets a little wearing when the whole day is spent talking to no-one except potential customers.
It’s also difficult because I lost my customer service face after I stopped working retail and I’ve made do with a spare but it’s not the same.
Oh, well.
Bye for now!