It’s the first time on the other side of the table!

I am happy to report that I survived my first con experience as a vendor.  I sold three books with only the strength of my personality (or in spite of it, as some might say), and I can confidently say that I am on the right career path…finally.  Sure, I’m starting over at a time when other might start winding down and looking forward to a retirement in ten years.  I’ve also learned some thing about setting up and tearing down:

1. I need a banner sign:  Here’s my set up.  You’ll see what I mean almost immediately:
   
   To be fair — this is my first time.
2. I need to be a lot more steady on my elevator pitch:  I got the one for The Dreaded Day Job down, but I flubbed The Quietest Heart and that might have cost me a sale.
3. I need more signage: sure — there’s a lot going on there at my table, but I need to also tell people that I have an Internet presence.  Y’know: the Facebook page, the Twitter account and this blog.  The person across from me had a banner that had QR-codes with her Twitter and Facebook pages set up.  I need something like that by the time I get to the next convention…whenever that is.
4. I need more books!  Holy cow, even though I was selling three books –2 paperbacks and an e-book (which didn’t really sell at all), there were people there selling seven or eight books.  I need to really, really buckle down and crank out some more stuff.
5. I’m not going to stand all day.  I thought I could.  After all, it’s only five hours.  While I stood about maybe four hours total, I did end up sitting for a few minutes.  I noticed that more people came by when I was sitting.  I really do need to relax at conventions.
6. Roadies would be nice.  Just sayin’

I had fun and got to talk to a couple of people.  I even posed for a group picture.  I am definitely going to try to find other conventions to go to, I’ll focus on local ones first and when the funds get bigger, then I hit the out of state ones.  I thought I was going to be a whimpering wreck halfway through (I’m not what one would call ‘comfortably sociable’), but I managed to have a good time.

I am working on a new romance novel called “The Lard of Love”.  I am not going to release any more information about it until it’s done.  I have a bad habit of spilling my guts about what I’m working on, and then I don’t want to finish it.  So, I’m going to shut up about it and show everyone what I am working on this year:

1) Lard of Love — should have the rough draft finished by the end of next month at this rate (2K a day!)

2) The Marvelous and Mysterious Doomsday Medicine Show — I can’t wait to get this one started.  This one is in a shared universe with several other projects.

3) Money-Man / SuperCapitalist — This is the NaNoWriMo project inspired by The Gun by C. J. Chivers.

That should be enough to keep me busy for the year.  If not, then I have so much more to do — a sequel to this book, and another romance / fantasy novel with the working title of “Drinker, Jester, Flirter, Spy” (actually, I like that title…).

Well, I am going to try again to make this a more steady thing.  At least three times a week — even when the Olympics come to TV, I will try to maintain this one.

Amanda…stop laughing.

Sincerely,

Seething Apathy.