Last year, I sold almost $60,000 of books across 40+ live events. In other words, I sacrificed most of my weekends to drive around the Midwest (primarily), haul several hundred pounds of books and equipment, set up a beautiful but massive booth display, and sell books to strangers at pop-up comic cons, gaming conventions, and other events.
Was it worth it? To me, it was. It might sound crazy, especially if you’re already selling plenty of books online. But if you’re interested in diversifying your income streams, and you’ve got an established fan base or happen to be a rare extroverted author (or a curious introvert), live events can be a great way to supplement your author income, to interact with your readers, and to make some new fans while you’re at it.
I started my live events journey with two published books, and I built up from there. If I can do it, so can you.
How did I get there?
From 2011 to 2021, I lived gig to gig, which is freelancer slang for “paycheck to paycheck.” I had written several books, chased the traditional publishing dream, and ultimately decided indie publishing was right for me. All the while, I worked as a freelance editor to pay the bills.
One day in 2018, a friend of mine from jiu-jitsu class told me about two guys who were hosting a large comic con called Planet Funk Con in our metro area. He put me in touch with them, they gave me a spot as a featured local author, and let me sell books at their show.
As I mentioned above, I only had two books out, and they were about as far apart in genre as you could imagine (erotica notwithstanding): one children’s picture book and the first book of a sci-fi/horror thriller series.
Altogether, I sold around $300 of books that weekend. I was thrilled, considering I didn’t put much thought into my setup and my expenses were practically nothing. More importantly, I realized I could and should do more live events. An extra $300 is always nice, whether monthly, weekly, or otherwise.
Over the next few years, I ramped up my live events game with the following net sales results:
- 2019: $3,345.15
- 2020: $4,890.67
- 2021: $20,768.99
- 2022: $32,643.59
- 2023: $56,406.11
I attribute my revenue jump in 2021 to a few key factors:
- By the end of 2021, I went from one completed series to four completed series published (and available for purchase at events).
- I also published omnibus versions of each of those series, and omnibuses sell incredibly well at live events.
- I did more events in 2021 than in 2020, in part thanks to COVID and also in part thanks to intentionally seeking out more events.
And the next big jump from 2022 to 2023? The difference there was adding more shows. I went from around 25 in 2022 to 40+ events in 2023. I also implemented a modest price increase on individual books (from $16.95 to $17.95 per book), which helped to a degree, though my omnibus prices ($39.95 and $49.95) didn’t change.
Did other elements change, too? Sure. I improved my display incrementally, which was both necessary and helpful because I had more books out (I’m up to 27 now, not including omnibus versions). Among other useful information, I go into a lot more detail about everything that makes up my display in my book Power Author: A Quick Guide to Mastering Live Events.
My first convention setup.
An example of our full display.
The results? I’m still technically a freelancer, but now my “gigs” are various events where I’m setting up shop to sell books. My books.
In 2023, I “retired” from freelance editing. My sales income from books has more than surpassed even my best years freelancing, and I’m no longer struggling to “get by” on freelance jobs (though I still do some other less-intensive freelancing to supplement my income).
My advice to authors considering live events
First and foremost, you don’t have to do everything everywhere all at once. Start small. Start local. Find an event near you (maybe a farmer’s market or a local craft fair), and see how it goes for you. Rather than investing in all the “stuff” you’ll need to do multiple shows, it makes sense to try it out first.
For any author wanting to do more live events, here are five areas for consideration:
1. What kinds of books do well at live events?
In terms of genre, the doors are pretty wide open. If an event is geared toward a specific theme (comic cons, horror cons, gaming cons, etc.), then you can count on genres associated with those events to sell better.
Conventional publishing wisdom says “stick with one genre and build your audience there,” but in my experience with live events, the opposite is true. I’ve hooked countless readers with one of my standalones or one of my series, and they’ve come back to buy more later on, even in genres they wouldn’t necessarily read. For live events, having a wider range of genre choices is a positive, not a negative.
2. What kinds of events should authors look for?
Where do readers of your books hang out? Specifically, what kinds of events could you envision them going to?
Romance readers are everywhere, all the time. It’s the most popular genre on Amazon, followed by mystery/suspense/thriller, followed by sci-fi/fantasy.
If you write any of those big genres, you’re bound to meet your people “in the wild” at any event where people show up en masse. I’ve found lots of success with sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and children’s books at the following kinds of events:
- Comic cons (both big ones and smaller local pop-up events)
- Craft fairs (people who appreciate handmade crafts usually prefer printed books)
- Themed events (horror conventions, anime conventions, sci-fi and fantasy conventions)
- Mall events (people are already coming there to spend money)
- Festivals (if lots of people attend, at least some of them are bound to be readers)
- Gaming conventions (tabletop games take up a lot of trunk space, and so do books)
Notice that I didn’t include book fairs on this list. I’ve done a handful of these, and they’ve been fine, but when you do a book fair, you’re signing up to compete directly with every other author there. Sure, the audience is 100% readers, but I’ve personally found much more success in showing up to events where people aren’t expecting to see an author there.
3. What costs should authors expect to budget for?
As with most publishing ventures, authors can expect to face a range of expenses with live events. As I noted in my intro to this section, an author working toward doing multiple live events a year can gradually tackle some of these expenses over time.
For each show you do, chances are good that you’ll end up paying something for the space at the event. I’ve paid as little as $10 for a spot, and the most I’ve paid is $470-ish for a spot at a huge show (where we pulled in over 10 times that much in revenue).
You’ll inevitably pay for gas and other travel-related expenses, possibly shipping expenses to get your books to the venue (though I’d recommend bringing them with you if possible), lodging for overnight shows, and food. When possible, I hit up local grocery stores and get stuff to make sandwiches to save money.
Naturally, you’ll have to buy the books themselves, too. Buying in bulk can save money, but make sure you have somewhere safe and dry to store them.
Those are all pretty “normal” or “routine” recurring expenses for doing shows, but authors also need to account for less obvious expenses. Most of the following are one-time expenses, so once you have them, you’re set (until they get lost or wear out, etc.):
Banners or signs – You’ll want to have your backdrop and signs professionally designed and printed. Do it right the first time, and you won’t have to replace it unless it gets damaged.
Banner stand – If you buy a banner, you’ve got to hang it on something. Don’t count on the venue letting you tack it to their wall. Buy and bring your own setup instead.
Tables and tablecloths – Not all venues and events provide tables. Even if they do, you might need more table space than they offer, so buying and bringing your own tables is a good idea. Most events also require you to cover your tables so everything looks professional, so invest in some tablecloths.
Shelves and other display elements – If you have a lot of books, a good strategy to employ is to build UPWARD rather than outward. Maximize your vendor space by displaying books on bookshelves, both freestanding and tabletop versions.
Floor mats – If you’re standing all day, your feet will pay the price. I recommend buying some padded floor mats to give your old dogs a break.
A comfortable chair – As with the floor mats, a good chair is useful when you need to take a minute to rest, or when you need to sit down to sign a book (or several). Bonus points if it has cupholders.
Signing implements – I recommend using a Sharpie, preferably in a unique color of your choice, to sign books. Sharpie ink doesn’t fade, and you get to express your personality when you pick a cool color.
Something sharp – Scissors, a knife, a claymore — you might need a tool to cut something at some point.
Sales/credit card processing software – I use Square. They don’t charge up front (except to buy one of their card readers, if you need one), but they do take a minimal percentage of each sale. Price your books accordingly so your margins don’t suffer.
Cash stash – Avoid coins. Bring small bills (ones and fives), and round up or down as needed.
Bins for your books and supplies – You can certainly haul books in boxes, but I’ve found that using clear plastic bins is a great alternative because you can see exactly what’s inside. Make sure you also have a container or a box to transport your “extras” from the list above. If it’s all in one place, it’s easier to ensure it won’t get left behind.
A hefty cart – Trust me when I say you don’t want to skimp on your cart. Get something you can manage in terms of your physical well-being; for me, that’s a big foldable cart that can fit all of my books at once, plus some of the extra stuff above… because if I have to make two trips, am I even worthy of being called a man?
As a reminder, you don’t need to buy everything on this list right away. If you’re planning to do a lot of events, then it’s wise to invest in these things, but you can spread it out. My display setup came together one piece at a time, or occasionally two or three pieces at a time, as needed.
4. How can authors price their books to cover all of these expenses?
I’ve found success in pricing my individual books based on the 1/3-split metric. Essentially, the breakdown is as follows:
- 1/3 of your retail price covers the cost of printing the book
- 1/3 covers the cost to replace the copy of the book you just sold
- 1/3 is revenue or profit, to be applied to other expenses as necessary
So if your book costs $5.00 to print, you should charge $15 for it:
- 1/3 of your retail price covers the cost of printing the book – $5.00*
- 1/3 covers the cost to replace the copy of the book you just sold – $5.00
- 1/3 is revenue or profit, to be applied to other expenses as necessary – $5.00
*Don’t forget to factor in shipping costs when figuring out your actual costs and, thus, your margins.
Generally speaking, this breakdown/structure has served me well. Some of my products have higher margins (like my omnibus versions), but they get balanced out by my discount pricing offers when readers buy multiple books.
Speaking of discounts, make sure they’re designed to incentivize readers to buy more books. Don’t offer a discount for no reason; make sure you get something out of it as well (aside from just the sale).
This can mean a variety of different things. For example, my omnibuses are priced lower than buying all the individuals in a series. The reader gets a deal, but in all actuality, the margins are better on my omnibuses than if they buy the individual books.
My omnibus prices are based on my multi-book prices, so if a trilogy of individual books costs $45, the omnibus will cost $40. Because I can print my omnibuses for cheaper (one cover, just with more pages), I end up making more money overall, and that’s the goal, right?
5. What’s the best way for authors to maximize sales without coming across as a jerk?
When you’re selling books, you have to simultaneously hold two principles in your head:
- I’m here to sell books.
- I’m here to connect with readers.
They may seem contradictory at first, but if you do them both correctly, they harmonize nicely with each other.
My approach is a straightforward, repeatable process that I endeavor to control from the beginning to the end. When I see someone has taken notice of my books or my display, I greet them and ask, “What kind of books do you like to read?” This question serves as an invitation to 1. connect with me and 2. take a closer look at the books I’m selling.
Once they reply, I hand them a book (connecting) that is closest to their stated interests or genre preferences, and I begin to tell them (selling) about the books.
For each of my books and series, I’ve mastered my elevator pitch. Each pitch is designed to provide examples of other works comparable to my books (connecting) and also to hook and tantalize readers (selling) so they want to read the back cover of the book I’m showing them.
The back cover copy functions more or less the same as the elevator pitch, just in written form; it both connects to the reader by noting comparable titles and is written in a captivating way so as to sell them the book.
From that point on, I can either close the sale (selling) or, if they’re curious about my other titles, show those off (connecting).
Don’t forsake the upsell, either; if they’ve said “I want this one,” that’s your opportunity to say, “If you like this one, you’ll also like this other one (connecting) because reasons… (selling).” This works for selling your entire series, it works for selling comparable titles you may also have available, and it works for selling “extras” like metal bookmarks, art prints of your characters, stickers, or whatever else you have available.
Payment details are exactly that: just details. Get paid, and focus on connection from that point on. Specifically, offer readers a chance to join your author newsletter right then and there. I always say, “If you’d like to stay connected, jump on my author newsletter.” Then I put an iPad in front of them, they enter their email address, and they get added to the list.
The main reasons I do this are twofold: First, adding them after they’ve made a purchase means they’re a qualified lead. They’ve already invested time and money into your work, which is arguably the strongest indicator that they’ll do so again. Almost everyone on my newsletter list is someone who is already a fan to some degree.
Second, I do this on the back end because doing it on the front end discourages sales, especially if you offer a free giveaway when they sign up. Why buy anything when they can try you out for free to see if you’re worth their time and investment? Better to make a sale now and offer the freebie as a bonus at the end, which will further endear them to you.
Selling and connecting are two sides of the same coin. Do both at once, and you won’t come across as pushy. More importantly, if you succeed at doing both, your readers will become lifelong fans, and they will continue to look for you and buy your next book(s) forever.
Conclusion
I told myself I wouldn’t do 40 events in a year again, and so far, I’m not lying — I’ve only booked 39. But if I’m being honest, it’ll be over 40 before too long.
As such, my weekends are toast, which means I have to cram my freelance projects and my new writing projects into weekdays. It’s a trade-off — I can actively make money almost every weekend of the year, but I definitely don’t have as much time for other pursuits.
If you really want to do a bunch of events, go for it. You can actively expand your audience and make money while you’re at it, and it’s no less fickle than trying to figure out ads and online sales.
At the end of the day, I enjoy doing live events because I’m an extrovert. I enjoy chatting with people, sharing my awesome books with them, and forging connections that will last for lifetimes.
If that sounds appealing to you, then give live events a try. You might be surprised how much you like it.
Are you convinced to try live events? Or do you have experience with live events to share with other authors? Let us know in the comments below!
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Click to tweet: Authors, have you tried selling books at live events? SFF author Ben Wolf shared his results and really helpful tips for success: https://bit.ly/4c8Nac2 #writingcommunity
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The views and opinions expressed in this guest post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of BookBub.
