Craft Fairs & Book Signings

I’ve learned something new about book signings.

Single or even several author book signings seems to have gone out of style. Is it because of the ebook world we now have? How handy and overall least expensive to buy an ebook over a print book. With ebook there’s no shipping cost. But you lose something with ebooks. To hold a paperback or hard copy of your favorite author’s book is comforting. To spread your hand over the cover and feel the texture is soothing.

What about a personal signed book by your favorite author? You can’t get that with ebooks. You can’t even get that one on one meeting and a signing when you order a paperback/hardcopy from a brick & morter or online bookstore.

But book signings are sluggish these days. My favorite author Laura Frantz told me this last week. I was shocked. Her writing is amazing, and yet she and several other authors’ book signings didn’t draw the crowd they once did. As a little-know author, I’ve done a few book signings at libraries and bookstores and I drew few people to my book signing table. I thought it was because I’m not well known or famous.

Ah but! I found a way to hand sell my books to crowds that don’t know me. Enter the craft fairs. Not only did both fairs squeezed me in because the coordinators believed authors are important, but I sold more books than I had imagined. This warmed my heart and lifted my author spirits. The cost to reserve a booth was not spendy. Twenty dollars for a booth in our little town’s fairs and there was a lot of traffic especially for the one at a school gym. Of course this is the Christmas season and this I believe helps. With budgets strained right now, people are looking for craft gifts that mean something. People know this helps the crafter and there’s a curiosity and enjoyment to shop the tables of a fair.

Now I look forward to spring. The fairs will begin again and you can believe I’ll be there.

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