Ignite by Books: a Retrospect

Hello Dreamers.

So I attended the event over the weekend. Overall I had a good time and got to meet some cool people, though there are a few takeaways from the event that I know I need to incorporate in future events, not just for Ignite, but others, like WOTS.

Like perhaps booking two nights as opposed to one in the hotel - I pretty well scrambled on the last day to get on transit and get home. As well as not forgetting my business cards (oops).

Booth Setup

On the day of the book fair, this was my table:

Not the best setup, obviously, but at least the covers and merch for each book is on display. A flag with Space Whale Dreams Logo displays along the table, held down by the books themselves. A sign with prices and QR codes of electronic copies sat there as well.

Note on Target Audience

The site for the event said nothing about a genre specialisation, so I was surprised to find that most tables were for some form of romance or erotica. Well, Whispers of the Abyss could qualify as erotica and Quantum Songstress does have romance in it, so I guess I was good?

A fact I had a giggle with with my table-mate (in case it wasn't obvious I only had half a table) who was selling poetry. Considering the number of ads and covers of half-naked men everywhere, I did make the joke "If allowed, many of these authors would just have a penis on their covers."

So my next book...

I only found about two authors who weren't selling romance or erotica, and only two male authors.

On Signage

Course, while chatting with another author at the event, upon explaining the plot and theme of Whispers he says "Why not have a giant sign saying you got tentacle erotica? There would be a line-up to your table?"

Damn! That would be a great Idea! Design a poster that just has "Whispers of the Abyss has tentacle sex! 'Nough said!" And hope the people of WOTS would dig that as much as Ignite might have if more signposted.

Perhaps have other signs with something similar. Like, Quantum Songstress does have themes around banality, corporation, faking reality, and the use of technology as opium for the masses. Champion of Seasons is more about dealing with trauma and familial demands with gods and monsters!

Beef up Mailing List

The gold standard for determining how popular you are as a writer is by the size of your mailing list. In this day and age, it would be the email list. One tactic I saw, and it was one my table-mate was using, was to give away merch in exchange for signing up. The how I'm still working out.

Speaking of Merch

Champion of Seasons and Quantum Songstress don't have enough merch as compared to Whispers of the Abyss. So I'm making more merch for each. I'm thinking cards with graphics them.

A sample

Overall

Socially, I had a good time, and that felt as a success. Business-wise, however, I only sold one book. Maybe a few people have bought an ebook version of the books, but I am not holding my breath on that.

With these lessons future events should go better!