It is a battle for most fledgling authors to find ways to grow their readership and sell books. I have tried bookstore signings, Public Library signings, Writing Conferences of various kinds, Artisan fairs and even some charities. I’ve even been on television.
The needle has moved but not as far or as quickly as I would like.
One thing I have discovered is, when selling outside a store setting (I’m specifically talking about selling anywhere but a bookstore), my target audience doesn’t always have money on hand for a purchase as big as a book (bubblegum and inexpensive odds and sods, certainly, but $15 for a book? not so much).
Now that I know I’m going to be hosting a table at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo I have to expand my personal inventory to include items that are slightly less expensive but still carry my brand and will eventually (hopefully) bring me more readers and sales.
So, I’m investigating some ideas that fit that bill. For example, I’ve talked about producing my Zombie Scout badges. I am actively looking into that. I might also look at keychains for both my Scouts books as well as Mik Murdoch. I’m open to other suggestions as well.
I shall continue to bring forth bookmarks and I expect to have a Student Study Guide for Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero ready for consumption by that time as well.
I’m always looking for something that will get attention for my books. Hopefully one of these initiatives will help things along.
