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Here are my top four takeaways from my latest author event!

1. Focus on the paperback and the first book.

I had paperbacks and hardcovers for my first two books available, and the paperback for Marrow and Soul outsold every other format by a long shot. Now that I’m selling more than a few books at every event, I can see the trend that’s pretty obvious in hindsight: people are more willing to take a risk on one book than a whole series and on a $20 paperback than a $25 hardcover.

So I’ll be putting this book front and center at my next event!

2. Draw attention to my newsletter during my pitch.

My tablemate, Dani Keen, did an excellent job of directing potential readers to her newsletter signup sheet. Halfway through our event, I was staring at her long list of new subscribers and comparing it to the measly single name on mine. The lesson I learned was to include the newsletter in my pitch (which I’ll share in another email, because I’m pretty proud of it.)

When I followed her example for the last half of the event, I gained several more subscribers—including people who didn’t buy a book!

3. Get creative with displaying tropes.

Another tip I picked up at this event was to consider printing a list of relevant tropes on cardstock and sticking out of the top of my book like a bookmark. That way, people can get an idea of what your book is about before they even talk to you—and if your tropes attract them, they’re that much more likely to buy.

I’m definitely going to try this one next time.

4. Make connections.

I ended up being so busy that I didn’t get to talk to all of the authors present—but I did make a few new friends from the table behind ours, including Hayley Whiteley, whom I’d already met online. Watch to the end for my appearance in her reel:

hayleywhiteleybooks

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Connections are everything. If you’re an aspiring author or entrepreneur, get to know people. Invest your time and joy—it’s worth it.

Now, a question for you: what would you be excited to see an author doing at a book event?

Writing Updates

STORIES THAT BLEED // The stress test has begun. Stories That Bleed is with my beta readers now, and they have a month and a half to dissect the story for all it’s worth. After that, only one revision and a proofread sit between this crazy concept and a published novel.

You can get the whole series at our Kickstarter when we launch later this year—along with some extra goodies.

SPOOKY FINALE // Now that I’m ankle-deep in the first draft, I’m feeling properly daunted. So many loose threads to tie up. But I’ve gotten much better at knotting over the past few years! Here’s a snippet from the WIP:

Read More Books!

Marrow and Soul: Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

Threads of Light: Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads