They’re playing games in the background. I’m getting ready to order more books. It’s been a busy weekend. I’ve been one of the speakers at a scifi expo. Yesterday was the big day with panels and scheduled discussions. Today’s the day to play games and hang out with new friends. Today, or maybe tomorrow, is when I’ll order more books because I managed to almost sell out of some of my inventory. As I mentioned recently, sometimes that doesn’t take much.
I’m sitting in the game room of the 2024 Galaxy’s Edge Fan Expo. I’m not the main event. Galaxy’s Edge is a scifi series with a dedicated and educated fan base. I think I’m here because last year’s event didn’t have a local scifi author, so they searched a bit, found me, and invited me in.
This year’s event was bigger and included about a half-dozen local scifi authors. Cool.
Let’s take this back a bit. What am I doing here? To some folks, they don’t understand why I’d show up for someone else’s scifi world. My logic was easy. I said yes.
1) I stumbled into writing Firewatcher as a possible collaborative scifi world. Firewatcher is about one ship escaping Earth. Add an ‘s’ to ship and suddenly, there’s a fleet worth of books to write. Welcome to the universe, people. Here’s the rule book. Let’s get busy. (No one has taken the opportunity – yet.) Maybe that’s why they invited me. And again.
2) A book expo is also a congregation of writers. Of course, I’ll be willing to hang out with writers, and editors, and publishers, and… Free advice? Sign me up!
3) Sales happen, or are at least hoped for. And they happened. This may be a scifi event, but I brought every title, just in case. Sure enough, I also sold my tea book. Bonus? This morning Amazon sent me a note about sale(s) unknown. There was also a spike in visits to my online photo gallery.
Collaborators, friends (hello, the real Will), sales, why not show up? It is easy to aim at specific markets, but if I’ve got the time, I tend to show up. The intended consequences may never happen. The unintended consequences can be more useful. At last year’s event, I mentioned an idea I had for a screenplay based on family history from the tall ship era. I made the comment as a part of a conversation. One of the folks in that crowd took me aside later to encourage me to write it – and how to approach it in an industry-approved fashion. Since then, I’ve completed a couple of drafts well-enough to show if there’s another serendipitous moment.
It’s all good.
It’s also business.
Attending a conference, or an expo, or a seminar, or whatever has a cost. Even if it’s free, it takes time, which is precious. This one is local, sort of. I didn’t have to book a flight or a hotel room, but there’s gas, and in my case, ferry fees. I’m dining out, which is a cost. My books that are on display are potential costs; thefts happen, and so do bent pages that turn new books into used books. Profits can go poof.
The event isn’t over, but they’re playing RPG on a long tabletop, so I don’t expect any more sales. That’s why I am writing this while they do that. I get a blog post written, while guarding inventory and possibly making sales.
Sales are good. Sales are great. Profits are good, too. All of the things mentioned above have value.
There’s also work. Book sales are the usual income, but as a business, it makes sure to have a specific place to put the money, and have money to make change with, and to accommodate the wide range of payment options. Cash, yes. Checks, OK. Paypal? Square? Venmo? IOU? Where do those records go? If there are simultaneous sales it is easy to get money mixed up. I find that especially happens when I have to dig into my wallet for extra change. BTW Losing books to theft can be a compliment; but losing cash to theft isn’t a celebration.
As far as sales so far, this event will cost me ~$100. And it is still worth it. Someone’s probably quantified the value of networking. (Steve?) I don’t worry about the objective measurement. The subjective can be more valuable. The majority of money that I’ve made from writing has been from connections to speaking gigs, coaching sessions, speaking events, etc. Physical book sales have been incidental.
That’s a hint of my experience. The greater value may be listening to others’ experiences. Some do have sufficient sales to warrant plane tickets and hotel rooms. Most don’t. Of those who do, they usually have stories about years of insufficient sales. There’s a value and a cost to perseverance. Sometimes you just gotta, you know? There are no guarantees. But it is hard to not find gems and bits of gold in the friends and ideas that are here, regardless of sales.
One of today’s tasks will be ordering more books, or at least deciding how many to order. As the event winds down, the table space opens up. This is an opportunity to empty my boxes and books, count them up, shuffle them around, and maybe reduce the number of boxes I carry to these events. This time, there are six boxes: three of books in various sized boxes, one with bookstands and display materials, one for the business, and one for miscellaneous stuff like power cords (which I should’ve plugged in as my laptop’s batteries drain.)
Writers’ events can be fun, interesting, useful, and profitable for the price of a few costs. The total in my business’ wallet may be negative, but the people make it worth it. Thanks to everyone who organized, participated, and attended.
tomthewriter.com 
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