Stepping outside of my comfort zone is not a norm for me. I’m pretty much a go with the flow, don’t rock the boat, kind of girl.
There’s something about dreams, though, that make you want to tackle those personal barriers to see what’s possible.
In my journey of becoming an established children’s book author, book signing events and ‘Author Tables’ is an inevitable reality. This past weekend I was able to participate in my first such experience.
This is how it went.
Practicing My Table Set-Up
A week or so before the Author Table day, I started to gather my supplies and work on setting up what my table would look like. There are many blogs and YouTube videos out there that review everything an author should bring with them.
I watched the videos, read the blogs, and then started to collect what I thought of as the essentials. (I won’t go through everything to take in this blog post, because that would be fairly boring. If you are an author and are wanting to attend an author event, just know that there are numerous resources out there to help you get started.)
My table covering was a black, standard tablecloth – nothing fancy. I then used little white wooden boxes that were actually advertised as cupcake displays, to add different heights to my table. I bought a few black book stands, along with some book stickers to give out as a ‘freebie,’ and then grabbed my hippo candy dish from my writing desk to take and add chocolate for any kids that may come with their parents.
Things were coming along fairly nicely.
I made sure I had enough business cards to take with me (spoiler alert – 100 cards was definitely enough) and then made sure my tabletop banner with my author info was in working order and ready to go.
Here are the results:
After looking at the layout, and taking a picture for later reference, I packed everything up in what I call my ‘Author Cart,’ and called it good.
I felt like my supplies were ready. My Author Cart was ready.
I just didn’t know if I was ready.
The Morning of the Event
The book signing was happening in a town about an hour away from my home. We were told by the event planning group that we could show up anytime from 9:00-10:30 for table set-up, with the doors opening to visitors at 11:00.
Brian decided to drive me there, help with set-up, then spend the day doing things around town before coming back and packing me up. He was also my emotional support person, and I wasn’t making it easy for him.
“I could throw up and then we’d have to go home,” I said, giving him a side-eye glance. (We were about 20 minutes away from the venue at this point.)
“If you get sick, I’m taking you anyway,” he replied as he continued driving down the highway. He wasn’t phased and had been expecting this tactic. He knows me.
“I don’t feel well.”
“You’re nervous, but it’ll be fine. It’s going to be over before you know it.”
“I’ll probably be sharing a table with a 32 year old sci-fi author guy that still lives in his mom’s basement and decides he wants to tell me his life story.”
“Then you’ll have an interesting post to write about on your blog,” he responded with a smile. “Hey look,” Brian said, pointing at the highway sign. “We get off at the next exit.”
I rolled my eyes and sat quietly until we pulled into the parking lot.
“Ready to go in?” Brian asked when we arrived.
“Nope,” I responded.
We ended up sitting in the parking lot for a few minutes, watching a couple of people stroll in, pulling carts similar to mine.
I let out an audible, dramatic sigh and opened the truck door. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Brian smiled and followed along, helping me place my box of books on top of my rolling cart.
We went into the hall and was greeted right away by a nice, energetic coordinator that pointed out my table. Only a few people were there at that time and we got right to work setting up my station. Approximately 10 minutes later, I was all set and Brian was telling me goodbye so he could leave and explore the town.
I was on my own.
A Friend Saves the Day
It didn’t take long before most of the author tables were adorned with books ranging across various genres. It was an interesting time to people watch as authors finished placing the final touches on their displays.
I was placed between two, very nice, quiet ladies with totally different books available. On my right, sharing my table, was an author named Corrie Hathaway. She’s a middle-aged author that writes Young Adult Fantasy novels. One of her books won a prize for the cover art. You can find Corrie’s book here if you would like to check it out.
The lady to the left of me, Regina Blaylock, was a kind, older woman who was an author of short, inspirational poetry.
While we didn’t spend a great deal of time chatting with one another, I definitely lucked out to be placed next to such interesting and talented individuals.
I started to relax and realize that I wasn’t completely out of my element. There wasn’t a sign on my back that said, “Warning! She’s a Fraud Masquerading as an Author!” I could at least pretend that I knew what I was doing.
It was about an hour into the event, I heard my name called. When I turned around, I was greeted by a former colleague with a huge grin on her face. My friend, Kayla, had shown up to give her support. She was there with her husband, ready to buy my books and give me a supportive hug. I didn’t know how much I had needed it until that point.
Kayla stayed and visited with me for 15-20 minutes. She bought a couple of books, using my newly created QR code for Venmo. I tried telling her that I would just give her the books. She didn’t have to pay for them. Kayla wouldn’t hear of such a thing and insisted on purchasing both of the Loon Lake books. She can be persistent when she wants to be.
I hesitantly signed the books, unsure if Kayla really wanted me to ruin her books by writing in them. (Signing books is still awkward for me. Who would want my signature?)
Before she left, Kayla checked to make sure I had everything I needed, gave me a parting hug, and then went on her way. Her and Michael drove an hour and a half, roundtrip, to be at the Author Table event for 20 minutes.
I appreciate the support more than she knows.
Polite Smiles Peddling Dreams
The afternoon continued on, with visitors stopping at different book stations to collect stickers from the authors. They would then fill a ‘Passport’ book with the stickers (each author’s stickers had their face on them, and yes, I have a bunch left over, and no, I don’t know what I’m going to do with them). The visitors would then turn in their Passport books when they left the venue so that they could be entered into a drawing for a box of free books.
The Passport Book piece of the day ensured that visitors would indeed be stopping at different stations while shopping for books. Occasionally the visitors would buy a book or two. Often, they would collect their sticker and continue on.
It occurred to me as I was watching a couple make their way down the line of author tables, that we were all tracking the customers with our eyes, waiting to peel off our stickers and add them to the out-stretched books.
As people would get closer to each table, the authors would sit up a little straighter, plaster polite, ‘company’ smiles onto their faces, and prepare to give their spiel about what their books were about.
It seemed a little depressing to me.
Our dreams were spread before us on the tables.
There’s a vulnerability that comes with printing off your dream and displaying it to other eyes for approval or disapproval.
It’s a difficult thing to do, but a necessary one in this journey.
Moving Forward
Now that I have survived one Author Table experience, I need to move onto another one.
It’s not about the sales. I firmly believe that. It’s more about getting your name out there and talking with people in the same business in hopes to stumble upon someone that can help move you to the next step.
I’m learning from other authors to see what piece of the publishing/marketing/writing puzzle I am missing.
It’s a process, and a long one at that, but hopefully rewarding in the end.
**I missed Mom on the Author Table day. She would have loved to have been there, visiting the booths and letting everyone know that her daughter, the author, had a booth of her own. I wouldn’t have been able to keep her away, even if I tried.
Goals for Today:
- Work on Blog Set-up
- Spend Time Writing
- Go For a Walk