Successfully Sell Your Books at Conferences, Craft Shows, and Fairs

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On March 4th, 2010 Irene Watson moderated a roundtable with Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman on how to successfully sell your books at conferences, craft shows, and regional, seasonal, and special interest fairs.   Tyler specializes in working regional craft and seasonal fairs and has achieved some remarkably good results.  Victor exhibits at professional conferences for social workers, psychologists, and mental health fairs.  Together, they addressed the following issues:

  • Managing bathroom breaks
  • Dealing with “show management”
  •  Supplies You May Want to Buy as an exhibitor: tables, tablecloths, acrylic book stands and signholders, posters, Director’s Chair, Tschokte items (pens, post-it notes, to give away),
  • The Fine Print: watch out for proof-of-insurance, mandatory carpet purchase, furniture rental, and more
  • Indoor vs. outdoor shows: foot traffic, weather, customers, pros and cons
  • How to lure people to your booth
  • Being prepared for any situation
  • Offering exclusive specials
  • Which shows work and which ones don’t
  • Determining whether you succeeded  
  
Victor R. Volkman is the owner of Loving Healing Press Inc. whose mission is “redefining what is possible for healing mind and spirit” and his press has produced more than 100 titles since its first book rolled off the press in 2004. He also manages the other imprints including Modern History Press which tells “empowering stories of conflict and the struggle for identity in modern times.” MHP features multicultural writers as well as those of veterans, and others who have had difficulty finding their place in the world. His latest venture is Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing which is a quarterly anthology of writings about abuse recovery, addiction, grief, trauma, and personal growth issues.
Tyler R. Tichelaar is the owner of Marquette Fiction which has produced five books of regional fiction spanning 150 years on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He is also the owner of Superior Book Promotions, a full-service editorial shop which provides proofreading, editing, and manuscript evaluation. Tyler has a PhD in literature and has taught at three universities.
 
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Ernest Dempsey – Earn Extra Income Freelance Writing for the Web

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On February 19th, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with fulltime freelance writer, proofreader, and editor Ernest Dempsey.  He shared encouraging information on how you can get started in the fun and profitable art of freelance writing.  In addition to having written 4 books, he is now the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Recovering the Self: A Journal of Hope and Healing and also works as the country editor for Pakistan on the celebrated Internet news channel Instablogs.com.  He shared with us on the following points:

  • Where are some places that I can go to look for freelance web writing?
  • Is it “ghost writing” or does sometimes my name get shown?
  • What about being a Foreign Correspondent for a news organization in another country?
  • How does getting paid work?
  • How do you manage personal time, schedules, and deadlines?
  • What types of writing projects are available: interviews, reviews, tutorials and how well does each pay relative to the others
  • How have you improved your knowledge of English by writing over time?
  • How does freelancing compare to a “regular job”? Do you get to travel more?

Ernest Recommends for finding gigs: Writer’s World

  
 Karim Khan, pen named Ernest Dempsey, hails from Hangu, a small town in Pakistan. As a child, he enjoyed two things: The joyful company of his brother and Khan’s best friend, Shais; and making airy castles with lots of characters in his mind. At twelve, he started writing detective stories, horror, thrillers, and humor. He has a Masters degree in Geology and one in English Literature.He has authored four books including his latest The Blue Fairy and other Tales of Transcendence and, in just the last few years, seen the publication of his poems, essays, short stories, and literary reviews worldwide. Khan is now looking forward to completing his first novel.  
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Jamie Saloff – Six Rules That Will Kickstart Your Book Website into Full Gear

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On Feb 4th 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with web media and book publicist expert Jamie Saloff on common pitfalls of author/book websites and simple, easy, and inexpensive ways to get more conversions from your web hits into book sales.  Jamie is the site owner for www.PolkaDotBanner.com – an author-helping-author website designed to help authors gain visibility for their books. She also maintains several other sites she built and designed, including the site for Pennwriters, a regional multi-genre writer’s organization, where she is the Web Committee Chair.  In this wide-ranging discussion, some key talking points included:

  • What are the high real estate values and high productivity areas of your website?
  • How does art direct the eye and how can I use it to my advantage?
  • Why are color and “lighting” important?
  • How is reading a website different from reading a magazine or book?
  • How does my website reflect who I am and why it is important?
  • How to use multi-media and flash cost effectively?
  • What other things can I offer or talk about besides the book, the book, the book…?
  
On a daily basis, Rev. Jamie L. Sailoff utilizes many facets of creation and design as an: author, web designer, book design and publishing consultant, jewelry designer, and art enthusiast For over a decade, Jamie has been a book designer and DIY publishing consultant (www.PODBookDesigns.com) for countless author-publishers, particularly professionals who are navigating the waters of self-publishing for the first time..Jamie is the author of Transformational Healing: Five Surprisingly Simple Keys Designed to Redirect Your Life Toward Wellness, Purpose, and Prosperity. She has also authored two other books, including The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Cowan Pottery, which she co-authored with her husband, Tim. Her other book, The Publishing Center, was based on her years of work heading an all-volunteer elementary school writing center, which produced on average, 1000 student-written books per year.  
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Dana Lynn Smith – Twitter, Tweeting, and Re-tweeting: Twitter Book Marketing

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On January 22nd, 2010 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with book marketing guru Dana Lynn Smith about exploiting the potential of Twitter for marketing your books. Dana Lynn Smith, owner of Texana Publishing Consultants, LLC, has 15 years of experience in publishing and 25 years of marketing experience. She specializes in developing marketing plans for nonfiction books and teaching authors how to promote their books online. She is the author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides, a series of ebooks on book marketing topics. Talking points include:

  • How does Twitter work
  • Why do you think Twitter is a valuable tool for authors?
  • What common mistakes do you see authors making on Twitter?
  • Twitter profile for a minute – what suggestions can you offer?
  • Can you give us some tips for attracting followers on Twitter?
  • A lot of people who use Twitter wonder what they should be tweeting about. Can you give us some suggestions?
  • I know there are several different types of messages that can be sent on Twitter. Can you explain the difference between Replies, Mentions and Direct Messages?
  • How often should authors tweet?
  • How can Twitter work with FaceBook or MySpace?
  • How can I run a contest with Twitter?
  
 Dana ‘s professional background includes:

  • Overseeing book production, marketing, fulfillment, and bottom-line profitability at Hoover’s Business Press, with distribution channels including direct sales, library sales, online bookstores, and retail bookstores.
  • Writing search engine optimization content for a group of travel web sites.
  • Managing and promoting conventions and tradeshows for the Texas Restaurant Association, Texas Hospital Association, and other associations.

She has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing, and is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Writers League of Texas. A fifth-generation Texan, Dana enjoys exploring Texas and the world, and she writes a Texas travel column for Examiner.com. She and her husband live on a small ranch near Austin, Texas, where they raise cattle and goats

  
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