Early October, we attended our very first book fair as published authors. Needless to say (but I’m still going to say it nonetheless), it was an exciting and equally stressful experience.
Exciting because for the first time, we’d be sitting next to other authors in the middle of an event dedicated only to writers and their books. It feels almost illegal to be here, among people vastly more experienced and prepared than us, among real authors. Ever heard of impostor syndrome? I wonder if it’ll go away in time, even though I highly doubt it.
Stressful because it was our very first time too. I’ve never attended any book fair in the past, even as a reader. This is excluding Hay-on-Wye, but it would be incorrect to refer to it as a big book fair anyway. This is a world of its own. But a traditional, low-key book fair? I had zero experience of it, even as a visitor.
Are All Book Fairs Equal?
Absolutely not.
A key difference would be the attendance between a UK book fair and a US book fair. If you’ve been following American writers and heard about their record sales at indie book fairs, chances are you won’t be able to reproduce the same results in a UK book fair. We simply don’t have the same volume of visitors. While this doesn’t mean you won’t be able to sell some books (you most certainly can), it’s less likely to break your sales records.
Another important thing to note is the size of the book fair itself.
A small town indie book fair in the UK may only have a dozen or so of authors. Besides, this type of event could be free or low-cost for visitors, which, while being a good thing, also means that there is less marketing going on. So, visitors could stumble upon the book event completely unprepared and unaware that it exists.
Larger events, with a high author attendance, tend to have a higher price to pay, for the right to hold a stand and also for the right to visit. These are also picky when it comes to deciding which authors should be allowed in. Ultimately, organisers want to rentabilise their investment, so they are going to choose authors who are already established enough to attract the crowd. In other words, small independent debut authors have close to zero chances of attending.
Can I Sell Books at a Book Fair?
How many sales can you generate through a book fair? This one may be hard to calculate for indie authors, especially if you are in a similar position as us, with no direct, real-time sight of your sales, as these are fully the responsibility of your publisher.
But here’s the thing: you have two different types of sales paths. Firstly, visitors to the fair buy directly from you. Most of them may also ask you to sign the book, which is a lovely but extremely odd feeling. We were lucky to sell one of the highest numbers of books during the indie book fair, but this remains a small quantity compared to a larger-scale US fair. Not that I am praising US fairs, but the volume of visitors there does make a huge difference.
The second and much more interesting sales path will unlock after the book fair. While there may not be thousands of visitors, the few people who will see you at the fair and who have been marked by your presence there, may research your book to purchase it later.
This is a slow-drip kind of sales, but it can grow gradually as they buy, read, and share the story with others. However, you want to remain realistic. This isn’t going to make you a bestselling author in the weeks following the fair! But do not consider only the sales on the day, as your book fair attendance may have longer-term results.
What Can I Achieve Through a Book Fair?
What do you actually want to achieve as an indie author at a book fair? This may seem like a silly question but goals vary a lot, especially when you compare the size of the book fairs and the type of authors attending.
But I find it helps to understand the different results you can strive for.
- Generating sales: This can feel a little optimistic for any type of book fair, whether big or small, but some visitors are keen to buy a book if they speak to an author at a book fair.
- Raising brand awareness: Ultimately, you want to be seen, and for indie authors and debut authors, making yourself noticeable is a priority. People can’t buy your books if they don’t even know you exist.
- Networking with other authors: They are not your competitors. Readers can enjoy more than one book, so there’s no reason to be afraid of other authors. Besides, even if it’s only for moral support, having a friend at a book fair can be a game-changer.
- Practising your pitch: Visitors will come and ask about your book. But they have a short attention span, so you need to be able to tell them fast what it’s about.
- Meeting readers: It’s not everyday you get to meet the people who read your book.
- Meeting a potential publisher or an agent: How likely is this to happen? You’ll never know, but it’s probably best not to make it your number one objective.
The bottom line: Attending a book fair can be a fantastic experience. However, while this may not be the event that gets you to pierce through the industry, it can help drive more sales and awareness while establishing you a little more as an author.