Books-A-Million
I spent this afternoon sorting through my promotional materials, doublechecking my cashbox, and packing up boxes for tomorrow's adventures in Manhattan, KS. I can't tell you how many times I counted and recounted my inventory for each book and debated with myself whether or not I should bring another box of each title or not. In general I could easily have said "Screw it, I'll just bring everything," but I also have two days of TopCon next weekend and no guarantee that I could get a shipment in time to restock if I needed to (certainly not at a reasonable shipping cost to make it worth it). It really is a catch 22. If I overorder I'm potentially stuck with an unnecessarily large bill and a back stock of books for months at a time. If I underorder, I potentially (hopefully?) run the risk of running out of books while I'm at an event. It's a tricky balance to guesstimate, especially with an unfamiliar venue/event like the one I'm going to tomorrow.
(Note to the uninitiated: Independent authors wear a lot of hats besides "Writer." "Inventory Control Specialist" and "Event Planner" are just two more of the jobs we have to do to keep things rolling.)
That issue aside, I managed to get my materials sorted and staged for tomorrow's load out. Tomorrow afternoon I'll set up at Books-A-Million (BAM Books and Gifts) in Manhattan Town Centre Mall and see how this unexpected opportunity pans out.
Back in May one of my WoW friends and her husband were in the Manhattan, KS area scouting out jobs and such. They live up in Wisconsin and I'd never met them in person before, so we made a point of getting together in Manhattan for lunch at HuHot to make that a reality. I was running early and they were running late, so I took the opportunity to roam around the mall for a bit since I hadn't been in there since I was in high school. I walked past the Books-A-Million bookstore twice without going in because I didn't want to blow the inevitable amount of money I knew I would if I tempted the fates. But, as I made my way back towards the restaurant, I started to get curious, "I wonder if they can order my books here?"
As it turns out, yes, Books-A-Million CAN order my books, and the nice lady who looked it up just happened to be the store manager as well. The next thing I know, I'm telling her about my books, and she's asking if I'd be interested in setting up an author signing event closer to the start of the KSU school year. She had to double check with the higher ups, but she was excited to see if this would be a possibility. Within a week I heard back from her and BAM would be willing to host me for an author signing event, local promotional efforts and all.
I'm excited and nervous to see how this works out. This is my first time working out of an actual book store. I won't have the direct competition I do when I work a convention, but that also means that I alone won't have as much drawing power as a big event does in getting people to show up. I don't know that many people in the Manhattan area except the folks I've met through Little Apple Comic Expo (LACE), so I don't anticipate much in the way of friends and family support that I get when I work the coffee house here in Seneca. Conversely, the store manager put together a really nice flyer and put them in places she thought my book might get the most interest. In short, I really have no idea what to expect. It truly is an adventure.
IF you're in the Manhattan, Kansas area tomorrow (Saturday, 9/8/18) and you're in the vicinity of the Manhattan Town Centre Mall, come join me in this adventure at Books-A-Million (BAM) from 2 PM to 4 PM! I'll have "Ash to Ashes," "Wolfkin: A Fairy's Tail," and NEWLY RELEASED COPIES of "The Nine Lives of Benjamin Finch"! Or, if you already bought a copy of my books from Amazon (or another favorite bookstore), bring them in! I'll sign those too!
Don't forget! TopCon Geek Expo is next weekend, Saturday 9/15 and Sunday 9/16, 9 AM to 6 PM daily, at the Topeka Expocentre Ag Hall in Topeka, KS! Artists, Authors, Comics, Collectibles, Stage Shows, Panels, Cosplay, Gaming, and even some celebrities! I've been seeing a bunch of commercials on TV for it lately. THIS IS THE EVENT THEY'RE ADVERTISING! Don't miss it!
