Yesterday I was a vendor at a book selling event called Sidewalk Stories. It was a fantastic event with many vendors and nice people, however I didn’t sell a single book despite sitting in my booth for four hours. This was my first experience getting no sales when I attended an event like this. Of course, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but you can’t cry over no sales. Instead, try to spin what many would consider a negative learning experience into a positive learning experience. Rather than cry “Oh I didn’t make any money” try “What can I do better to market my book?”
Learn When You Don't Sell
It was my first book event with the Nutmeg Lit Fest community. Thankfully, my booth was next to a veteran independent author by the name of Sarah Branson. Unlike me who is still a noob, Sarah has experienced this and warned me I might not sell a single book. So, she gave me some word, do some networking. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan of talking, so walking up to strangers to network and picking brains is not my bread and butter. However, I end up speaking to the other authors, most of which had no sales either. They were all kind and I learned more about how to improve my table setup, enter my book for awards, and how to set up an audio book. So, this no sales experience was not in vein. Always learn when you don’t sell.