Last weekend I spent four hours of my day attending a local workshop. I believe it was the first one put on by Kansas City Book Beat, a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting the vibrant literary community in and around Kansas City. I learned about KC Book Beat from a friend who’d taken part in one of their book sale events.
My Decision Process
When I first saw the information about this workshop, I wasn’t interested. Except for one topic, the presentations didn’t appear to offer any new lessons. Plus, four hours taken out of the middle of one of my workdays seemed like a sacrifice for little purpose. Okay. Writer brain heard from. What about the manager and marketing sides?
The manager said, it’s an opportunity to network with local authors—consider it an investment in yourself. The marketer said it’s an opportunity to network with local organizations and bookstore owners and who knows what other influencers. Good points, the writer-brain said. And so I purchased tickets.
Getting There
To my direction-challenged surprise, I found the event space easily. Deciding where to park, checking many doors in the cold, and dodging ice was more difficult. Then there was a challenge in discovering on what floor and in which room the event was being held. Undaunted, I found my way.
The space was plenty large enough for the forty or fifty people that showed up. As a venue, it was fairly typical, with chairs and round tables set up around a speaker area. No sound equipment, so there were some speakers that were difficult to hear. It felt as if there was no heat, but my water never froze, so there’s that. And the program began.
Get Books on the Shelf
The first speaker was Helen Hokanson, Program Coordinator for Johnson County Library. Her presentation was chock full of nuggets of information. She told us that larger library systems, like the Johnson County Library, are not open to receiving books from the hands of authors. But she didn’t stop there. She told us to visit the library’s website and search for the “suggest for purchase” form. This is where you put in the book title, author, publication year, ISBN, format, and any additional information. Libraries have limited funds and an unending supply of books they and their patrons wish they could purchase. The next most important thing she told us was to think about what we (an individual) might offer the patrons of the library.
Her talk went too fast and was too short (IMHO). But I added a bunch of things to my to-do list.
Empower Yourself
Kristin Hellig, owner of Parkville Coffee, co-owner of Wordwraith Books, and author of more than 30 books, talked about why and how she and two author friends set up their business. There were some very sound business decisions made. I added more things to my to-do list.
Playful Humans
Mike Montague, author and podcast host, gave a talk he called Playful Humans. He was an entertaining and engaging speaker. He offered suggestions on how and where to get matched to podcast hosts. One of the most important questions he asked was, “What happens if you write a sh$$ty book?” His answer? “No one reads it.” What a wonderful reminder to not be a perfectionist. And watching him, I learned a couple of things I can do to up my speaker-performer game.
Beyond the Bells and Whistles
I cannot believe I did not get the name of the fantasy author who gave this excellent presentation. She stood at a table set up as if she were selling her books and explained what she did and why she did it. Even though I don’t read a lot of fantasy, her table would have caught my eye. She gave lots of actionable tips for anyone selling merchandise from their table. Her most important tip was to give out the energy you want back. In other words, if you are smiling, you’ll likely get a smile back. If you appear unapproachable, you get that energy back.
Marketing 101
Brii of Briieazy Way Consulting, an advertising agency specializing in social media, gave this presentation. She also gave tones of actionable tips on how authors can use various social media platforms to market their books. I particularly liked how she suggested you didn’t have to push your books. She gave examples of how authors can use images to show who they are and what they are selling without including their face or book. Who knew?
Living Enthusiastically
Hazel Krebs, an author and speaker, spoke about being brave enough to embrace your authentic self and the memoir she wrote. I admire her for her bravery and am happy she encouraged that kind of writing. It was a motivational presentation that I listened to and did not take notes.
Networking
I’m an introvert. Putting myself out there takes a lot of psyching myself up, energy while in the public space, and recovery time when I’m home again. My table mates were friendly and worked in other genres. I met the people I wanted to meet and spent some time chatting with several. Meeting the three ladies responsible for KC Book Beat, Staci Hubbard, president and founder, Tisha Otis, vice president, and Vanessa Kramer, Author Relations Director was an honor. Thank you for all you do, ladies.
My Recommendations
Take a chance. If you’re budget conscious like me, you constantly weigh the costs of something versus its benefits. Take a chance on local events. Get out and meet with your in-person community.
Dress in layers. This venue was cold. I wore a cardigan over my sweater and had on my fingerless typing gloves and was just barely warm enough. I’ve been to some events where their venue was uncomfortably hot. So try to prepare for any temperature regardless of the weather outside.
Bring a business card. If your bookmarks have a way to reach you on them, they’d work too. You’ll want to take down contact information as well as be able to hand out yours.
Take Pen/pencil and paper with you. You may bring/prefer electronic records but those can fail you. A pen and paper are always handy. Tables and desks aren’t always provided, so a spiral notebook with a firm back is helpful
Expect to get bits and pieces of helpful information. Not every speaker or every subject will inspire you. Be open to the information shared. Observe the speakers and the other attendees. There are lessons everywhere.
Make a connection. Smile. Say hello and introduce yourself to at least one person. Ask questions and listen. But also be ready to talk about yourself or your work if someone asks.
Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. You get to decide how far outside of your comfort zone you’ll go, but do at least one thing that will stretch you.
Worth It
My expectations for this event, and more importantly of myself, were low. And I’m astounded at how much I learned and the connection I made. The short story is that I’m signed up to sell my books at two local events this spring. From here, the possibilities are endless and exciting.
Image Credits
Featured photograph by Lynette M. Burrows
Second image courtesy of KC Book Beat