Along with my shipment of novels, iUniverse supplied digital press and sales kits. The press kit consisted of sample news releases, sell sheets, and suggestions for getting my book noticed by the media. The sales kit included pdf files for printing posters, book marks, and post cards announcing the publishing of Ikons. Armed with this arsenal of material I set out in earnest to publicize my work.
My first targets were friends and relatives, which actually netted sales. After depleting that resource, in short order I was forced to take a more traditional rout. Book stores at this time had not yet been inundated by indie writers looking for shelf space and I was fortunate enough to have a few Mom and Pop stores agree to carry Ikons. It was at this point I found out I made a grave mistake with my title.
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| Ikon of Saint Nicholas the Wonder Worker |
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While the name "Ikons" was well
thought out (Humor me) the subtitle wasn't. Saint Nicholas the Wonder
Worker turned out to be a bad idea. While I understood the significance
of the sub-title, few others did. Of the indie book stores I talked
into displaying Ikons, one ended up placing Ikons in the religious
section. A buyer tracked me down and informed me of such. He didn't
want his money back, just wanted me to know.
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| My space at the Joliet Author Fair |
My nest step was an author fair and I secured at spot at the Public Library's in Joliet, Illinois. Since my story took place in Joliet's suburb of Rockdale, it was a prime spot. I sent a sell sheet to the local paper and a letter detailing my story and how it related to the area. A reporter from the paper called and interviewed me and did an article for the local section called, "From Russia to Rockdale."
In addition to book sales, I met the renown indie writer J. A. Konrath who gave me tips on selling self-published books. Check out his site after reading mine.
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| Book Club "Meet the Author" |
Even better was a woman who bought my novel and later suggested it to her book club. She invited me to speaking engagement and do a signing. I agreed and was surprised to find her club met at the village recreation center. They had decorated the room in a Russian motif and offered a wine and cheese spread. I gave my talk, sold my books, and was quite impressed. My ego had definitely been stroked.
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| Book Club "Meet the Author" display i |
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| The Book Mouse in Ottawa, Illinois |
My next stop was a small book store in Ottawa, Illinois, the Book Mouse. There I did another meet and greet, told my stories, topping it off with my ghostly tale of the Voltuno. My sales were not overly impressive, but the crowd was receptive and I think a good time was had by all, or at least enough.
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| Display at the Book Mouse |
The next venues were the
local author event with Dayton Metro Library and later the Dayton Book
Expo. Both events were open to authors residing in the Southwest Ohio area, but there was a limit to the number of authors who could participate. My previous video productions for the library got me a prime spot. I attracted a crowd by giving away old VHS tapes of programs I had created. The lure of free stuff, no matter how useless, still attracts a crowd.
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| Book Expo - Dayton, Ohio |
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| Book Expo display |
Each stop was another opportunity to sell books and spread my fame. I believed I was actually getting the hang of this author stuff.
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