The weekend saw me going out of my comfort zone at the Young Adult Literature Convention (YALC). I had my own stand in the #InspiringIndies zone and I went on two panels discussing all things indie author related – both firsts for me!
Here’s what I learned as an indie author with my very first stand at YALC.
State the obvious
I made this mistake and I won’t again. I would have sold a lot more books and received a lot more footfall at my stand if I had created a sign that said something like “Meet the author!” or “Get your book signed here!” I didn’t make it clear if I was a book seller, a book publisher, an author or something else entirely.
My advice would be have a clear, visible sign that allows people to quickly see who you are and what you’re doing. That way, they’ll know that they can come up to you, meet the person who wrote the books they’re looking at and get you to sign and personalise their book.
Turn one of your books over
You might be thinking “Why on earth would I put one of my books upside down?” But there are two reasons I chose to do this.
Firstly, people are tactile. They love to pick things up and touch them and turn them over. By placing one book cover-up and the other cover-down, it gave them a reason to pick up the book, turn it over, check it out and have a look.
Secondly, it meant the synopsis was clearly on show and could be easily read.
Soak up knowledge
Even though I’m a natural introvert, I went out my way to meet, greet and chat. This meant I could ask questions and get a tremendous amount of knowledge. For example, I met with a lovely author called Jacqueline Silvester who came over to my stand and generously shared her knowledge with me. She’d had a stand at YALC before and told me what had worked for her and what hadn’t. It gave me some really helpful insights into how to get the most from my two days there.
Take every opportunity
When I was sixteen, someone gave me the advice of “Take every opportunity.” It was many years before I figured out exactly what that meant and how I could apply it. Essentially, I take it to mean “Don’t let shyness/fear/self-doubt/worry stop you from grasping the opportunities that come your way.”
For example, even though I hate public speaking, I said “Yes” to going on a panel and discussing all things indie author related. I believe going out my comfort zone is good for me (even if it doesn’t feel that way!)
If you get the opportunity to get involved in something, other than your own stand, at YALC, take that chance. It might be a way to indirectly promote your author brand. It might help you make new friends. It might help you grow your community. You never know where a new opportunity might lead.
Film and photograph as much as you can
This is precious content you can use across your socials and blog – not just for the two days of YALC itself, but after that.
Use your socials to promote other people and tag them too. Photograph others’ stands and connect with them on their platforms. This helps you grow your community and gain brand visibility – and it gives them a plug too!
Be proactive
Another indie author who had a stand with me saw people waiting in line for author signings and approached them to give them some of her merch! I thought this was a great idea – not only did it give them something to read and stopped them being bored while they waited, it got her brand out there. She was proactive, polite and professional – and from what I saw got lots of lovely responses. Whether you want to be overt or subtle about promoting your brand, being proactive means you’ll find ways to maximise your two days at YALC.
If your an author who has been to YALC, what would your top tips be? Or, if you’re a reader who loves to attend, what would you like to see from an author’s stand?
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