A difference in audience

I spent Sunday at Books & Brew or Books & Beer—the two names used interchangeably by the hosting venue—at Missing Falls Brewery in Akron, Ohio. The event ran from noon to 4 p.m.

I've participated as a vendor at previous MSB events. Their spring bazaar in 2022 was disappointing; the holiday bazaar in 2023 met expectations; and the Books & Brew event exceeded expectations.

Much of that success (or lack thereof) is due to who attends.

The MSB Books & Brew was promoted with a focus on people who enjoy craft beer and who like to read. It wasn't a typical arts and craft fair: the event focused on books. What made this event different from my prior experience at book-oriented events was its success despite the thin-but-steady trickle of people wandering through the space.

Arts and craft fairs tend to draw bigger crowds, and I usually do pretty well at them, since I'm not competing against a horde of other authors, many of whom sell books in the same genres as I do. I also hold no delusions as to my power to draw people to an event. I'm just not that big a name or that popular. Nora Roberts and Charlaine Harris need not fear me.

There were five book vendors at this event, which was originally supposed to have 10. One of the vendors is also the MSB employee who organized the event. Along with artwork on her table, she offered the "blind date with a book" experience. All her books were wrapped in plain brown paper which was decorated with cute stickers. Each book had a one- or two-sentence description of the story and the genre noted.

The second vendor was a local bookseller. She arrived a bit late and set up her spot with a variety of books by different authors. She made the insightful comment that the "curated audience" made the difference in sales volume: these people came to the event prepared to buy books. And they did.

The third and fourth vendors sold children's books. MSB is a family-friendly place, so kids are welcome. Parents seemed to enjoy buying books that appealed to their children. One of those two vendors even offered a "children's" book of cocktails, or rather a book of cocktail recipes crafted to look like a children's books. I thought it was a cute concept.

Then, vendor number 5: Hen House Publishing. Like the first vendor, I also sold artwork. Like the bookseller, I also sold literature for adult reading.

I brought copies of my seven latest books and, as always, explained that any book in any series I write may be read as a complete story: I don't do cliffhangers. They need not be read in a particular order for the reader to understand what's going on. That generally reassures potential customers that they won't feel obligated to purchase an entire series if it doesn't appeal to them. As ususal, Focus sold best. It's a one-off novel. There's no sequel. It has the broadest appeal of any of my books. People like the cover. I think it's a good introduction to my work and, I hope, sufficient to expand my readership.

A receptive audience makes a huge difference.