I make the bulk of my money from my books selling at in person events. I had a number of folks over the past year or so ask me how to go about it, so I wrote up this guide on my blog:

A Guide To Selling At Your First In Person Event!

Are you a creative thinking about doing your first in person event selling your works? Then this little guide is for you! Keep in mind I am an author, so this won’t be a one to one guide if you are an artist/musician/etc, but by and large the advice should hold true for you as well. So let’s dive in!

Where’s the party?

Events are all over the place, literally. You should, as a creative, already be going to events (creatives support other creatives!) so that should be the first place you start. Go to the events you usually go to, and while you are there speak with vendors/organizers to find out how to get involved. Just ask! I promise no one is going to bite (unless it’s a zombie feast, maybe).

But, maybe you live in BFE, and there are no good events around that fit what you do. Are you on Facebook? There are usually regional event groups, where folks post calls for vendors. You can also search events on Facebook, by your area, and see what folks have posted on there. You can also look for sites like southernfan.com/calendar.htm which is a site that does nothing but post fandom events across the southeastern US.

Lastly, ask your online creative friends. Don’t have any? Go ‘stalk’ some folks who are doing what you do, or something similar, in your area. You can reach out and ask them, or if you aren’t comfortable with that, just watch their socials to see what events they announce they are going to be at. Let that be your guide.

Pre-Gaming!

Ok, so you have found an event you would like to be a part of. Here is what you will need to do, in rough order:

1. Make sure you are going to be able to actually have inventory by the show date. Author? Make sure you’ve ordered/have books on hand. Artist? Get to painting/ordering prints. There is no point in this, if you show up with nothing to sell. And you need to make sure it can arrive/be crafted in time for the show.
2. Keep in mind what sort of price points you have on your items. For your first event, it is probably best to keep it simple. But long term, you want to have your main product, then a very cheap product, and then a more expensive product. In my case I have my books, which are 15/35 each, then stickers that I sell for a buck, and then a book bundle that is 100 dollars. Some folks want to support but don’t have the money to maybe buy your main product. The cheap something is for that. Then some folks are gonna LOVE what you do, and will want to spend a ton. Have an option for that as well. In the near future I am planning to have a super fancy collector edition of my books for those superfans.
3. Order business cards if you don’t have them. My recommendation is a simple card with your name, business name, and website. Then put a QR code that connects to your linktree. Don’t have one of those? Get one (it's free). Look for sites that are offering promo codes to get like, 500 cards for 15 bucks.
4. You need to figure out how you are going to get paid. Cash is great, but a lot of folks don’t have it. I recommend that you look into SQUARE, and use that. You will need to order one of their card swipe devices from them. This will be connected to your bank account. Which…man, we’re getting in the weeds here but you have a business right? With its own bank account? That’s a different blog post. But yeah.
5. Apply to the show. You may get in. You may not. Some shows will ask you for a picture of your set up. If this is your first event, then you may need to get it all out and set it up in your yard/living room and take a picture. Some shows will want links to your socials or website. If you don’t have those…well you may want to consider getting those set up. There will also likely be a table cost.
6. Figure out if this event is providing a table/chairs. If so, you’re good. If not, you need a table. Long term you are gonna need a table regardless, but I get it, money may be tight. Once you can, I recommend getting a folding six foot table, and a table cloth. I use a plain black one that is fitted, but that’s just me. Do whatever makes sense for your branding. For example I used to use a black and white one that had a skull in a top hat pattern. I eventually decided it was a little busy, but you get the idea.
7. Is this event indoors or outdoors? If it's outdoors, what are you going to do if it rains? Are you like me, and sunburn at the drop of a hat? What are you going to do for shade? If you have the money, get a 10x10 popup pavilion. If you hunt, you can get one for around 100 sometimes. An 8x8 is also a valid option if you are on a budget. They are usually noticeably cheaper.
8. You need to get a clipboard, and print off a few sheets for an email list signup. Don’t have an email list yet? Mailchimp is free (until your list reaches a certain size), so use that (you can always transfer to a better fit later if needed).
9. You need to make a price sheet. My recommendation is going to Walmart or the like and buying a cheap, freestanding frame to put it in.
10. You need to figure out how you are going to display your stuff. Books? You need a book stand. Art, you need a stand, and maybe a box folks can flip through of some sort for your prints. Go to places like Michaels, and look to see if they are running a sale on what you need. Or maybe they have something on clearance. Or maybe you have something around your house you can use! Be creative.
11. Set up your table ahead of time, at least once, and see how it looks. Maybe ask some friends.
12. You need a way to get all the stuff from your home, to the venue. I use a couple of large totes. One holds inventory, one holds the table/infrastructure stuff. I load them into a wheeled cart. Its heavy as fuck, cause I chose poorly by being an author, and books are heavy.
13. Are you going to be going solo? Can you bring a friend/spouse? Can you share a table? Consider these things. Think about how you are going to handle going to the bathroom if you are there alone. Where will you put your money?
14. Consider that at these events, food is often pricey. Can you bring snacks? Drinks? If so, how are you going to do that? Think it through.
15. Load your vehicle the day before, so you can make sure it fits. Maybe gas up ahead of time. Go get change if you need it. Think happy thoughts.

Party Time!

It's the day of. Go time! Here’s what you need to do/consider:

1. See what time you are allowed to start setting up. Get there at least a few minutes before then. It is your first event ever, you NEED to get there as early as you can, because you don’t know how long it’s going to take you to get set up. If you get done way early, good. Use that time to either get your head right, or wander around checking out other vendors/networking a little.
2. You’re set up. Make sure the method by which you are going to take card payments is set up. I almost always forget to open my Square App until that first sale of the morning. Don’t be like me.
3. You can sit there behind your table and not engage with anyone unless they engage with you first. If that is what you have to do, no harm, no foul. I get it, you’re new at this, and may be uncomfortable. I challenge you however to not do this. Stand, and at least look at each person walking by and smile a little. Give off a welcoming energy. If you are comfortable with it, engage with folks passing by. Give (non-creepy) compliments. I would avoid complimenting anything physical about their person (again, don’t be creepy). But saying things like “good morning” or “I love your Zelda cosplay!” or “Nice Fallout shirt!” aren’t creepy. If they look like they are a reader, I may hit them with a “do you like to read?” or “What do you like to read?” Get them to notice you. So many folks will just walk right by and not look, but if you engage, they will at least glance your way, and maybe stop.
4. Don’t be afraid to tweak your setup on the fly. Realize that your price sheet is not in a good spot? Move it. See that the flow of traffic is the opposite of what you expected? Reorient that display if you need to.
5. I keep a business card or note card set to one side during each event. On this card I write down any ideas I have for how to improve my setup, that I can’t execute at that moment. I will also write down contact info from networking, ideas unrelated to vending, etc. Write these things down! You have too much going on to try and remember this stuff.
6. Stay off your phone as much as possible. Make it look like you are present, and want to be there. Having your head down in your phone all the time gives the opposite impression.
7. I know a number of artists (especially fiber artists) who use this time to make more products. They will sit at their table and crochet away as they sell. This is a good use of time, and shows folks that yes, I really did make this. Just make sure that you make a point of looking up frequently and looking inviting.
8. Folks may have a ton of questions. That’s not a bad thing! Someone standing at your table talking to you makes it more likely that someone else will stop and check out your stuff. People’s brains are just wired that way.
9. Try to make friends with similar creatives, and pick their brains. Ask them what their next event is going to be. Maybe see if there is someone who might want to share a table with you at your next event. Ask them where they get their prints from (maybe it’s cheaper/better quality than where yours came from?).
10. Be a good neighbor. Introduce yourself to the folks on either side of you. Maybe offer to watch their stuff if they need to go to the bathroom. That sort of thing.
11. I really can’t emphasize this enough. Money is of course the main goal of these sorts of events. But a very, very close number two is networking. There are lots of opportunities out there waiting for you to network your way into them.
12. HAVE FUN! Really, this stuff can be a lot of fun. I love it, and I hope you will too.

The Hangover!

The show is over, and you are hopefully back at home with a lot less product, and a lot more money. Here is what you need to do:

1. Check your inventory. Do you need to reorder?
2. Send follow-up emails/messages to folks you networked with. Make sure you do this sooner rather than later, as folks may forget you if enough time goes by. Strike while the memory is fresh.
3. That list you made of ideas for your booth? Get it out and start making those changes.
4. Add the emails you gathered into your email list.
5. Take the excess cash to the bank (make sure you leave enough for change in your cash box/bag).
6. Start planning that next event!