Book events have long been a crucial way for writers to connect with readers, and these events can take many forms. What I love most about book events is engaging with readers and potential readers. Indeed, though my retail acuity was never evident in my high school job at Ben Franklin (an early version of Michael’s) or my brief stint as a realtor, I’ve found talking to people about my books, what inspired them, why I write, etc., has been a great sales booster.

I quite often don’t sell enough books to cover the costs of attending the book event, but if I have one sale, I’ve made one connection, perhaps one that lasts a while.

Wait. Book events cost the author?

Yep. Whatever the venue, you’re essentially renting space for the duration. Most events are sponsored by a writing group or organization, which hopes to make some money to sponsor the event again. For your fee, you get a table and a chair, sometimes a tablecloth (but I bring my own), and that’s about it. Tables at events I’ve done have ranged from $25 on the low end to $100 on the high end. If you’re at a large writing organization’s event, like AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs), you rent a “booth.” If you have a publisher, it will usually pay for it or will pay for one for itself and set up a schedule for its writers to use it.

When you’re your own publisher . . . Well, you get my drift.

Given the time to drive or fly to an event, the cost of gas or a plane ticket, and maybe a hotel, you’d need to sell dozens of books to break even. Still, I do several book events a year because of those connections, however tenuous they may be, with readers–and other authors.

Libraries don’t charge you for a table when they hold a book event. A library is part of a local government, and as such, are public spaces belonging to the people. However, since a library is in the business of lending books, they can’t be your book seller. You have to do that. Nowadays, that means you’ll need some way of collecting payment, whether it be cash, via credit card, or using PayPal or Venmo or the like. A minor inconvenience. I use Square, which can accommodate cash or credit card purchases, but WiFi at libraries is free but not necessarily secure.

Another venue that usually doesn’t charge for a table is a local, independent book store. You have to have “pull” to get a book event at a Barnes and Noble, and independent book stores are eager for the customer traffic. The book store I’ve typically used in my home town will either sell my books on consignment (i.e., the store takes a percentage of the sale) or will let me sell them using my Square device. The drive is short, and on a nice spring or summer day, people always drop into a book store.

I’ve rarely had a bad experience at a book store book event. Until this past weekend. I won’t name the store, although I posted where I was going to be on social media. I will say that once we were set up, everything went smoothly, except we were outside, where it drizzled and was windy. We were on a covered patio. However, even if books don’t get rained on directly, moisture in the air will make the covers begin to curl.

The authors were told we would get a table, so I imagined the usual set up: a five- or six-foot folding table with plenty of room for books, bookmarks, and other trinkets writers use to attract your attention.

I got a bistro table. You know, the kind of table that’s cozy for two people and maybe two cups of coffee and a shared danish. I had brought only four books, but they are good-sized books. They barely fit on the table. I’d thought about bringing along my folding, five-foot table, but that was another thing to get loaded into the car. Yes, hindsight is always 20-20.

That was only a small part of the “when book events go wrong” thing.

The writing organization sponsoring this event was well organized. They provided us graphics to use in promoting the event on social media and did so themselves at every opportunity. However, the book store didn’t list it among their local events. When I arrived, I parked and went inside to ask where I could unload my books.

The clerk had no idea there was a book event about to occur behind the book store. There was no signage inside or outside the store to indicate to people where to find the book event. The spouse of one of the authors eventually stationed herself at the front of the book store and told people where to find us. Once that happened, we got a lively crowd.

The book store did provide a clerk to handle our sales, which was great, but there was no consignment agreement, which I discovered when the store PayPal-ed me my share of my one book sold. I got $8 for a $16 book. That’s easy math. The store took 50%. Okay, I get it. They gave us space. They loaned us an employee. But really? Considering my cost for an author copy of the book sold was around $5, I made about $3.

So, a 600-mile round trip, a fill-up of gas, a one-night stay in a hotel room–nope, $3 barely touched that.

The head of the writing organization that had sponsored the event was displeased and indicated a word, or several, would be had with the book store owner, who was absent that day.

Still, I engaged with a lot of potential readers, did make one sale, and interacted with my fellow writers. That part of it is a win, and next weekend, I’ll be doing it again. Why not consider a day-trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, and drop by the Massanutten Regional Library on Main Street between 12 pm and 4 pm.

And we can engage.

I hope to see you there.