I contacted my marketing rep about the delay and he said that since my release date was so close to the end of the quarter (release date June 11, end of quarter July 31) then I would not be getting a royalty check until the next quarter (sometime in October). I emailed back and asked if he knew how many had been sold because that's really what I was wanting out of the check. He replied and said a ballpark figure is 80 which is really good at this early point! That was over a month ago, so with my sales at Barnes and Noble I'm thinking that it's closer to 150 by now! Yay!!
Now on to the book-signing at Barnes and Noble last weekend...it went great!! I really enjoyed working with Barnes and Noble, especially the manager Bryan! The staff were friendly and helpful! They sent out announcements over the intercom every 30 minutes or so about my book!
A few days before the event, Bryan called to confirm the event. He was very enthusiastic about Shoo, Fly, Shoo and said that they had already sold 4 copies! Apparently one of his employees liked it so much she hand-sold copies for me! Bryan had originally ordered 25 copies for the event, but said that after the positive feedback from the book he ordered 15 more! He also liked the look of the poster I had sent and said it was the first poster he put in the window for an event like this! After that phone call I was on cloud 9! I couldn't stop smiling! That was just what I needed...some encouragement!
The day finally came and I set up 30 minutes before starting time...I was just too eager to wait!
I'm getting emotional talking about this day...I guess because I met so many great people and everyone was so encouraging! One lady in particular was such a huge encouragement to me! She said that she had read my blog and the struggle I went through and was so excited to meet me! She had such sweet words of encouragement for me...I don't think she will ever know how much that meant to me! :)
I also met a children's author, Sandra Howatt, who is getting her first children's book Sleepyheads published soon! She was so much fun and talked with me for a while, offering some great advice! She recommended that I read Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market (2014). I purchased it that day and it is awesome!! I wish I had read this at the beginning of my journey! It tells you what to expect as an author/illustrator, gives a detailed list of publishing companies and their policies, lists conferences...and much much more!! One thing that stuck out to me was that first-time picture book authors can receive advances ranging from $500-20,000 and illustrators can receive $2,000-15,000...boy was I duped! At the least I could have received $2,500 (since I wrote and illustrated my book), but I paid them almost $4000! You live and learn!
I was excited to learn that Sandra was a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) as was I, so maybe we would see each other again at a meet up! I highly recommend new authors join SCBWI and get involved!
My sweet friends, Vivian and Arian, came to show their support (and bought a few books as well)! :) Thanks so much for coming!! Also, a special thanks to Chary (my husband's co-worker and our friend) for coming out and buying a book for his niece in India!
All in all, it was an awesome day and went much better than expected! I was a little nervous at first because Bryan had ordered an additional 15 books, and I didn't want to let him down! A few days before the event I ran across this article: 40+ Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an Event! http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/james.shtml Larry states "According to book store managers, on average, book sales for a non-celebrity author will range from about 4 to 7. If you sell more, you're doing great!" After reading that, I was really worried! At my first event I sold 21 books, which was all I had brought...but about half was to people that knew me or knew my parents. I didn't know very many people in Houston yet! I was hoping to sell at least the initial 25 Bryan had ordered and then a few more! I ended up selling 33 books! I was so excited, and a bit relieved, that it went so well! The 7 books that did not sell during the event are sitting in a special section by the door with other signed books. Hopefully they have sold by now!
My next event is September 21 at Barnes and Noble in Baton Rouge (Citiplace). It starts at 2:00pm during story-time and there will be a craft afterwards! Please come out if you are in the area! I'm also trying to set up an event in San Antonio! I'm waiting to hear back from my marketing rep about that! Those of you in Mobile...I've contacted my marketing rep severals time about an event in Mobile, but since your Barnes and Noble recently closed they are having a hard time finding a place to host the event.
Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and encouraging! I appreciate each and every one of you! Look for my next blog post after the event in Baton Rouge this weekend...I will have a special announcement for you all! (No, I'm not pregnant, lol)
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