Location, Location, Location & Last Chance

Blog No 212

Hey! If you are reading this on Thursday, Dec 15th, tonight is your last chance to get a signed copy of No Light Tomorrow before Christmas! Christian and I will be at The Ford City Christmas Market slinging books and signing our names. The Illustrated Edition is available around town (and to order, and as an ebook) but there is no guarantee you can get that signed by either or both of us in time. I’m willing to meet up to sign a copy if you get one elsewhere, but I’m a busy guy and it’ll cost you (like a coffee or a beer or something). Christian’s even busier than I am (with two kids and all) so your best bet is tonight. It’s at the Heimet Windsor Banquet Centre on Drouillard Rd. Give the gift of reading. Give the gift that supports local authors, give the gift of weird science fiction. Give your loved ones a copy of No Light Tomorrow Illustrated Edition.

Now that, that’s out of the way, lets talk about location. Any realtor worth their salt will tell you how important location is. For that matter, any business owner or land developer will too. It’s really darn important. It can be the difference between success and failure (or success and less success as I found out at our last event). A few Sundays ago I was at the Serbian Centre for a Christmas Craft Sale. Christian and I were given a table by fellow local author Christine Hayton. She had booked the table and couldn’t make it so gave it to us under the condition that we sell her book alongside ours. It was an easy yes and we had an extra event in November to look forward to.

When I showed up that day (Christian was going to be late and I had to leave early) I had no idea where I was going. The place was packed. I mean it was to the gills full of vendors. I found a list and layout and searched for Christine’s, Christian’s, or my name and came up empty. Carrying heavy books, shambling around lost, eventually someone came to my aid and informed me there was a back room too. I ditched my stuff at Ed Gagnon’s table (he was there too!) and went on the quest to find the table. I found it, in the back room, behind the bar, in a dead end, crammed next to other vendors with hardly enough space to sit. The back room (if possible) was even more crammed than the main room. But, with the table found, I retrieved my things and set up for the day.

At first, the foot traffic was terrible. The few people who found the back room spotted the dead end and decided not to venture my way (though it could have been my awkward smile that scared them off). Soon enough, Christian joined me and he immediately sold a book. He later told me he was about to call me nuts for saying how difficult it was to sell in that location, but later he realized the truth. We were stuck in one of the worst spots of the venue. the event itself was a huge success. Ed (back in the main room) sold like gangbusters.

In the end, we did alright, stuck in our dead end hiding place, though our books were priced to move and we both had to push our limited sales skills to the limits. Given the turnout for the event, our sales were meager though. We would have easily tripled the number sold (or more honestly) in the main room. The table was free though, and we sold enough of Christine’s books that she covered the cost of the table. It goes to show how big location plays in selling. Next time we’re going to find a way to be in the main room, even if we have to force our way onto Ed’s table again. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind (too much).