The cost of everything is going up. Same goes for books with paper being more expensive. I find I now have to ask $23 for a book I previously sold for $19. Most of my $15 books now go for $19 or $20 as I have to reorder new copies to place in bookstores and sell at events. Higher costs are not helping my sales as people are always reluctant to try a new author for a higher amount. I do offer some of the oldest for $12, ordered in quantity back when I thought I'd need 100 copies of every book to sell. Ha! But these these still sell at book fairs. When I must reorder, they too will go up price or I will earn nothing selling them.
Another blow to the indie and small press authors such as myself is the drying up of events to offer their books to the public. I mentioned before the entire cessation of events during Covid, but few are coming back yet. Libraries were holding mass authors' rows to accommodate all who wanted book signings. During Coivd, more people than ever got around to writing that first book. The demand for outlets is still there, but few exist. So far, none of the libraries in our area who did this have restored the events. Books don't sell well in libraries where people expect to get them for free in-house or online from Hoopla and Overdrive. I know I sell books in this way from the modest royalty I get from each read. Mostly, I go to these in events just to get my name out there and hope they do use one of these services or buy from Amazon later.
The greatest blow came recently from our own state library association who usually sponsors an authors' row at their annual conference in the exhibits. A table and chair is provided, and because of the demand for space, each author gets two hours to peddle their wares. Again, not much is sold there, but you do have a chance to give out information on your books to librarians. Still a member of our association, I often visit with librarian friends and even some of the sales persons. The conference is back after two years, and I was looking forward to it, even willing buy the high-priced gas to get there, only to discover that indie and small press authors must now pay $200 for a booth around the rim of the exhibits. I suspect new people are in charge of the conference, but really, are they delusional that 99% of us can afford that much in order to sell two or three books after traveling a long distance? Maybe if four authors can cram into a booth, it could be done, but personally, I will rarely spend more than $50 for a space anywhere. Just can't afford it and the results are usually poor. Might as well pay Amazon more for sponsored advertising.
I will be at the Hot NOLA Summer Author Event in Harahan, LA on July 30th at the VFW Hall. No need to fight New Orleans traffic to be there. Sixty authors are attending, and to keep expenses down, I will share a table with an author friend. It runs from noon to five. Food will be available. Gift baskets will be raffled and along with mystery boxes sold. Sounds like fun and affordable. I do hope my three hour drive to get there will be worth the effort. The writers of NOLA are putting a lot of effort into this event. I hope it goes well for all of us. Hope to see some of you there.
