It’s been a couple of weeks since the first ever Indie
Authors Down Under event that was held on the Gold Coast on March 22nd.
It was the first time that I’d ever been to an event like this, and I’m afraid
to say that it will also probably be the last.
After having a few weeks to digest everything that happened
from the pre-promotion to the organisation of the actual event, I realised that
this type of event is just not for me. I had a great time meeting those authors
I’d chatted to online in the months leading up to IADU, and meeting all the
fans who had either pre-ordered or asked specifically for my books to buy on
the day.
And that is exactly what the event should have been about.
But for me, it simply wasn’t.
I spend months planning for this. I knew that flying wasn’t
going to be an option for me, so I opted to drive up to the Gold Coast. I spent
fifteen hours in a packed car filled with copies of my books and swag, so
excited that I was able to attend this signing. I spent hundreds of dollars on
getting paperbacks printed and shipped from the States. I spent hundreds on
swag and swag bags and little things that I thought fans would absolutely love.
But in the end, it wasn’t really worth all that. Instead of
feeling as if I was part of a special group of authors whole were doing
something “revolutionary”, I felt as if I’d stepped back into my high school. I
felt as if I shouldn’t have even been there at all. There was a clear divide
between “us” and “them”.
The make-up of authors attending the event was responsible
for that feeling. Instead of there being a nice mix of all genres, there was a
clear division of romance and erotica writers and everybody else who doesn’t
write romance and erotica.
Essentially shunned, I never experienced any pre-promotion
other than one post from one of the organisers on their Facebook page and a couple of blog posts with a series of questions. Six
months of preparation, and all I got was one post on a social media platform
that freely admits that it filters everything you see on your newsfeed and two blog posts? The
actual event felt more like 6 hours of a literary popularity contest and
self-esteem trampling.
A girl could only take so much. I know I’m not the only
author who feels this way. There were definitely others who experienced the
same kind of treatment that I did. The whole organisation of the event also
felt like it was stuck together with Blu-Tac rather than glue. I understand
that it was the first time the organisers had ever run an event like that, and
I hope that with the feedback I sent them post-event that they’ll make the 2015
event an even bigger success for those who found it there this year.
So, what did I learn from my first, and last, experience at
an author convention? Don’t take yourself too seriously, and don’t spend
ridiculous amounts of money on swag which will essentially go to waste. I still
have a huge box sitting in my study filled with this swag. And yes it’s great
to have, but it’s still expensive to send out to fans. I’ve also learned that
you should check what the organisers are expecting. If they want a romance
writers convention, then they should advertise it as such. Being in a room with
people who love romance novels will not get you many sales.
I’ve also learned that there are other options out there. If
you’re an author, don’t think that a signing is your only way of connecting
with fans. Next year, (hopefully) I’ll be hitting up another event with urban
fantasy author Kimberley Clark. We’ve learned from our mistakes with IADU and we
definitely won’t be making them again.
In
0.99c sale!
Sooooo, to celebrate me finishing the first draft of Dark Desire, and the first ever Indie Authors Down Under event, a whole group of us Aussie Indies are getting together to have a MASSIVE 0.99c sale of all our books!
Every single one of my titles will be 0.99c from (hopefully) tomorrow until Monday or Tuesday next week! So spread the word about this mega sale!
Every single one of my titles will be 0.99c from (hopefully) tomorrow until Monday or Tuesday next week! So spread the word about this mega sale!