Q. –
Hi Angela,
Several months ago, I was invited to speak at a conference in another state. They promised to buy copies of books from my publisher, and have them on hand for a book signing after my presentation.
On the day of my speech, it was determined that there were no books there for me to sign or sell. The conference organizer blamed my publisher but, on further investigation, it was discovered that the organizer didn’t place the order for the books until less than a week before the event.
I paid my own travel expenses and, while they paid me a modest speaking fee, it in no way came close to my travel expenses. I was counting on book sales to help with that and now I’m screwed.
I’m planning to do more speaking. How can I avoid this type of embarrassing and costly fiasco in the future?
A. –
I have seen this happen many times before. One conference organizer waited to order the presenter’s books until just a few days before the event, and then balked at the cost of rush printing and UPS Next Day Air shipping. Luckily, the author arrived with a box she’d purchased herself but she was furious.
My advice is to always carry plenty of your own copies on hand, which you should be able to purchase at your author discount from your publisher. Then, you can sell those directly to readers or to the conference folks. If the conference wants to purchase and resell them, you should DEFINITELY demand a check on the spot. If they can’t be trusted to buy inventory in time for an event, they can’t be trusted to pay their bills later. Selling directly to conference attendees is a safer alternative.
If you purchase copies yourself, at least then you’ll know the books will be on hand when you need them.
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What to Do When Your Book Event Organizer FAILS TO ORDER YOUR BOOKS!
Add to Your Income by Covering Conferences and Trade Shows
Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.
About The Author
Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.
BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."
Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.
PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!
Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.
Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)
See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.
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Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/
Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE
The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Self-Syndication
Practical resource outlining the self-syndication process, step-by-step. Packed with detailed information and useful tips for writers looking to gain readership, name recognition, publication and self-syndication for their column or articles.
https://writersweekly.com/books/4693.html
https://writersweekly.com/books/4693.html
90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy
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