Me and Vivica Fox at her Book Signing yesterday. Be sure to stop by The Medu Bookstore at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta and grab your copy of ‘Everyday I’m Hustling’ by Ms. Fox and ‘I am Soul‘ by me!
Dear Indie Author / Self-Publisher, that thing you are doing, that step you’re taking, that move you made….
…is not a waste of time and don’t let anyone tell you that it is. Time is never wasted. Everything is a learning experience IF you choose to see it that way. People like to tell you not to do something because it hadn’t worked out for them or because they can’t see any good in it. If you sow negativity about every mistake then you will reap negativity and nothing will ever work. But, if you sow positivity by turning those mistakes into lessons then you will reap positivity by acquiring a new skill. You will be blessed with an understanding you didn’t have before and the courage to take risks that are no longer bound by the limitations of others. As an Indie Author you will be bombarded with advice so you have to be very conscious of what works for YOU and what doesn’t. Sometimes the only way to know this for certain is to do the work. Knowledge is only power when it is applied. At some point you must make the difficult decision to stop researching and have faith in the work. Just do the work.
There are just EIGHT more days to enter the 2nd Annual Poetry Contest! Prizes include money, promotion, publishing, books and more. Don’t miss out! CLICK HERE for a reminder of the entry guidelines and prizes. The deadline will be here before you know it. Enter today!
Saturday, I attended another live book signing event, the inaugural Atlanta African American Book Festival. It was not my first signing but it was my first festival. Here are some things I learned.
Spend Modestly on Your Decor
I saw many beautiful, grand banners and signs at the festival. The authors did not come to play ya’ll. They DID that. I couldn’t stop smiling. Of course, my main focus was on my table but I wouldn’t be EC if I didn’t observe the environment around me, if I didn’t seek out a learning opportunity.
I noticed that the tables that were neat but modest sold at the same rate as the tables that were elaborate and fascinating. While captivating, without the personal appeal of the author talking and engaging with the people, the large banners and signs didn’t add anything extra far as I could tell. Not to mention that many of these banners are very costly. I took this lesson from it:
Spend modestly on decor. It’s nice to go big (go big or go home right? Lol) BUT, if you can’t afford it, don’t overthink it.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to attend a live event. I got lots of comments on this poster:
Most loved table art goes to: The I am Soul poster!
I got it made at Walmart for less than $20. You don’t have to have a boring table but you don’t have to spend a fortune. Between Walmart, Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby and, surprisingly, Ross Dress for Less (go in the area with all the household stuff, usually in the back…you’re welcome) you can find some expensive-looking stuff that’s actually pretty cheap. Also, don’t forget that you are a big part of the experience. You are the star. Without you, it’s just expensive plastic. I didn’t even get to use my card-reader and no one paid much attention to the bookmarks. I am not saying to have these things is wrong. There are some very basics (like a card-reader and apparently that cash app is hot) you must have at a live event. I am saying not to stress out if your table isn’t grand.
Don’t Overcharge Your Readers
Book Fest 2018, Georgia State University
I was surprised to discover many books in the $20 range. For non-celebrity Indie Authors people never heard of, I thought this was a bit much. Personally, I wouldn’t charge over $10 for a copy of my book at an event. I say this not to indicate you should just give your work away, but I think it’s a good idea to give your readers the exclusive by offering them books at a price lower than if they had to pay for shipping. By showing up readers can purchase a discounted copy of some of their favorite books of yours in paperback. They have probably traveled to see you and you probably bought your books in bulk at a discount anyway and you don’t have to ship the book to them. I think that’s deserving of the people who choose to support you. People may pay $20 for a book at a celebrity signing or for a book direct from Amazon or your author website, possibly, but I think it’s a good idea to give readers something special at signings.
Live in the Moment
I did something different this time around. I didn’t post images of the event until I got back to the house. I didn’t live stream or rush to upload anything. I enjoyed the moment laughing with my husband and friend, talking to the authors and guests and taking pictures. We are so caught up in “Live Streaming” our lives these days so that other people can “see us” “in” the moment that we forget to enjoy the moment for ourselves. I had a much more enjoyable time selling books, practicing my pitch, mingling with guests and passing out my business cards than I would have trying to add hashtags to an Instagram post as someone walks past my table, buying nothing because my head is down. Personally, I attend live events because I enjoy networking with the people and creating memories I can look back on in pictures, not because I think I must. We only have one life to live and I want my children and grandchildren to look back on these pictures as proof that they can do anything they want to do if they only believe they can.
View all the festival pics plus more on my author website here.
Today I’d like to extend a warm welcome to V.M. Sang. Welcome to The PBS Blog! Let’s get started.
What is your name, and where are you from?
My name is Vivienne Sang. I was born and brought up in the north west of England in a town called Northwich, not far from Manchester. At present, I live in the south-east of England not far from the town of Eastbourne.
What job do you think you’d be really good at?
I don’t know if I’d be really good at it, but I would like to have been a vet.
Nice. How many siblings do you have?
My father died when I was very young and my mother re-married. She had a girl with my step-father, my half-sister, but my step-father had already got 7 girls and 3 boys with his first wife, so I have 10 step-siblings as well.
What skill would you like to master?
I do some painting when I have time. I would really like to become a good painter.
What state or country do you never want to go back to?
Belgium. They insist on signing their town in the language of the area, in spite of the rest of the world calling them something else. Liege, for example, is called Luik, I think. Now I don’t have a problem with this, per se, but many countries that have different names for towns sign them with both. We got lost trying to find Liege.
Also, we nearly ran out of fuel once because there were no fuel stations on the main road and we had to go off into a village and by chance found one. Also, Brussels is a nightmare to get around.
Unfortunately it’s on the way to many places in Europe I do want to go back to!
Yea. I can see how that can be confusing with the language. I love history. Who is your favorite historical figure?
Leonardo da Vinci. He’s not only a great artist but also scientist and technologist, too. I went to his home in Amboise in France where they had built scale models of his inventions using only the tools and materials he would have had. Brilliant.
Let’s talk about writing. What genre do you write in?
I write mainly fantasy, but have recently published a historical novel based in Roman Britain, and have another almost done. I think historical fiction is much harder to write, So much research is needed that you can get away with when inventing your own world. Having said that, I do try to make my world as scientifically realistic as possible, so that does involve some research.
That’s true. Historical Fiction does require lots of research. Are you married Vivienne? Children?
Yes, I’ve been married for a very long time. 53 years! I have two, a boy and a girl.
Awwue. Congrats! 53 years, wow. Relationship goals!
What are your thoughts on race? Define racism.
There is only one race. The Human Race. People who judge others on the basis of ‘race’ are ignorant. People should be judged by their words and actions only, not on how they look. This applies to disability, too. and everything that makes us different. We should embrace our differences.
Racism is deciding you don’t like a person or group of people you know nothing about on the basis of some physical thing, such as the color of their skin, the slant of their eyes or some other superficial, irrelevant thing.
Thank you V.M. Sang for spending this time with us. We enjoyed you!
V.M. Sang
About.
Vivienne Sang was born in Northwich, Cheshire in the United Kingdom. She was educated at Northwich Girls’ Grammar School and at Elizabeth Gaskell Teacher Training College in Manchester. She taught Science, Maths and English in Salford and Heywood, Lancashire until she had her first child.
After staying at home to bring up her two children, a girl, and a boy, Vivienne returned to teaching when her son started school. At this time, the family lived near Southampton but moved to Redhill in Surrey where she taught in Croydon.
When she took early retirement in 2001 Vivienne moved with her husband to East Sussex.
As well as writing and reading, Vivienne enjoys many crafts and also paints. She enjoys cooking and walking on the Downs as well as cycling.
Vivienne enjoys traveling and has visited many countries in Europe and has made two visits to the USA.
Are you an author? Looking for more exposure? Learn more about my Introduce Yourself FeatureHERE. Also, there will be some changes to this feature coming this fall. Get the updatesHERE.
Been a minute since I gave you an EC quote Friday. Today I just want to remind you that it’s hard to beat someone who won’t quit. Whatever you do, just keep going:
If you wrote an article no one reads, write another one. If you sing a song no one hears, sing another one. If you publish a book no one reads, publish another one. If you dance your heart out and no one watches, dance again. The most obvious solution to me in the face of adversity is to keep going. To always try just one more time.
Yup. I’m going to another event! Join me at the 1st Annual Atlanta African American Book Festival this Saturday! 7/14/18. Student Center from 10am-5pm EST. See you there!
Fun Fact: I’m a stickler for rules. I follow the laws and commandments of the Bible, I pay attention to Amazon’s review policy and I try to live as blamelessly as possible. I’m the person who won’t text and drive. I got a chance to get a tattoo once but I thought it was wrong so I didn’t get it. That’s me. Your law abiding citizen. And anything you say in the comments can be used against you in the court of law (tee hee)
So, I’ve been posting to my Facebook Business page a lot and not my personal page because….you guessed it…rules!
Did you know it is against Facebook’s policy to promote your business on your personal Facebook page?
Yup, we all do it but it’s actually illegal.
“It’s actually against Facebook’s policy to use your personal profile as a business profile.” – Shayla Raquel
Just like giving people prizes to review your book is against Amazon’s Review Policy (and sharing the super link to your book can have Amazon to track you and remove reviews after suspecting manipulation), all that promoting you’re doing on your personal page is actually, technically, against Facebook’s policy and if they want they can delete your account.
Don’t get me wrong. I promote on my personal page every now and again too because, hey, an update now and then is cool, I think. Also, strangely enough, people tend to respond more to your personal posts more than your business posts even though the same people on your personal page are also on your business page. I will never understand you people.
✅ But don’t get caught! Be smart and be sure to create a Facebook business page as well and do the bulk of your promos there so it’s not like, super obvious.
Here are some things you can do NOW in case your account gets deleted:
You can download a history of your Facebook activity and archive it somewhere, just in case. You can do so with the following directions, from Facebook’s info page:
1) Click at the top right of any Facebook page and select Account Settings
2) Click General in the left-hand column
3) Click on “Download a copy of your Facebook data”
4) Click Start My Archive
Also, here’s a very informative post by Shayla on everything you need to create an epic Facebook page. Click here. Also, ya know, like my Facebook page while you’re at it lol.
You’re welcome!
If you’re in the Atlanta-land area, don’t forget to join me at the inaugural Atlanta African American Book Festival this weekend, Saturday, July 14, 2018. FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC over 70 authors will convene in Atlanta to present their work to the Atlanta community. Journalists, editors, publishers, literary critics, and scholars from various fields will be present. Panel discussions and workshops will engage festival attendees in topics concerning literary industry tips, civil disobedience, activism, emotional and spiritual well-being, restorative justice, and health and wealth. Children’s activities include a story corner and festival dance floor.
I am one of the many featured authors and I would be honored to have your support at my table. You will have the chance to grab signed paperback copies of my books along with other authors, take pictures, take part in workshops, and meet industry professionals. Again, attendance at the festival is FREE. This is not just an entertainment event but we also seek to implement community programming that promotes black literary arts and family sustainability within our community. You can read my interview with AAABF Fest here.
The PBS Blog 