Selling Books at the Farmer’s Market

“Are you a reader?” I ask as she stops by my booth at the farmer’s market. She shakes her head and moves on.

“Are you a reader?” I ask the next person who wanders by.

“I used to. I don’t have time anymore,” he says and then gives my books a few seconds’ glance before walking on by.

“Are you a reader?” I ask again after 30 minutes have gone by.

“Yes,” she replies and comes closer. She picks up a book to read the back cover. When she’s done, I ask her what she likes to read. She tells me a genre or two, which opens the conversation to my telling her what my books are about.

Getting this far means either a sale of a book or a website visitor. If she doesn’t buy a book, I hand her a card with my book cover on the front and the synopsis and my information on the back. She might be an audiobook or Kindle reader, and it lets her know how to find my book that way.

Then, I wait until the next person shows up.

One Saturday, I was at a market for four hours and sold three books. At some places I’ve sold none, and at others maybe up to eight.

It’s not easy to be a vendor at an event, but it’s especially not easy being a book vendor. My customer must enjoy reading and want to read the types of books I offer. (For some, they also need to not have too many unread books waiting for them at home.)

The vendor fees must be very low for me to consider going to an event, too—making only $2-3 profit on a book does not lend itself to paying more than $20-30 in a vendor fee.

Even though it’s hard, and I don’t often sell many books, I do meet people. I pass out my book cards. I let people know there’s a local author around here who writes in a variety of genres. I meet people who also want to write a book. I meet other vendors. I join the community.

And, when I sell a book, I sell a story. Each of my books was a story that lived in my head for a long time and has a message that will get passed along to the reader.

The Ring shows how precious life is, especially to military families.

Life After shows how determination is needed to right a wrong.

Orphan Wish Island shows how life lessons are all around us, and how family is important.

Being a vendor brings me hope each time. Hope that I’ll meet some readers. Hope that those readers will look at my books. Hope that they’ll eventually read one of my books. Hope that the message in my books will spread to them while they enjoy the story.

I’ll be at another one in just two weeks.