Library Expo Flop

Although the Local Authors Expo at the downtown library was something of a bust, I did learn some valuable lessons. Number 1 being that if you want marketing, you must do it yourself. With little or no (let's just say no) empirical evidence, I'm going to state that there was virtually zero advertising that went on for this event--no newspaper ad, no radio spot, no signage whatsoever. There was barely anything showing actual library patrons where to go. The guy at the coffee shop just outside the conference room where we were secreted didn't even know about the event. Note to self: send an email blast.

That said, my table did look pretty enticing thanks mostly to a ginormous lion that I borrowed from a friend of a friend. That brought folks to my table if only to view the lion. I did sell several Mumsi Meets a Lion books and met a number of nice people, so the day wasn't entirely without merit. One man who bought my book was a pediatrician who intends to put it in his office lobby; another was a school teacher who bought it for her classroom. Not sure I'd do it again . . . but glad I've done it once.