Finding Readers

As an independent author the biggest job isn’t writing the novel and having it published.  The biggest job is finding readers once your magnum opus is published and available for readers.  In the past week I’ve found readers is both a very likely place and in a very unlikely place.

I write historical fiction.  Both of my novels:  Murphy’s Troubles and Out of Darkness are about the Troubles in Ireland.  Every year the Irish American Heritage Center (IAHC) in Chicago hosts the Irish Book and Musical Celebration (IBAM) in October.  The Irish have influenced all aspects of Chicago life for decades and there is a robust Irish population in the city.  Obviously, attending is a must for me to reach out and find readers interested in Ireland and its’ history.

When I attended last year I had one book for sale.  I was scheduled to make a presentation about my book and participated in a panel discussion with Frank Delaney and others on the topic of the attraction to Irish literature.  It was a big weekend for me and I sold out of all the books I took to the event.

I attended IBAM this past weekend in Chicago and the experience was different.  The number attending was down significantly.  I made a presentation which was held in a room at the end of the library that was difficult to find. One person and the moderator attended my session.  The person speaking prior to me thought they had an hour to speak rather than 30 minutes.  By the time the previous speaker finished I had only 20 minutes.  Also, the one person who attended bought both my books earlier in the day.  In a word – it was a bust.  At the end of the day Saturday I was discouraged and uncertain about meeting readers and having sales on Sunday.

We set up about 30 minutes before the event started on Sunday.  Three women stopped by after mass and in less than 10 minutes I sold six books.  Throughout the early afternoon people strolled by my table in waves and I kept attracting readers.  By 3:00 pm I was sold out of books – two hours before the event ended.  I plan to return to IBAM next year.

This past week I was invited to speak at the local Rotary meeting.  The person inviting me wasn’t sure how many would attend but said I could sell books following my presentation.  Sixteen people attended the event and following my 30 minute presentation I was given a robust round of applause.  I stayed after the meeting to answer more questions and people began buying books.  I ran out of books and took orders for books that I would deliver the next day.  I sold 14 books in just a few minutes and had to make three deliveries the next day because I hadn’t anticipated that many sales.

So where does an independent author find readers?  Everyplace – often in unexpected places.