Last week someone asked me on Instagram whether or not I do any book tours or festivals. I replied that I no longer do book signing events. Apart from the odd token fair, mainly for promo, I stopped doing live events several years ago. Want to know why?
Book signing events versus selling online:
If an author wants to do a book signing event, first they need to purchase copies of their book(s) at author price – in my case, half the retail price including shipping. You then need to think of prices that might attract readers, not necessarily your retail price. For example, at my last book fair, I sold copies like this:
4 books = £20
3 books = £18
2 books = £14
1 book = £8
If you don’t sell all your stock, depending on how many you bought, you’ll need storage space in your house/garage/somewhere to keep them. In my case I only buy a handful of each at a time, knowing that they don’t all sell upfront at any given event. The rest go to public libraries or cafes that participate in book swaps. I don’t have a big house, and it’s already spilling over with books.
On the other hand, selling online costs an author nothing. With POD the online retailer simply prints a copy whenever a customer orders one. In my case, I use Amazon KDP for my paperbacks and Ingramspark for my hardcovers. Amazon and Ingramspark deduct printing costs, shipping costs and then pay royalties at around 60% for print. The only thing I pay for is sponsored advertising fees, which are optional – not all authors choose to pay for advertising, and may rely solely on their own social media marketing. I do both advertising and social media marketing. It seems to work. Last year I sold 166 books online: 129 paperbacks/eBooks and 37 hardcovers, as well as 15,903 KU page reads. That may not seem a lot to more commercial authors, but the numbers add up each year and I made more in royalties in 2023 than I spent on advertising.
Sales at literary events versus online
In 2023, I participated in only one book fair since I know that the bulk of my sales are online. I did the book fair mainly for promotion rather than ‘getting my work out there’. I sold 8 books in 4 hours. 166 online sales versus 8 books at a physical fair that mainly involved polite interest in my work rather than actual customers, not to mention a drain on my very introverted social battery. I know which I prefer!
Other benefits of selling online rather than through live events
In one word: reviews. If people shop online they’re more inclined to leave ratings or reviews which helps with promotion, rather than when they buy books at live events. As a reader myself I often leave reviews on Amazon but I’ve never reviewed a book I bought from an author signing.
Why do most people buy books online?
I’d say it’s because many people read eBooks. According to this article in 2023, 30% of people are eBook readers. I also think that a lot of shoppers will browse in a bookstore, search for book reviews online and then buy on Amazon as often it’s cheaper – for the record I don’t do this myself as I prefer to support local brick and mortar stores – but I know from many that this seems to be a general public habit.
Am I going to do any more literary events?
Maybe. If a local event appears that seems appealing, doesn’t cost too much for hire of the table/stall or seller insurance and I’m in need of a promo opportunity then maybe. Until then, I’d prefer to put all my energy into social media marketing and sponsored ad campaigns, which help me to reach readers in the US, Canada, Australia and elsewhere, aside from just selling my books in the UK. Book fairs and festivals could never get me the global readership that I have gained over the past 3 years since I set up my own author brand that online marketing has done for me. Do most people buy books online? For me, yes.
Leilanie Stewart 
I’ve never done a live event, as there aren’t any going on even remotely close to my rather isolted neck of the woods. Had I know I was going to become an author I might have moved somewhere rather more populated, but that’s another matter entirely. I’m aware of the costs of live events–informed by author friends who do these on a regular basis–and everything you’ve said applies. I’m a strong supporter of eBooks these days, and although I have paperbacks available through several online outlets and some shops, I firmly believe that eBooks are the future, and that’s where the bulk of my publishing/marketing is aimed. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience, Laura. It sounds like the majority of authors I know in the writing community across various socials tend to sell online. I know a few authors who sell at live events, but I think most tend to be big publisher authors who have contractual obligations. I’d say for most authors nowadays, whether traditional or indie, the bulk of sales would tend to be ebook or online sales.
There’s also the cost factor. Ebooks cost a fraction of the cost of a paperback, and that has to be a factor in these straightened times. I also have a reality check in that the area where I live is a mecca for second-hand books. I look into all these shops and see what’s on offer in used paperbacks, and it makes selling new ones even more remote. It’s not great for us, but it is what it is. 😦