If you read my last post, you know I recently attended AuthorCon V in Williamsburg, VA—a yearly event hosted by Scares That Care, an all-volunteer charity. This gathering unites horror fans and authors for a good cause, allowing readers to connect with writers, purchase signed books, attend panels, and brave the infamous Gross Out contest (I’m still recovering from 2024’s edition!).
The Doubletree Hilton in Williamsburg featured a promenade and large ballroom for vendor tables, plus an auditorium and smaller rooms for panels and events.
AuthorCon’s atmosphere brimmed with fun and camaraderie. Horror fans are among the kindest, most genuine people you’ll meet—incredibly supportive and enthusiastic. I spotted many dragging large portable carts loaded with books!
After opening ceremonies, the floodgates opened. I was delighted when visitors stopped by my table, asked about my books, and purchased signed copies. This from an introvert who never saw herself as a networker. I met people of all ages and backgrounds, having surprisingly deep conversations amid the convention’s bustle—each interaction like its own little bubble.
Author Tips for Book Conventions
Table Display: Make the most of your limited space. I bought decorations from Dollar Tree and ordered themed items to complement my books—gold sculptures for The Sculptor Series and tiny squeaky pigs for Popsicle (they make sense if you’ve read it!).
Books and Payments: I ordered my books from Amazon and brought them in my checked luggage. Paypal, Venmo, and Zelle made transactions easy with QR codes displayed on my table.
Cash Handling: Bring change! I sold books at $15 each or three for $35, not realizing many would pay cash. I had to beg the hotel barista for small bills from his tip jar.
Signing Protocol: Ensure payment before signing. In my excitement, I could’ve easily handed over books without confirming payment.
Book Pitches: Prepare concise book descriptions. I didn’t realize how unprepared was until people stopped to ask what my books were about. Instead of an irresistible hook, I would charm prospective readers with a long, vague, rambling mess. Next time, I’ll have rehearsed pitches tailored to different reader interests.
Product Selection: Bring standalone books or novellas. For most attendees, this is their first introduction to your work—buying a whole series is a big ask. My novella Popsicle sold out quickly at $10, offering an affordable taste of my writing in a small, easy-to-pack size.
Table Essentials:
Bring snacks and water to avoid leaving your table
Pack a good pen and practice your signature. This is obvious, but easy to forget. Decide on a few phrases you can use to personalize your inscription.
Create useful promotional materials with contact information
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes—you’ll be standing more than expected
Networking: Don’t be shy! I was determined to be more intentional about meeting people this year. Everyone is in “convention mode” and happy to connect. In the evenings, attendees took over nearby restaurants and the hotel bar for deeper creative discussions.
Shopping Strategy: Don’t wait too long to buy books for yourself By the last day, some authors had sold out or already packed up.
Post-Convention Follow-Up
Going to a book convention can be an investment of time, energy, and money. You want to make the most of your experience and maintain the relationships you made during the event.
Connect with new contacts on social media and maintain those relationships
Share photos from the event, tagging those pictured
Engage with posts about the convention
Make signed copies available for those who couldn’t attend
Is It Worth It?
Absolutely. AuthorCon V was well worth the trip. I learned invaluable lessons about in-person book marketing and the horror community culture. The human connection was the most valuable aspect—I spent amazing times with my friends and returned with new ones. In our digital world, meeting readers and fellow authors face-to-face is truly priceless.
I’ve worked with many first-time self-published authors andall the writers I’ve met, I mean ALL, have stars in their eyes when they get ready to publish their first book.
Everyone has that feeling when they’ve created something special. Creativity is a divine force and we feel it’s destiny. The world has been waiting this book!
We imagine uploading our copy to Amazon and waking up in the morning with 10,000 downloads.
The truth is that, unless we have a large author platform and at least some basic PR skills, no one will even know we have a book out.
If we don’t know how to SEO our book for Amazon’s search engines, the likelihood of anyone stumbling across it are slim.
Do we have an eye-catching book cover?
Did we hire a professional editor?
Or did we just slap up our final draft and expect people to ignore any flaws because it’s The Book of Destiny?
I think every writer must to go through this.
It’s part of the process, and we have to try because, let’s face it, some writers do become overnight successes.
You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy the ticket.
Still, I try to prepare my new author clients for the difficult road ahead. Even if your book is good, even if it’s extraordinary, you have to compete with the hundreds of thousands of other authors who have the exact same dream.
This is hard to explain to the first-time author. In my experience, they completely filter out my warnings and march ahead with a huge smile, ready for the confetti to fall and the champagne to pop.
At this point, I just wait and let them go through it. Once they realize it’s not likely they’ll become famous overnight, then they’re all ears and we can get to work.
So go ahead, choose your dream cast for the movie, visualize what you’re going to wear on Good Morning America, and practice your autograph.
Enjoy it.
Never stop dreaming about it.
Don’t give up!
Just keep in mind that it may not happen with your first book. Years later, you’ll probably be thankful it wasn’t your first book (I know that I don’t want the stuff I wrote years ago to ever surface).
Just trust that each challenge is a stepping-stone on your journey to becoming the writer you were meant to be.
Anyone can publish a book, but few authors are successful. Millions of titles come out each year. What can self-published authors do to compete in such a huge market?
Howard VanEs from letswritebooks.net talks about how to prepare and position our fiction books for self-publishing success on Amazon and other distributors (and even become a bestseller)!
Watch this presentation, plus get na free 30-minute private call with our guest speaker about how to market your book. Just start your free trial with the Writers’ Mastermind. JOIN HERE
Animated book covers get more social media engagement than still covers, increasing your chances of making more sales and of getting word out about your book.
The reason? Simple. Elements in motion drive the eye to focus on it longer as there’s more to see. And because people have to linger longer, they’re more likely to retweet/share, like, reply and/or check out the book on Amazon and other sites.
Animated covers is a marketing trend that’s becoming more and more popular. And eye-catching covers deserve recognition because the reality is that most people do still judge a book by its cover. It’s the first thing readers see and the first thing that makes them decide whether to check out the book or not. And since animation jumps out, having an animated cover ensures that future readers will hover over your book instead of just scrolling past it in their social media timeline.
Morgan Wright is the upcoming fantasy author of “The Traitor’s Gambit”, the first book in an ongoing series, and editor/contributor of the “Calendar For Writers 2019-2020” which became a Top 10 Bestseller in the USA, Canada, Germany, Spain and the UK. Morgan has been writing stories since age 7, her earliest imaginations sparked by the fantastic tales of C.S. Lewis and Gothic oeuvres such as Dracula by Bram Stoker and The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffman. Thus inspired, she mainly writes medieval fantasy with a dark (and possibly morally-dubious) edge.
In March 2017, at age 18, she joined Twitter in the hopes of hitting the 1000 follower-milestone within a year. 10 months later, through the help of Twitter’s loyal #WritingCommunity who have supported her in ways she never imagined possible, she became a Twitter influencer with a current following of over 80.000 people.
Morgan recently graduated with honours from her BA (Honours) English Literature and Creative Writing which she began at age 16, and her short story “Unchained” was Longlisted in the “Let’s Get Published – Spring Writing Contest” while another short story, “The Bad-Wisher’s Lament”, was chosen for publication in Fantasia Divinity’s “Wishes of Illusion” Anthology.
In August of 2019, Morgan launched her now-in-high-demand Book Cover Animations service which brings book covers to life through animation. VISIT MORGAN’S PORTFOLIO HERE.
Anna David is a NY Times Bestselling and her new company, Launch Pad Publishing, is all about helping business owners position themselves as leaders in their industries by launching bestselling books.
Likewise, my goal for Let’s Get Published and the upcoming online Writer’s Mastermind is to help fiction writers position themselves for success in the fiction market.
But first, dear writers, you must get past everything that’s holding you back from realizing your best work.
I wrote this list for anyone who’s ever dreamed of creating something new but always talks themselves out of it.
(You’ll also get the scoop on how honestly scared I am about launching the Writer’s Mastermind!)
My article about author platform mistakes was featured in The Writing Cooperative, a writing community and publication focused on helping each other write better.
I develop author platforms for a living and have worked with all kinds of writers — from paranormal romance, to literary fiction, to children’s picture books. No matter the genre, the same basic rule applies.
The goal is to be found by your readers, and your author platform must make it easy for fans to engage with and share your content.
The issues I’m going to share with you might seem obvious, but I come across them daily, even with established writers. The smallest holes in your author platform cost you big time. The worst part is, you won’t even realize the connections, opportunities, and sales you’re missing out on.
Go through this checklist and make sure your author platform is working for you…
