Booth Design (Patreon)

Ok so here's something definitely a bit deeper and process level. This isn't necessarily something I'm ready to execute on, but it's something I'm thinking about today. Maybe it'll be interesting watching this unfold over time, maybe not. Whenever I have brainstorms like this I try to do my best to just jot it down and document it. Even if I never see the note again, writing it out helps me solidify the ideas. 

So... you may have noticed that I pulled out of VanCAF and have announced that I'm not planning on going to shows for the foreseeable future. This is part of a deliberate refocusing effort that I'm making for myself. Generally the process works like this:

- You hear about a cool show, you apply for the show and you either get a table or you don't. 

- You now have a deadline, and you do your best to make new merchandise (books, stickers, prints, whatever) in time for that show

- You cobble together some pieces of table display to present that merchandise. This is also completed on that tight "in time for the show" schedule. 

- You go to the show and exhaust yourself. 

- Repeat the steps - frantically trying to cobble together new merch and display - in time for the next show. This can occur every month or every couple of weeks. I used to do 5-7 shows per year and it just felt like this endless treadmill. By the time the fall shows were done, it was the holiday season and I barely had time to regroup myself before it started all over again. 

I'm taking deliberate steps to pull myself out of that cycle. My NEW process is:

- Design new merchandise (in my case the new books)

- Design new display and strategy, all in service of supporting the new books.

- Finish and order all new merch

- THEN apply for shows and take the display on tour for awhile until you run out of shows and/or merchandise

- Repeat process - starting with development of new merchandise. 

This is a MUCH LONGER sales cycle, but I'm hoping it's going to be a lot more focused, sane and targeted. 

So to that end, I'm actually starting with the vision of the final booth I want to present when I'm promoting my next book. There's a lot of detail here that might be difficult to parse - basically everything I've learned about showrunning and marketing distilled. Other than the obvious work of putting together the next book and making it the best dang book it can be, I'm going to display the supporting merchandise "outside in". Starting with display and then designing every component piece to serve its function (and be a great product of its own of course!)

The goal of going to a show is:

- To meet readers

- To sell books

- To meet other writers/friends

 

The supporting goal of the table design is to:

- Present a cohesive brand image - everything working together to sell the story of "I'm a cool artist and I made this great book, you should buy it". (Defining this more clearly and explicitly is part of the work here)

- Increasing my sanity and survivability at a range of shows (supporting cold sales, outreach, managing customer flow and suiting the range of customers I'm likely to encounter at shows)

- "Increase brand awareness" (a gross marketing term that means - people know who I am and what I do and to have positive interactions with new people who may become readers)

- Make money! (That's just... it's a good idea to make money.)

As I work through this process I'll be talking about each piece :D