I Survived Avon Park Spring Book Binge, But Did Avon Park Survive ME...?

So I made it to Avon Park this morning to set up for their first Spring Book Binge at their community center. After the heartbreak of not selling any of my works at Gainesville, I was afeared of how things would go this time.

...

Well, I got better.

The drive went faster than expected given the distance - I worried I left too late in the morning - as there wasn't as much traffic that early on a Saturday. I got there just at 9am with enough time to get set up for a large table display. I was able to use the big book wire stand this time, for one thing.

Alas, the retractable banner I've had over the years just doesn't want to stay upright. I dread it has run its course. I will need to see about getting another author banner - or table covering - of some form.

I don't think I will ever get my hair figured out

The community center is about the size of my library's general meeting room, so it had decent floor space for the twenty or so authors appearing. Included in the mix is RM Hamrick, whom I've met for previous NaNo writing events before the controversies ended my tenure with NaNo.

The event ran from 10am to 4pm, and we had a decent cycle of turnout. I was able to promote my works - there were a lot of questions about the Strangely Funny anthologies - and even made a few sales.

(Doing a head count) Okay, I traded a Funny Locations with another author Nicole LaBrocca for her novella Shadows of Betrayal; sold three copies of Funny Locations, one copy of Strangely Funny VIII (after I wowed the customer with how the Murder Hornets story came to be), and my last print copy of Strangely Funny I (Sarah, Gwen, got any I can order in bulk???).

I did miss a purchase because my PayPal electronic account is outdated: the card reader no longer works and I'll need to get a chip reader to replace. I do hope the lady follows through and purchases the Mardi Gras Murder book off of the online retailers.

Also, Avon Park's Community Center is just across the parking lot from the Avon Park Public Library... and as a librarian, I am compelled to visit each library I see, during which I dropped off a two copies of my latest books to see if they were interested in adding them to collection.

Not in picture: the Amtrak train tracks to the left.
Apparently it's not too noisy, but the vibrations may shake
the bookshelves from time to time...

It's AVON PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY!
Support Your Local Libraries, Florida!!!

In all respects, today was a good day.

That said, on the drive back I swung through Frostproof - a small Polk County town that is way off the main highways - for several reasons: 1) when I studied Florida history in the second grade our history book used Frostproof as a model community to describe the state, so it's been in my mind for almost my whole life, and 2) it's one of the few Polk County libraries I've yet to visit (Polk City and Dundee remain on my to-do list). Alas, by the time I got to Frostproof the library was closed, but the ice cream parlor Frostbite was still open and I got a butterscotch sundae (yum).

If I do this book event again, I will need to write another book and get published soon...

(struggles to get the princess cheetah storyline back up to speed)

Avon Park: Spring Book Binge Local Author Event

Well, someone talked me into this: I've signed up as a local author to appear at the Spring Book Binge on March 29th in Avon Park FL.

...

...It's just north of Sebring.

...

...and it's south of Lake Wales. Sheesh, just drive down US 27 and keep your eyes open!

  

I'll be hawking Funny Locations and volumes of Strangely Funny! 

Please show up! At least let people you know in that area about this event, thank you!

How'd It Go at Sunshine State Book Festival 2025

Well...

I spent Friday driving up early to visit the olde stomping grounds of the University of Florida campus, coping with some traffic issues once I got to Archer Rd. - that never changes - and then spending time at the Library West building to get some online writing done.

 

At the College of Journalism (Weimer Hall)
I don't think they're repainted the place since 1992...

I mostly waited out until my hotel allowed for check-ins (3:00pm) at which point I checked in, tried to get refreshed, and found out I had forgot to pack my dopp kit (!) so I needed to rush out to the store for a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a comb. /sigh  I always forget something...

That evening was an authors' mixer party at the resort conference hall, so I attended to see where the place was - making sure I won't get lost on Saturday - and where the room will be.

Hey! They spelled my name right! There IS a god...

Even then, it was a bit of an adventure getting there Saturday morning anyway - making sure I had packed everything from the hotel room - and dealing with the table setup.

There. More presentable.
I got a desktop bookshelf so to not block the table. The taller
bookrack I own is too wide for the space they provided.

My short story collection Funny Locations was the main draw, but I also displayed the other anthologies - the Strangely Funny set - in order to provide some purchasing options for any curious readers. We were hoping for a good turnout.

Might as well show off one of the awards I have from RPLA!

So the day was set, the books on display, the author prepped for audiences...

I wear a Batman shirt, often with a blue button shirt over it.
Hey, some authors showed up as pirates and gypsies and Abe Lincoln...

...and got no buyers.

Oh, I handed out bookmarks and rack cards promoting my works, but... nobody wanted to buy one of my books.

The guy to my right sold seven copies of his book (he did confess four of them were friends who drove up from Orlando). The guy to my left sold four. (the woman right next to me didn't do much engagement and she left halfway through due to not feeling well)

I thought I talked about this often to my friends and colleagues, asking directly or dropping hints to see if they or their friends in the area could stop by to the event. I know I didn't have the most eye-catching table display - and I couldn't use my standing banner as there wasn't room - but still I hoped at least one person would be in the mood for humorous works.

/sigh

It's times like that where I question if I should even do any of these authors events. I've maybe sold one copy of a book at each event most times, with only one visit to the Clermont comic-con a few years ago where I exceeded expectations with eight sales. 

Marketing is a big step in being a self-published author, and I admit I am not good at it. At all.

What should I do? Seriously.

Reminder: Sunshine State Book Festival 2025 in Gainesville FL

Please if you live in north-central Florida or if you know anybody who does - within driving distance of Gainesville - stop by the Sunshine State Book Festival and support your local authors. 

I'll be there, on Saturday February 1st from open to close, and today the organizers confirmed my booth location at #114. If I can paste the map here:

I'll be in the Humor aisle, next to Action/Thriller

Hope to see you there!

Thinking About What to Submit to RPLA This 2025

Just a quick note: This year the Florida Writers Association ended the Royal Palm Literary Awards for the non-fiction short/article/blog categories, so there goes most of my submission-worthy materials for consideration.

/headdesk

There are a couple of unpublished short stories I could submit along with one or two shorts I published in Funny Locations. But it feels really bleak that blog writing no longer counts for literary evaluation.

Of the published stories in Funny Locations, should I stick with "Road Trip To Vegas" or gamble on "...All Others Pay Cash"?

 

Put It On the Calendar: Sunshine State Book Festival 2025 in Gainesville

I am proud to announce I will be among a ton of authors at the upcoming Sunshine State Book Festival in Gainesville the weekend of January 31st - February 1st 2025.

(squee)

This will be a personal delight because I will return to ye olde college stomping grounds of University of Florida, a quiet little nostalgic trip while reveling in my semi-consistent career as a short story writer of little renown.

(beat)

Yeah I gotta work on that.

The location is a little off from the center of Gainesville itself, so here's the street address you can plug into the GPS tracking to find your way:

Sunshine State Book Festival

January 31 – February 1, 2025

Best Western Gateway Grand

4200 NW 97th Blvd. Gainesville, Florida

I'll be promoting Funny Locations for the most part, but I'll bring along some of my other promo materials for the Strangely Funny anthologies to entice people.

 

Hope to see you all there, and a pre-emptive Happy New Year for this.

Okay fine Happy Turkey Sacrifice Day as well.

A Serious Question To Every Author I Know

Can someone PLEASE point me in the direction of a publication that would be HAPPY to take humor horror type of stories? I've got a vampire biker bar brawl story that I honestly think has potential to be a fun read for people and I can't see ANY publisher out there taking submissions for something like this.

Writer's Market stopped printing a few years back. I'm looking through Submission Grinder for possibilities but I've been getting rejections with the submissions I've done through them over the years. 

I'm tired of the rejections. It's one of the reasons I've gone to self-publish with Funny Locations to get my stories out there to any readers. But some of these stories I have, I'd like to get them submitted to legitimate publications as a kind of validation, you know?

I understand it's a tough market - and it's getting worse with all this AI-generated crap that the publishers are getting swamped - but I would like help finding the right place to submit the kind of stories I write to the people who'll like them.

/sigh