One of the fun things about being an author is being able to interact with people. This is an interesting trait in someone who also enjoys solitude and silence. Still, you have to sell books somehow, and I’m too cheap to hire a secretary (not to mention, not enough money in book sales to afford a secretary).

Despite being somewhat of an introvert, I was beyond thrilled when UntitledTown made its return to Green Bay last weekend, turning the city into a vast playground for book lovers. When the festival first started in 2017, it was fun to do presentations and sell books at the book fair, albeit a little frantic doing everything.

The pandemic in 2020 put UntitledTown into hibernation, but it came back this year. I didn’t get to do any presentations, but that left me free to sell books at the fair, which was two days for the first time. I was eager to see how a two-day fair would go.

I’ve had mixed results when I’ve sold at book fairs compared with Pride festivals. With book events, you’re pitted with other authors. You know the audience is a pack of book lovers, but the question is whether they’re fiction lovers vs. non-fiction, cozy mystery readers vs. those who love thrillers, and, of course, whether they’re interested in books with gay protagonists.

With Pride festivals, there’s definitely the LGBT audience, but the big question when I sell books there is whether they’re readers or not. Interestingly enough, I tend to sell more books at the Pride festivals, especially when a real literacy nerd approaches my table.

However, I found myself doing very well at the start of UntitledTown’s book fair, especially in that first hour. My first customer was LGBT, buying two books right away. In that first hour, I sold six books, which is probably a record for me. It also got me thinking that if the trend held, I’d sell dozens of books in 14 hours over the two days.

That didn’t happen, though, as the next two hours that Saturday yielded no sales, and my total for the first day wound up being 11 books. Returning for the second day, I only sold four more books, making me think that next year, I’ll only opt for one day, as I kind of missed visiting some of the workshops, presentations and panel discussions. Fortunately, my sweetheart, Todd, and I plan to work the fair together next year, so I can slip away at times.

It was the first time for me selling books at a brewery, as most book fests have been in malls, outside or in convention halls. It was fun except for the fact that the air conditioning kept the room a tad frigid, even when I was wearing long sleeves the first day. Also, on occasion, the mood music cut out when the speakers had some interference, which was annoying but rare.

I was neighbors with a book publisher named Kimberly, who had hauled her wares all the way up from Texas, and she was definitely a conversationalist. I had pondered bringing my laptop to the fair to work on writing or proofreading, but Kimberly tended to keep me and the other surrounding authors engaged in conversation.

One thing to keep in mind, though, when you’re selling books. Plenty of people will browse, check out several covers front and back and then make the claim that they’re going to peruse the other booths and then come back. Most of them say it, but they never return. I  think it’s just a polite way of getting away.

However, one customer surprised me on Sunday. She said she would return, just like everyone else. It got to be close to the end of the fair, and foot traffic had definitely petered out, so all the authors began packing up and loading their vehicles for the drive home (or to the hotel, in the Texas publisher’s case).

As I was hauling my last tote of books to my Jeep, I intercepted her, and she said she couldn’t stop thinking about Hex of the Dragon Fruit, so she decided to come back and buy it. Fortunately, she was packing cash, so I had her follow me to the Jeep, as the tote with the book she wanted had already been loaded, and I signed the book by my vehicle, almost feeling like a drug dealer making a sale.

At least with books, there’s no 12-step program you have to go through, because that’s one addiction you never want to get rid of.