Author Event #2: Gramercy Books Local Author Festival

...Continued from yesterday:
     My second author event of of the weekend - and of my career - took place the following day, Sunday, August 13, at the Gramercy Books Local Author Festival.

     Gramercy Books is a locally owned independent bookstore,

...located in Bexley, an urban Columbus "suburb" located inside the city.
      (I've always found it interesting that there are several "suburbs" of Columbus that are actually urban "island towns" surround by the city.  I believe this peculiarity is mostly unique to Columbus, Ohio, having been an outcome of city planning back in the 1950's promoted by then mayor Jack Sensenbrenner, who wanted to ensure that Columbus wouldn't eventually lose its population base to suburban development.  To this end Mayor Sensenbrenner allowed the city's water to serve only areas that were incorporated into the city.  Some of the old suburbs, such as Bexley,

...were exempted from this water rule and the city grew and expanded around them.
     But I digress).
     Anyway, the Gramercy Books Local Author Festival was an outdoor event that ran all weekend, my assigned day and time being Sunday 10 am to 1pm. 

​   This time I was smart enough to leave behind the chocolate cupcakes and donuts (see yesterday's post) and stuck to give-aways of book marks, business cards, a synopsis and printed sample of pages from the book.  (Paper freebies are the best, I've learned).

   I shared my time slot with five other authors, with whom  I also shared a long table under a canopy on the sidewalk outside the store.

     All the authors were friendly and I chatted a bit with most of them,  though I spent most of the time chatting with my table-neighbor, Brynette Turner, a sweet, lovely lady, here with her sweet, lovely daughter Carina, who is a psychologist for the Columbus public schools.

     Brynette writes romance novels under her name,

​...and erotica under her pen name Josie Carver.

      Brynette explained to me that she writes under two names to distinguish the different genres, so that the readers who like their romance mild don't accidentally end up with the hot 'n spicy stuff,  and vice versa.
      I asked Brynette how she chose her pen name and she explained that "Josie" was the name of her grandmother whom she adored, and "Carver" was the last name of her favorite middle-school teacher.
     "Wow," I joked, "your favorite grandmother must have been a real spit-fire!"
     "Oh, she was," Brynette laughed.
     It appeared to me that Brynette was doing a fair business that day with both her genres, as some of the other authors also appeared to be doing with their books.

​    In any case,  our event drew lots of interest from  the  Bexley folks out for a stroll on this pleasant Sunday morning,

...and, as was the case at my author event the day before, some of the authors had their support people there.

      So for all that it was a lovely summer day, the atmosphere was friendly, lively, and festive, for all that I sold a few books,

...for all that everybody seemed to be having a fine time, and I acted as if I, too, were having a fine time...
    For all that, in truth I found the whole event kind of excruciating.  From start to finish, and even for a little while after it was over.
     (Sigh).  Here's why I had such a dismal time at the jovial Gramercy Books Local Author Festival:
      Shortly after my book was released around the middle of June I stopped by Gramercy Books, thinking a small independent book store might be willing to have a look at my book. 
    To my delight, the salesperson I talked to told me that I could leave a couple of copies at the store to sell on consignment, that they had a shelf just for the books of local authors.
     However my delight immediately deflated, (think Wha-wha),

...when I realized that the store's policy for books sold on consignment was such that for each of my books that was sold, Gramercy Books would make $8.00 and I would lose $2.30.
     The store's manager had little interest in my problem which was, after all, my problem.  The store's policy would not be changed, nor the store's share cut back so that a lowly unknown author such as myself might break even.  "This is the only way you're going to get your book out there,"  the manager informed me.
      So I left a couple of copies of my book at the store, joylessly, and when I received an invitation  to the Gramercy Books Local Author Festival first I said okay, then I said on second thought no thanks, then I said, aw, okay.
       And so I spent my time at the festival trying to get the passers-by to  buy my book, and then feeling badly when someone did buy one, knowing that the more books I sold the more money I'd lose.
      I sold three books, but I guess it could have been worse.  
      I could have sold four.