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My First and Last Starfest Denver

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My trunk loaded with books for Starfest

Last weekend was my first and last Starfest Denver. It was my first because I didn’t learn about it until 2019, but I missed the window to sign up and signed up for 2020 (sad trombone). It was my last because after 45 years, the family that runs it is retiring from cons.

It ran from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening.

I went in with a few goals.

Primarily I wanted to practice my hand-selling. That went well, I handed people books when they stopped by. I still need to dial in my pitch but got better at it. My friend Todd a few booths away has his sales approach down pat, it was impressive to watch. I learned though, that his approach isn’t mine. He was able to hold people at his booth for upwards of 10 minutes, excitedly explaining his series, the characters, etc.

My secondary goal was to eliminate stock. Between Stocking up for events that didn’t happen or I had to miss, my shelf of books in the garage was overflowing. I wanted to clear those shelves of old covers, old back matter, etc.

My booth at Starfest Denver

To accomplish that, I set some really aggressive discounts. If people bought 10+ books, they got them for $5 ea. which was in a few cases at a loss for me, and in most cases a tiny profit. Very much a loss leader approach.

It worked. I moved 6 or so 10+ orders. Folks literally just said, “I’ll take one of everything.” I came home with very few copies of anything and completely sold out of Space Rogues 1.

Book People

I was really impressed by the Starfest crowd. Despite my pricing experiment, I outsold every in-person event I’ve been to previously, by orders of magnitude. Even if they didn’t buy a paperback, they took cards and bookmarks to get ebooks.

It’s truly bittersweet how much I enjoyed Starfest since this was it. There were/are rumors the organizers might sell, but who knows if that’ll happen or if it’ll still be the same event.

I’m really glad I went, and wish the organizers, fans, and creators all the best in the future. I’m sure many of us will cross paths elsewhere.

Our Love Hate Relationship with Creators

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This post was started in 2018 and has been brewing ever since.

I saw this in a Facebook group I’m a part of. It’s a group of “Power Users”. I see posts like this in this group, and just about every writers/readers group daily if not more frequently.

I highly doubt the person who posted this would be happy to be paid for their labor every 6 years. I know I wouldn’t.

According to the post, this person is willing to pay one whole measly dollar a month. So $12 for software. This post is about 1Password, which I love and happily pay for and encourage everyone to use and pay for. So $12 for software that keeps your passwords, credit card numbers, and anything else you put into it, safe. Safe and synced across your laptop, iPad, and iPhone. Safe in an encrypted volume, the company takes seriously and makes clear they have no access to. Twelve bucks?

Let’s say Mr. One dollar a month grudgingly pays and uses 1Password for ten more years. Does he think $120 is enough? Could he live on what he makes in a month for ten years? I couldn’t.

Consumers are so disconnected from what they consume now. We happily, joyfully pay for a new iPhone every year, but an app better be free or maybe $1, total, lest we complain. Much of this is laid at the feet of Apple, Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. Companies with platforms, that push the creators to the bottom to grow their platforms. They’ve trained consumers to not think twice about a new Mac, or latest Pixel phone, or a $400 kindle. But do nothing to educate consumers that the app they love was made by someone that plans to pay their mortgage, and it is worth more than a dollar. Or when a book that takes months to write, hundreds if not a thousand dollars to produce, is more than $2. “I won’t pay more than $2 to read a book on my two hundred dollar Kindle.”

And it’s everywhere. People bitch at me that a conference that’s 2 days, 2 tracks, with international speakers, lunch included, is $399. “That’s like twice what I’m willing to pay.” Yet these people make software and expect a high hourly rate or high annual salary.

The other day there was a post on the Denver Post’s Facebook page. One person commented that they’d apparently used up their free viewings online, so couldn’t read the article. Most of the comments were either “Here’s how I don’t pay the post for their work” or defending the idea of not paying by pointing out how ‘easy’ it is to not pay them. It was disheartening. These folks want the news, but not to support those that create it.

The common comparison is a cup of coffee, which is fine, it’s a legitimate comparison. For me though, it’s “How do you expect your fellow human to survive? Would you rather have nothing than pay for things? Would you prefer something free where you’re the customer and your data is in the hands of a Venture Capitalist?”

We want an amazing and bug-free app, a great well-edited book with a professional cover, a game that’s on par with the AAA studios, but you don’t want to spend more than one or two bucks for it? As someone who created things; conferences, and now books, it’s frustrating. I sympathize with my friends who make apps and games, or write or make clothes, or anything.

If this still isn’t resonating with you, look at it this way,

You go to work every day but surely would stop if your boss said, “We’ll pay you this week, but you’ll be expected to work the next six for free. Maybe on the seventh week, we’ll pay you again, but only if you show that you’ve spent that time doing twice your normal work.”

This is basically what we’re telling every single person who’s trying to make a living making things. We value their efforts so little we don’t want to pay for them, and if we do, we want to then own their creative efforts indefinitely. But hey it’s new iPhone time, gotta stay up late to place my order…

I’d love to see us move to a place where we’re happy to buy something knowing that we’re helping someone make a living. If you can’t afford it, that’s fine, save up, or don’t get it, etc. But don’t tell someone their creative efforts aren’t worth anything.

Ten Space Rogues Books!

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So, my patrons are probably finishing up Space Rogues 10: Rogue Enterprises about now. It comes out for the rest of the world on the 27th.

Sorry. Want early access, you gotta pony up. Which you should, there’s lots of awesome stuff for patrons over there! :)

Anyway. Ten Motherfucking books.

Original Space Rogues Book cover
The 1st cover of Space Rogues Book 1

When I wrote ‘The End’ in November of 2016, winning my first NaNoWriMo, I never woulda guessed I’d be here. With ten books in this series, three in another, and one I just keep neglecting, sorry team Expedition Inc.

I’d toyed with writing for decades, never seriously giving it enough energy for take-off. I played with it after we moved to CO, writing at lunch at Illegal Pete’s on the 16th St. Mall. I’d doodle story ideas in a notebook, rarely getting past that point.

Current Space Rogues ebook cover
The current cover of Space Rogues Book 1

After 2016 I couldn’t ignore it. Not only did I feel proud of what I’d done, but I realized I had the ability to tell a story, and knew there were more inside me.

Space Rogues was released too early. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I put it up having only given it a once over with Grammarly. The cover as you can see was hella homemade.

While I was working on getting a second book written, I was also trying to get book 1 in a more professional shape.

Flash forward 8 years and here we are. Space Rogues 10: Rogue Enterprises wraps up what I guess I consider Phase 1 of the Space Rogues Universe (SRU. LOL!). I’ve written and am about to send Rogue Enterprises Book 1: Long Days, Short Knights, to my editor. The Rogue Enterprises Series is Phase 2 of the SRU.

On top of that, I’ve released 3 books in the Grand Human Empire series, with the 4th the next book in the queue to write.

Expedition Inc. Is being neglected and I feel bad about it. I promise I’ll get the next book out for that one. Probably after GHE4. I’ve actually got some heavy notes on what that book will be.

This journey has been fantastically amazing. I never would have expected that not only could I get a book out, that I could get out almost 15, but that I could make money doing it. Writing, much like conference organizing isn’t high a margin profession (I have a type, I guess), but with writing, things are a bit more in my control.

For those that have followed along on this trip, buying (Hopefully liking) my books, reading this blog, or my newsletters. I can’t thank you enough. Being a creative is hard, our society has a love-hate relationship with creativity. More on that maybe later, who knows.

For this post, I want to end on ‘Thank You’

Conventions and Conferences

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I’ve waffled a lot on how I want to participate in “Cons” as an author.

As my writing career was taking off, I submitted to a lot of events. I applied for author alley tables, and I put my name in the running for panels. For every event around the Denver metro area, I was putting my name in.

Until this year I’d been trying to do both. Have a sales booth, and be on panels or signings/readings. I came into this just assuming I had to do both. That I needed to be seen in both aspects.

I think I was wrong.

Moving forward I’m leaning towards just having a booth. Here’s why.

Audience.

So far at least, the cons I’ve participated in, I’ve mostly been put on self-publishing/author business panels (Sadly I had some awesome genre ones at COSine), and while they’ve all been fun, the audience was minuscule. Understandably, as most of these events are fan-oriented. The attendees (mostly) aren’t aspiring self-publishers. I’ve never been in an empty room, but the largest crowd was in the teens. The other panelists have always been awesome, and I’ve become at least online friends with a few people. I wouldn’t trade those experiences but I don’t think they’re actually valuable.

I realized that I don’t think being on author business panels, at fan-oriented events, is actually a huge win for my business.

This is in no way a knock against cons I’ve been to.

I was on a panel at 20books Vegas, which is an industry event, talking about business. I’ll probably do more of that if I can. It was fun to be surrounded by peers, especially those that know more than I.

One of me, two places.

Part of the problem above, is that while I’m in a room with a handful of people who either have an honest interest in the business or just needed a place to sit, I’m not at my booth. Panels and readings are always an hour or so. That’s a good-sized percentage of any given day, especially if you have more than one panel or reading that day.

When my booth is empty, my books aren’t selling.

Was I there to be on panels? or to sell books?

I want to Sell Books.

Selling books (or anything) in person, isn’t easy.

I’ve bought stand-up banners, table runners, bowls for candy (Pro-tip, candy brings ’em in), all with the goal of bringing someone to the booth. Getting them to slow down, just enough that I can say ‘hello’ and try to reel them in.

I’ve been working on improving my hand sales game. It’s tough, it’s exhausting. I’m looking forward to Starfest, so I can put some of my new tricks to use.

I look at cons as a marketing expense. Covering my costs is 100% a goal, but whether I do or not, so long as I moved some copies, which hopefully will move more copies later, it’s a win.

So, now what?

Well, luckily this mini-epiphany comes at a time when I don’t have a ton on my plate. Starfest is this May. I put in for MileHiCon, I’ve done it twice before and enjoyed it. I don’t know if I’ll try for Denver Comic Con or not. I got in, then COVID, then the organizers went belly-up. We’ll see.

Anyway, I don’t currently have any panel/signings/readings on the books, and likely won’t for at least 2022.

Calling all Super Fans!

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Patreon exclusive sticker

I’ve taken the plunge on creating a Patreon page. I toyed with Patreon, way back when as an experiment to support my community conferences. My most heartfelt thanks to those awesome folks that supported those efforts.

I closed those Patreon pages down after about a year because it was a lot of work to create content just for those few supporters. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough to warrant people’s support. It was an experiment and I learned a lot.

Now that writing is a much larger part of my life, and, I hope an ever-growing part of my income, I wanted to explore offering something a little extra for those folks that want it.

The biggest hurdle (for me) in creating something like this was committing to creating extra content. I worried that I’d have to dedicate time to creating Patreon content, vs. writing. I realized however that I have no shortage of content to share with those that want it, early and in some cases exclusive access to my words.

So, if you want to get access to scenes as I write them, or early access to digital releases, or even want to ensure that every book I release, there’s a signed copy with your name on it, then check out the options on the Patreon page.

If you’re happy to buy the books when they release and don’t need more than that, that is 100% fantastic.

I won’t be sharing less on the blog, or in the newsletter, and the Rogues Gallery will still get content. I don’t want to create a walled garden.

Patreon supporters will get access to things that I don’t normally share (Scenes, commentary on scenes, etc), things I share sporadically here (Cover reveals and such), as well as access to other stuff first (Ebook and audiobook releases). I’ve also created a special sticker (Image above) that is just for supporters. Sorry, I wanted to sweeten the deal. :)

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you know that making a full-time living as a writer is my goal. This is one more step toward that. Like any business, Rogue Publishing will have multiple revenue streams. I want to offer as many ways as possible for fans to support me.

Writing Update (Grand Human Empire)

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So, last week I talked about the Space Rogues series. This week I wanted to dig into my other space opera series.

The Grand Human Empire came about because I’ve always loved scifi that featured that mostly capable loner/small group, just getting by.

With Space Rogues, I always tried to keep the crew grounded so that every book wasn’t a “The Team saves the galaxy” type of story. I generally don’t love those.

The Grand Human Empire is even more grounded in everyday type adventures. Jackson, Naomi, and the droids are just trying to keep themselves fed and cover the rent. They’re not into getting sucked into galactic politics. After all, getting involved is what killed Jackson’s parents.

What’s it look like when there’s a rebellion trying to fight a mostly evil empire, and you’re just trying to deliver a bunch of parts to a starship repair depot? Sounds boring, but there’s a lot of fun to be had in the middle spaces.

Reception.

So how has the series done? Not bad. I was able to get three books out in pretty rapid(ish) release. I can’t keep up that pace, sorry readers, but I’ll release 1-2 a year like Space Rogues.

I looked at 2021 numbers, and while not unseating Scalzi or anything, not a bad start. Book 1 dropped with little fanfare, as did book 2. I really pushed the pre-orders for book 3 once I had a bit of an audience.

What’s Next?

I’m working on the next book now. Well, right now I’m doodling ideas and plot lining them to see what strikes me. I fully expect to have book 4 out sometime in the fall.

My goal is 1-2 GHE books and 1-2 Space Rogues Universe books. We’ll see how that goes.

Remember, you can buy all my books wherever you buy books, including directly from me (Cutting out the middle man)

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