Networking is a big plus for author fairs. I have heard from other authors that craft fairs can be lucrative markets for books, so this year I experimented. Here’s what I learned:

I like doing author fairs because of the networking with fellow authors, but they are frequently held in libraries where people get books for free. I do sell books, but not that many. Other authors have told me that they sell more books at craft fairs, where they often offer the only books in the room. This year, I exhibited at several fairs, both author and craft, to see for myself.

The author fairs were as I expected, having been to many before. They were all hosted by libraries and didn’t cost me anything but my time and gas to get there. I had the opportunity to catch up with writers I don’t often see, met a few new people, and did some networking with librarians and book club members. I added some contacts to my email list and also sold a few books.

The craft fairs were a mixed bag. While author fairs are usually free, craft fairs usually have a fee. As I was new to this, I hesitated on how much to invest, so I only signed on with fairs that charged $10-$20 per table. Fees can be much higher. Common vendor fees were in the $40-$50 range with some as much as $80-$100 per table. At that cost, authors would have to sell a decent number of books to make any profit.

For new authors and their supporters, here's a brief summary of how book sales work:

Let’s say someone wants to buy a new fiction paperback book with an average number of pages. They’ll find books that range from $8-$20. On the low end are mass-market books that keep production costs down by using smaller, tighter typefaces, low-quality materials, and huge printing runs.

The majority of authors do not qualify for mass-market treatment, so their books are more likely to be on the high end. Books of both kinds sit next right to each other on the bookstore shelf and the typical shopper may not understand why the prices are so different.

About half of book’s price goes to the bookstore. Another 10% goes to the distributor. Printing the book usually accounts for approximately a third of the price, so for a $20 book, the author makes $2-$4 per copy.

Obviously, at an author or craft fair, there is no distributor or seller to pay, so authors make much more per book. That’s a big checkbox on the “pro” side. On the “con” side is the exhibitor fee and the hours spent working at the fair.

My books are non-fiction, which have their own pros and cons. Fantasy writers who create worlds attract followers who can’t wait for the next book in the series. Non-fiction doesn’t generate the same kind of interest. On the other hand, people remember that their loved ones like Little House on the Prairie, or Abraham Lincoln, or Agatha Christie, the kinds of non-fiction I write about, which helps them check a few names off their holiday shopping list.

Of the craft fairs we tried, most were just okay and one was quite good! The main difference between them was the fair’s own marketing which made a big difference in how many people walked in and how ready they were to buy.

At the lucrative craft fair, folks walked in with their own shopping bags, intent on making multiple purchases. We chose fall fairs to coincide with Christmas shopping on purpose and I would say the majority of customers bought books for family members. One man even told his wife to walk away so he could buy an Agatha Annotated to put under the tree later!

I was not the only author at that fair – there were two others. Neither author, however, had books on their table. One had a QR code for shoppers to buy online, and the other had flyers describing the books so shoppers could order them from a bookstore. One of those authors was in my line of sight, and let’s just say business was not brisk.

So what’s the conclusion?

Fairs take up a lot time, time that could perhaps be better spent. If one is going by dollars per hour, slinging burgers is more profitable than writing and selling books. But writing is a solitary occupation, and there’s much to be said for meeting readers face-to-face. I also suspect that most of the folks who bought books from me would not have happened upon them in any other way.

I don’t plan to sit weekend after weekend at fairs, but I am curious to find out if a fair’s higher fee translates into more book buyers. If you have craft fair stories to share, I’d like to hear them. The research continues!