Cozy And Bookish

Last Sunday I set up a table at the Cozy and Bookish Marketplace in Miamisburg Ohio. This was my first time attending the event, so as with any new venture, I had no idea what to expect.

The weather was perfect for the drive Sunday morning. And as a bonus, there wasn't a lot of traffic given the early hour.

We had to be there to set up at 8:30am, and the first VIP readers began coming around to our tables at 9:30. It was a relaxing morning for both readers and authors as everyone took their time, enjoyed pastries, and chatted about books.

At 11:30, the doors opened to the general public and things began to pick up. We had a steady stream of readers for most of the afternoon. I even ran into a fellow indie author I met earlier in the year at the Newark Book Festival.

For this event, authors and vendors had the option to purchase a full 8' table or a half 4' table. I opted for the full 8' table. With 16 titles, fitting all my books in a 4' space, while doable, is tight. I'd much rather have the space to spread out and give some separation to my titles.

...and the subgenres.

 At book signings, I like to group my books by heat level. On the left are my steamy contemporary romance titles: the Daniels Bothers series, including an omnibus of all 4 books, Strictly Professional, and Seducing Janey.

Beside those, is my Finding Anna series. I used to display Slave on a stand, but it seemed to scare some people away, so now, I leave the entire series lying down. While there is a lot of heat in the series, it is definitely a slow burn given there's not much steam until toward the end of the second book.

Then, on the right side of the table, is where I put my spiciest titles: my Serpent's Kiss series, and my most recent release, Falling for the Boss's Son. I also bring a print version of my one and only novella, Tangled in His Embrace.

I find having my books arranged like this helps readers better find what they're looking for. I have a variety of tropes, but if they don't want a lot of steamy detail on the page, I know which side of the table to focus on. Same for those readers who are looking for spice. It helps me to pair the reader with a book they're more likely to enjoy.

This was my last signing event for 2024, but I can't wait to see what 2025 has in store.