I’ve just had my first experience of being a market trader. Not that it was a case of ‘Get your books ‘ere! Buy one, get one half price!’ (although that was true).
I was one of four authors connected to the Tiverton Book Festival who occupied a corner of the town’s large Sunday market. During the course of the day, hundreds came along to the event – albeit most heading for the food and craft makers.
On one side of me, I had children’s author Amy Sparkes with her very colourful display of books and on the other, Morwenna Blackwood, writer of psychological thrillers. Also there was debut novelist and artist, Carryl Church. The others selling numerous copies of their work – whereas by lunchtime I’d sold just one…
It wasn’t until my first book, Life with St Benedict, was published by BRF that I realised that, as is the case for the vast majority of authors, it was going to be down to me to do most of the publicity and marketing. Now don’t get me wrong, of the three traditional book publishers I have worked with, two of them – BRF and Chronos Publishing (who publish the Eastwood Story novellas – and have just signed a contract for the third in the series) – have been great. They have publicised, got them online and in to the hands of the all-important distributors who supply the even more important bookshops. The third publisher was less than successful and Finding Stability in Times of Change turned out to be not only their first but also their last book as they went out of business (leaving me having to pay to get books printed, although I am grateful to YPS Publishing for now providing the distribution service).
By the end of market day (and I’m looking forward to three other events in the coming weeks) I had sold four books. I also had a number of conversations with those who stopped for more than 10 seconds… time sufficient to then engage with a few words about what they were looking at. Three of the four books sold were Finding Stability in Times of Change and they were bought by people buying it for someone who was struggling. What a privilege that is and it made it all worthwhile.
Through all this, I have learnt not to measure ‘success’ by numbers of sales or those who like or follow on social media. It is the personal comments, the book reviews and the times when people say they have enjoyed a book or found it helpful that makes it all worthwhile.
It’s six years now since I started writing this blog. The nature of work has for me changed in to voluntary roles and writing. Rest has acquired more time for it. To pray has I think become a deeper experience and I see God’s presence make itself known daily.
As well as those core elements, other themes have become common – not least that of the very first post (and the book!), change. But also I see a theme of identity and in particular the aspect of comparing ourselves with others.
Times like the market or lack of sales or online engagement can easily tap in to that negative aspect of comparison: they’re much better than I am etc. And it’s common for all of us to compare ourselves negatively, isn’t it.
But there are positive sides to such comparison too – ways in which we may want to emulate what others do or be motivated to do something within our own lives: whether that’s work, rest or prayer.
‘Oh, religion! That’s not for me,’ said one passing market customer (who didn’t linger for the required 10 seconds!). It may not be for them. But they too, like each of us, are a person with our own identity.
We are who we are and we can chose whether to compare and how to change.
Thank you for reading this post – please share it with others, subscribe and contribute your thoughts at the WorkRestPray Facebook Group or follow on X (Twitter), Threads and Instagram.
Details of my published books can be found at richardfrostauthor.com