Sheila's Guests and Reviews

The bazaars are over, the remaining books stored in boxes in the furnace room, and the table-cloths need washing. Meanwhile we’ve sold or given away just over a quarter of our stock. And we’ve put just under a quarter of the cost back into the bank. D’you want to know about the other book? It’ll be on my Lulu site in a few days. It’s not got pictures, so it’s cheaper to print. And it’s taken hours and computer crashes and agonized discussions to design the cover. (I never knew how hard it was to fix colors, pixel by pixel.)

Wish me luck. This is my fourth and final bazaar—our own neighborhood, running all day Friday and Saturday. I’m sharing the stall again, begging all my friends to visit, and hoping for more sales. Meanwhile… Lulu’s offering a deal on my other book—the one I’ve not published yet. Should I buy some, to sell after Christmas when I’ll need something non-seasonal to attract customers, or should I just hide away and wait till the Holidays next year? Ah, so many dreams. Well, at least I’m down to three boxes now, and there’s plenty of room in the closet.

The third bazaar: This time I made bigger, more vertical signs and shared the stall with a friend. I sold six books, ten Christmas cards and twelve bookmarks, drank three cups of coffee, enjoyed a free salad for lunch, and ate almonds to keep myself awake. Of course, one of my customers was my friend, but it felt good—especially when the man who said “I’ll be back” returned! Meanwhile, the cathedral bookstore agreed to take some books on consignment—I’ll have to go down there and see if they’re selling. So, no profits yet, but things are looking up.

I made signs with pretty pictures and too many words, added bookmarks and Christmas cards to the attractions, and attacked my second bazaar. It was November still, pre-Thanksgiving. And we’re in a financial crisis. The window-shoppers were out in force, and many good wishes traded but not much else. I learned that “I’ll be back,” means “I probably won’t be,” “Do you have a business card,” means “I want you to pay for a table at my bazaar,” and “Good luck” means just that. And I sold two books, two Christmas cards and one bookmark—good fun, but no profit.

I tracked four parcels across the country. They seemed to get split up somewhere in Kansas—disturbing. But more so was the fact that there were seven parcels when they arrived: Lots (and lots) of packaging. Still, it did its job; the books look great. Then I took my two little bookstands to the first of four bazaars. The sale was beautifully run, with tons of amazing gifts. My little Christmas books disappeared into the background and a whole three were sold! On the bright side, that means there’s three books out there being read by people I’ve never met…