Episode Summary
Tawdra Kandle joins us to share her insights from her latest column, Smart Marketing for Savvy Authors, where she talks about making the most of your opportunities at reader events and conferences.
Episode Notes
Tawdra Kandle is a USA Today bestselling romance author who loves to plan and run conferences when she’s not spinning love stories! Tawdra is joining us to share her insights from her latest column, Smart Marketing for Savvy Authors, where she talks about making the most of your opportunities at events and conferences.
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Transcript
Kevin Tumlinson [00:00:01]:
You just tuned into the hippest way to start and grow your indie author career. Learn the ins, the outs, and all the all arounds of self publishing with the team from D2D and their industry influencing guests. You’re listening to Self Publishing Insiders with Draft2Digital.
Jim Azevedo [00:00:27]:
It kinda has that Bossa Nova vibe. Really does. Welcome everybody to Self Publishing Insiders. I’m Jim Azevedo. I lead corporate communications and marketing here at Draft2Digital. And today, it is my privilege to welcome to the show, Tawdra Kendall. Tawdra, welcome. You.
Mark Leslie Lefebvre [00:00:45]:
Thank you. I’m so glad to be here. I, I was thinking as I was getting her ready for this, I was like, oh my gosh. How long? I have known you for, like, a very long time.
Jim Azevedo [00:00:56]:
I was thinking about that too. Yeah. The early days of Smashwords.
Tawdra Kandle [00:01:00]:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I met you in person at the first time, and I could be wrong about this, but there was a s science fiction something new, Orlando. Would have been, like, 2014 or 2013, I think, Smashwords.
Jim Azevedo [00:01:16]:
That sounds about the time when we first met, around that time. Yeah. Yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:01:20]:
Yeah. So yeah. Well, it’s great to be here.
Jim Azevedo [00:01:23]:
Well, it’s great to have you because you are a busy lady. So let me let me read your bio. You’re very you know, you’re so humble. You gave me this little, like, two line bio. So Chandra is a USA Today best selling romance author who loves to plan and run conferences when she’s not spinning love stories. So humble. What she doesn’t tell you here is that you you’ve written over a 40 stories. Is that right?
Tawdra Kandle [00:01:47]:
Yep.
Jim Azevedo [00:01:47]:
How how many of those have you published?
Tawdra Kandle [00:01:50]:
They’re all published, Yeah. Under under my name, under a pen name. Actually, we’re bringing back, one of my series which had been removed from my pen name and moved to a super secret experimental pen name. So we’re bringing that back this year. So then the whole catalog will be back under my name or, I have two non secret pen names. Tamara Kendall is my paranormal and Tessa Kent, my erotic. So then contemporary under under Tawdra. So but I guess that those aren’t
Jim Azevedo [00:02:24]:
so mysterious.
Tawdra Kandle [00:02:25]:
I know. We are. We’re so mysterious. We like to, you know, we like to keep some things under wraps. But yeah. But But I’m happy to have I’m bringing my football books back, and those books are some of my favorites. So I’m very excited about that.
Jim Azevedo [00:02:38]:
Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And I’m also going to tease you because you say on in your bio that you like to plan events and conferences, you know, when you have free time from your writing.
Tawdra Kandle [00:02:48]:
But these are
Jim Azevedo [00:02:48]:
starting any conferences. We’re talking, like, world class events here that you’ve been doing for years and years and years. So I I don’t know. I think that you’re the perfect person, to bring onto the show to talk about not just conferences because we’ve kinda talked about conferences in the past on this show before. But more specifically with you, Tadra, I wanna talk about reader events and how authors can make the most of reader events and why they should consider doing a reader event in the first place. But Yeah. Before we kinda get into the meat of the meat of the of the topic, I assume that there are different types of reader events. Can we can we start there? Like Sure.
Jim Azevedo [00:03:29]:
Different types of reader events. Okay.
Tawdra Kandle [00:03:32]:
Well, you know, actually, post post pandemic, there there’s been, like, an explosion of different kind of reader events, which is pretty cool because, you know, we started out back in the back in the day. I I think I said, in the name column that my I and I’m not just sitting here, like, wriggling. I I have I have a friend on my lap. This is my grand dog, who who decided that she just had to be up here.
Jim Azevedo [00:03:58]:
It’s gonna increase viewership and likes. So yeah. You know?
Tawdra Kandle [00:04:01]:
Yeah. That’s Winnie.
Jim Azevedo [00:04:03]:
I heard that that’s the YouTube trick.
Tawdra Kandle [00:04:04]:
Yes. That’s that’s miss Winnie. So, yeah, back in the day, you know, author events were they were a different animal. You know, back in 2013, I think was my very first one, and I was among the few indie authors but it was very cool that they were beginning to include, you know, independently published authors. But there was
Jim Azevedo [00:04:31]:
Was that an RWA event?
Tawdra Kandle [00:04:33]:
It was not. It was, it was something that in that at that time, was called Old City New Blood, but is now called Coastal Magic. And it’s one of the longest running, events that started out yeah. Started out in Savannah in, in 2013, and then, now it’s in Daytona. It was in Orlando for one year because of post hurricane damage to the hotel and what have you. But yeah. And it’s it’s it’s really become a very prestigious event, and I love it. And I was very sad that my, conference planning job pushed me out of attending that for the last two years.
Tawdra Kandle [00:05:14]:
So because I had been a, a featured author there from 2013 all the way through 2022. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. No. 2023. ’20 ’20 ‘3. That’s right.
Tawdra Kandle [00:05:25]:
Because it was 2024 and 2025 that I’ve that I’ve not been able to attend. But, really, you know, they do panels. They do, you know, sign the signing is a big thing. They do a lot of author and reader meet and greets, and they, that event is one of my favorites because they are so intentional about giving an author giving authors the opportunity to, get to know readers ahead of the event. Mhmm. Reading Challenge, which is run by, Dolorian Morris, and she helps the you know, she encourages the the readers there to read all of the authors who are going to be, you know, at the event. And that’s very helpful because then you then you have readers who come up to you and like, oh, yeah. I read this book.
Tawdra Kandle [00:06:11]:
I read that book. Mhmm. Take it very seriously. So, that’s that’s a great thing. But more recently, I’ve been doing a lot of, we in Central Florida, where I live, have a lot of independent bookstores, and they have begun cultivating very carefully cultivating, readership by, hosting book clubs and feature authors and so on. And some of the events that they’re doing in conjunction with other small businesses like breweries or, coffee houses or whatever, I have never seen anything like the turnout they have. It is Oh, wow. Incredible.
Tawdra Kandle [00:06:51]:
Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. It’s it’s been it’s been great. So, it’s a fairly low investment for a lot of, you know, potential return.
Jim Azevedo [00:07:02]:
Really cool. Now going back to 2013, can you remember and can you relate how it might feel for, like, a first time author going into their very first reader’s event? Can you relate to some of that Oh, yeah. Apprehension?
Tawdra Kandle [00:07:14]:
Oh, yes. Terror is the word that you’re looking for. I’m just like terror, you know, because you just don’t know what to expect.
Jim Azevedo [00:07:20]:
And Okay.
Tawdra Kandle [00:07:21]:
Yeah. Well, you don’t know what to expect. Yeah. And, I mean, you want to go in thinking that people are gonna be excited to to meet you and, so on. But, you know, some of these events that have a large number of authors, if if you’re even if you are a fairly well known author, you run the risk of getting lost in the crowd. But, you know and and, you know, the first time, that I did this, I really there was I think I did a reading. I did the signing, and I didn’t have a whole lot of local Florida readers
Jim Azevedo [00:07:58]:
at that point. And you’re one of the only indies to attend.
Tawdra Kandle [00:08:00]:
I was one of the only indies. Yeah. Yeah. The a lot of the names of the people who were there, you would definitely recognize,
Jim Azevedo [00:08:07]:
in those days
Tawdra Kandle [00:08:08]:
who were who were trad authors. But, you know, it was any good event will really, go a long way toward putting the authors at ease. And so Okay. Making feeling like I was, you know, not the star of the show, but special was big part of it and knowing that, you know, after that, I learned to kinda temper my expectations and kinda say, okay, you know, I why I’m here? Why am I coming to an author event? That’s a big thing is to have your why determined before you go to an event. Are you going because you know, I’ve done a lot of Midwest events where I know I have a high concentration of readers and so I know
Jim Azevedo [00:08:53]:
a lot of them
Tawdra Kandle [00:08:53]:
are gonna come out which is wonderful and you get to meet them in person and you know, that’s super cool. I have done events where I really don’t have a whole lot of readers in that area and then I know that I’m I’m looking to cultivate more of a readership there. You know, they meet me, I do, you know, a few things to, entice them to try me as a as an author. And
Jim Azevedo [00:09:18]:
Okay. We’re gonna we’ll get into all that then for sure.
Tawdra Kandle [00:09:20]:
Yeah. Exactly.
Jim Azevedo [00:09:22]:
So So tell me what came out of that that very first experience, Tawdra, because, you know, of course, you’re there are there are traditionally published best selling authors there and, you know, authors who, you know, have been doing the game a lot longer than you. What did you walk away with? Did you walk away feeling like, oh my gosh. That was, like, terrible or, oh, I
Tawdra Kandle [00:09:40]:
you know,
Jim Azevedo [00:09:40]:
I I met some readers. I met some some friends. And what happened?
Tawdra Kandle [00:09:45]:
Well, I was lucky enough to have, a group of friends of author friends, and they decided that they would all come in. I was the only signing author of of all of us who were there, but they all came anyway just to be part of it. So it was really a lot of fun for me. I got to see people in person who I’d only been friends with online. I did re meet a lot of new readers and, make friends who I still have to this day. Actually, at at one of the the recent bookstore events, oh, I think it was back in February. One of the people who I met at that very first coastal magic was there and came running over to give me a hug. And, yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:10:25]:
So, you know, I really did make a lot of friends and a lot of connections, that did help my author career overall. And it taught me a lot about, at at least beginning because this is a long going ongoing lesson about branding, about the importance of, really sticking tightly to your branding when you’re in person and Mhmm. About, reader buyer behavior. You know, like, what you can do to make it more to make it easier and more likely that somebody’s gonna buy one of your books.
Jim Azevedo [00:11:01]:
Okay. Now you brought up an interesting point. You said some of your some of your author friends showed up, but they weren’t signing. Would you recommend that for a newer author maybe for the first time just to kinda get the lay of the land to go to a reader event and maybe don’t sign the first time, but just kinda walk the floor and just see what it’s all about?
Tawdra Kandle [00:11:18]:
Yeah. I think it’s a good idea. I mean, even if you go, a lot of the, the reader facing events offer, assistant packages. Like, you can go as another author’s assistant, and then you really do get to see the behind the scenes, machinations and how everything works. And that can be very helpful, you know, to to kind of get a a good sense of it. But, yeah, even if you just go as a reader, you know, take take notes even if they’re mental notes about what’s working, you know, where you see people lining up, what you hear other readers saying, I think that’s really important. Yeah. I would highly recommend that.
Jim Azevedo [00:11:55]:
Because it’s the unknowns that always increase the anxiety
Tawdra Kandle [00:11:58]:
Oh, yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:11:59]:
Get us nervous before that stuff. Exactly. Gonna pop up a quick I’m gonna pop up a quick question or a quick comment here from my colleague, Lexi Green. Look at Lexi. She’s just kinda teeing up the segue for us here at.
Tawdra Kandle [00:12:10]:
That’s fabulous.
Jim Azevedo [00:12:12]:
Lexi asks, for an author meeting new and potential readers at an event for the first time, what’s the best way they can set themselves up for success? And this this kinda leads me into, I should leave her her comment up there because this kinda leads me into the next question. I had to just kind of we’re shifting gears now a bit. Now you had written an article for the NoveList Inc Group, and it was called, savvy I’m gonna screw this up. Smart marketing for
Tawdra Kandle [00:12:42]:
savvy authors. Yep.
Jim Azevedo [00:12:45]:
And you had this list of just awesome points. I’m like, oh my gosh. I happened to contract Todd and ask her if she can come on the show to talk about all this stuff when it comes to reader events. So I wanted to ask you, are in person events worthwhile for authors? And I know that this is a subjective question because, you know, whether they’re worthwhile or not. So can you kinda drill into that a little bit?
Tawdra Kandle [00:13:09]:
Yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:13:09]:
Are are are programs worthwhile for authors?
Tawdra Kandle [00:13:12]:
It it really depends on what you’re looking, and and that’s why I said figure out your why before you you commit. They are worthwhile when it comes to, cultivating new readers, new to you readers. If you go in with the right mindset and and being prepared, that’s really key. I usually tell newer authors or people authors who are newer to, reader facing events not to have grand expectations about, you know, making thousands of dollars. If you break even, congratulations. Because there’s so many costs that go into this, to really do it well. And that includes you know, that’s your basic travel, the the registration costs, which are not insubstantial, hotel. If you’re traveling by air, then you have to ship your books and your swag.
Tawdra Kandle [00:14:09]:
And if you have a banner and all those other, you know, associated branding needs. Mhmm. So there’s all those costs. And then there is the actual cost of, you know, the books, the swag, however you decide you wanna, you know, brand yourself the swag. You know, so you at the end of the day, you would really have to sell a lot of books in order to break even there. But if you look at it, as the potential to make an impression on new to you readers, people who you know are readers because they’re there. Right? Most of them have either if they haven’t paid to come, they’ve at least made the effort to be in that room of of of a signing or to be at a weekend long event, you know, in the case of some of the others. You know, you you already the the first step is already done.
Tawdra Kandle [00:14:59]:
You know, it’s not like, Facebook ads where you’re you’re you’re casting a wide net over people who may or may not be readers. You know that you have readers in this room. It’s just a matter of introducing them to you and to your branding and to your writing and to just your personality in such a way that they remember you, that you give them, I’m gonna say props by which to remember you in the in the case of swag, and and that they they begin to fall in love with your your books and and who and you, you know, really. And I’ve had that opportunity and I’ve had that happen, and I know that, there are certain events I’ve gone to that my readership has increased so exponentially that even if I couldn’t put a dollar tag on it, I know that it’s been worthwhile.
Jim Azevedo [00:15:50]:
You walk out of their phone like, okay. That was time in money well spent.
Tawdra Kandle [00:15:54]:
Oh, exactly.
Jim Azevedo [00:15:54]:
We should talk about that because it’s not just about the financial cost. It’s also Yeah. The the time it takes because it’s not just the time of you being at the reader event itself. It’s the time that you’re going to need to prepare for for these events.
Tawdra Kandle [00:16:08]:
Right.
Jim Azevedo [00:16:09]:
And you mentioned in the article that, you know, if you if you go, like, you wanna go all in, but there’s this fine line of of going all in and going way too far past the line of all in because it starts to take away from your writing time.
Tawdra Kandle [00:16:27]:
Yeah. Yeah. And it is. And and you have to be you have to be really selective about the events you attend and, because you do wanna give it your all for every event. But if you are attending, 10 events a year, I don’t know how you have time to write or to do any other kind of marketing in between there. So, I I just say be very careful, be very selective about what you are attending, and, make sure that you have the time and that you don’t begin to you know, it can become addictive. I’m not gonna lie. It it be you know, it’s it’s great.
Tawdra Kandle [00:16:59]:
We are It’s
Jim Azevedo [00:16:59]:
kinda feel good when it goes well.
Tawdra Kandle [00:17:01]:
Right? Yeah. And we are such a a solitary profession in so many ways that being out and actually talking to people who say, oh, yeah. I read your book and I really loved it and and, you know, when what’s what’s coming next and wants to talk to you about your characters. That’s that’s seductive stuff right there. So, you know yeah. But it it is a matter of, and some people are energized by it. My you you know our mutual friend Violet Howe. Like, she is just that is her that is where she lives in that space Yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:17:33]:
Of of being with people and really, she that’s her thing. That she really excels at it, and I am so, proud of what she’s done with with that whole space.
Jim Azevedo [00:17:47]:
Yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:17:48]:
It it can be wearing, though, if you’re not, you know, if you are more of a introverted person or if you just are not used to, you know, giving it your giving it your all every every weekend. So yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:18:01]:
Yeah. Their their their confidence are so welcoming to newer authors, I I find. And I always wanna take, like, just a teaspoon. If I could just have a teaspoon of the other person’s charisma out there, I enjoy it, but then at the end of the day, you know, I’m like, alright. I need I need to refresh myself and just kinda chill out in my hotel room for a little bit.
Tawdra Kandle [00:18:23]:
I know. And and, you know, some
Jim Azevedo [00:18:25]:
of party or something.
Tawdra Kandle [00:18:26]:
Yeah. Some of these some of these events are, you know, they’re great about scheduling things. And as, you know, I used to run or co run a reader facing event, Indie Book Fest in Orlando for for years. And
Jim Azevedo [00:18:39]:
That’s what it was. That’s where we met, I think.
Tawdra Kandle [00:18:41]:
Was it? Okay. Well, yeah, that’s possible. Okay.
Jim Azevedo [00:18:44]:
I don’t wanna
Tawdra Kandle [00:18:45]:
Yeah. I don’t know. I
Jim Azevedo [00:18:46]:
don’t wanna be sidetracked if
Tawdra Kandle [00:18:47]:
you think what you’re No. That’s okay. But I after a couple of years, I very we very intentionally made the bigger party the night before the signing. Because after the signing, I myself, even if I wasn’t running it, even if I was just attending, I was to get me out of the hotel room, again, after the signing took a lot of energy. My kids used to travel with me and they’d be like, okay, mom. We you just have to go out one more time, you know, because it had just taken a lot out of me. So we used to do things like a like a PJ party or something very low key after the signing, which, you know, gave people like me a chance to just kinda, you know, badge a little bit because it can be it can be tiring. But
Jim Azevedo [00:19:36]:
But, you know, you bring up a really good point, that kind of that pre event, like, before the main event because I have found in my experience that when I first started going to conferences and getting on stages and doing presentations and stuff, it was terrifying at first. But I very quickly found that if I got there early and went to the pre event, whether it was a dinner or a networking or a cocktail thing, and even if I’m kinda walking, I’m like, oh my gosh. Just meeting the other people and realizing that they’re just people just like me, they’re nervous too, they don’t know what to expect tomorrow, all of that stuff, it just completely grounds you. And then you’re like you go into the next day, like, okay. I can handle this. I can do this. Yeah. And you can.
Tawdra Kandle [00:20:21]:
Yeah. It is. And if there’s any opportunity to to meet readers ahead of time, whether that’s a cocktail party, a dinner, or whatever, I think that’s really worth it. And that and that kind of leads into something else is that, for these weekend long reader events, something like, you know, Coastal Magic or or, you know, any of the ones that are around. I think there’s I see one today that was Sassy or and then there’s Charm City. So there’s quite a few. Yeah. But they usually, begin about a year ahead of time.
Jim Azevedo [00:20:58]:
Sorry. Because she’s she’s trying to pray. Yes. We like we like the doggy sounds around here.
Tawdra Kandle [00:21:03]:
Yeah. There we go. But they will they will start with, Facebook groups and, you know, the readers are in there and they are so excited and it gives you an opportunity to really introduce yourself and to be active in that group and get to know more of the readers, who you’re gonna see in person. And I have seen what a difference that makes when they know when they can remember you from that group. Oh, yeah. I remember you were the one who talked about, you know, a TV show or another book or something like that. That is that really is very helpful. And a lot of the groups will allow you to promote your preorders or your releases in that year or any sales that you have.
Tawdra Kandle [00:21:42]:
And, you know, again, you’ve got a built in audience of readers right there. So I always say getting involved in the group is is really important.
Jim Azevedo [00:21:52]:
Okay. Yeah. I wanna, bring up a quick question or a quick comment from one of our viewers here before, again, I get into the next section. This is from Beth. Hi, Beth. Beth says, I hope I’m hoping Tawdra will be able to talk about virtual reader events. And this is also kind of a segue into what I wanted to ask you next, Tadra. But did you wanna comment on that real quick?
Tawdra Kandle [00:22:17]:
Yeah. I I, did a few during, during the, you know, 2020. Coastal Magic, for instance, was virtual. We were the last event in 2020 before everything shut down. And so 2021, ’20 ’20 ‘2, they were virtual. It’s certainly an option, and it’s great because you don’t have to travel and you just need your, laptop. Right? And, they’ve really perfected the art of virtual book signings where people order the books ahead of time and then you sit there signing them, and chatting with the with the reader as as you sign them. You know, I don’t prefer it because I don’t think you get that same energy and that same connection, but it’s it’s great if you it it it’s certainly a more budget friendly option.
Jim Azevedo [00:23:06]:
I
Tawdra Kandle [00:23:06]:
will say that. Yeah. So, I haven’t done many, outside of outside of, you know, those those few years. So,
Jim Azevedo [00:23:17]:
I’m I’m taking your answer as, like, hey. If you can’t get out there in person, then absolutely pause the tip.
Tawdra Kandle [00:23:22]:
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:23:23]:
Virtual events.
Tawdra Kandle [00:23:24]:
And I mean, I would say right. And make sure that they’re that they’re well planned though because a virtual event should have almost as much care and planning, if if not more, go into it than an in person event because, you know, you can’t just slap up a Zoom and hope it will go alright.
Jim Azevedo [00:23:42]:
You can? Why not? Okay. So let’s let’s talk about some of that middle ground. You brought up some really good points in your article, about there being sort of a middle of the road approach. I guess, on one side of the equation, we have the the never going to an event at all because I just, you know, I just don’t want to. It’s it’s it’s too hard or I’m I’m too apprehensive. I don’t wanna do that. And then you have the other end of the spectrum where you might have some authors who are just, like, trying to do every event that they see about pop ups, trying to just do everything. So in your experience, Chandra, where do you find that middle road? Maybe you’re not going all in, but you’re at least doing something.
Tawdra Kandle [00:24:23]:
Right. Right. Yeah. And I think, I had a few years in the in the middle of my career. I would say like from 2014 to 2017, it was, there were so many events. I mean events were just happening everywhere. You could as an indie author probably travel to a different reader facing event every weekend. We used to call it the season between, like, February and November that you could be at an event.
Jim Azevedo [00:24:53]:
That’s a long season.
Tawdra Kandle [00:24:54]:
It’s a very long season. It requires a lot of travel. I, I know I traveled to, to Saint Louis, to Louisville, Kentucky, to, Roanoke, Virginia, you know, pretty much all over. Now in Florida, we’re really lucky that we have a a whole bunch. So that was also a great option for me to not have to travel too far. Nowadays, I really prefer to, be very selective about the events I’m attending.
Jim Azevedo [00:25:22]:
Yes.
Tawdra Kandle [00:25:22]:
Whether that is, just because of how close they are to me or whether it’s, you know, just that it’s one that I know, that I’ve heard some really good things about and a lot of my readers are there. You know, my a lot of my readers will, reach out to me and say, I really wish you would come to insert Mhmm. You know, insert here. And that has been very helpful for me because if I get a lot of positive, response from readers, you know, so
Jim Azevedo [00:25:52]:
that’s planning things intentionally, like Right.
Tawdra Kandle [00:25:55]:
Exactly. And and honestly, right now, there’s plans so far in advance that you can really, like, have a year ahead and just have your year, planned out. So, yeah, I I do recommend being selective and really doing your due diligence before you commit any money to an event. Check on the organizers. Ask around with other authors what they’ve heard about the organizers, have they been to that. You know, you can look usually and see a list of participating authors.
Jim Azevedo [00:26:26]:
Great advice.
Tawdra Kandle [00:26:27]:
Hey. Did you have a good experience there or, you know, what would you recommend? That’s very helpful. And and then I yeah. Just I would say, I don’t recommend planning an event right around the same time you have a release because you make yourself crazy. But
Jim Azevedo [00:26:47]:
it is, you
Tawdra Kandle [00:26:48]:
know, there’s that temptation because you’re thinking, well, it’s a I have a release. I should just go out and, you know but, it you know, I would I would maybe plan my release for three or four weeks before an event or after an event.
Jim Azevedo [00:27:04]:
How how strict are you with yourself when it comes to, with your intentionality? What I mean is that let’s say you’ve you’ve found out your schedule for the year Mhmm. But you get invited to a different reader event, and it sounds just perfect for you. But maybe it’s a little bit outside your genre, but, you know, but it’s, you know, it’s it’s promised to be this huge sparkling event. Like, how do you make a decision to go or not to go?
Tawdra Kandle [00:27:30]:
Well, see, now you you you’ve asked me two different questions here because, the one is if it’s something that looks really good that I’ve maybe wanted to go to for a while and a lot of people are saying, this was great. We had a wonderful experience. It was fabulous. I would probably depending on the location, if it’s drivable for me, because I’m not a a fan of airplanes, and also because it just really is more practical for me to, to drive with the amount of stuff that you have to bring.
Jim Azevedo [00:27:59]:
Yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:28:00]:
I would probably try to do it. I would probably do it my best. Now the other question you asked, the sub question you slid in there was if it’s not really my genre, that would be a a, a really hard no for me because as I I think I put in the article, I, made the mistake early on of, when new adult was just trying was just starting out. And I had every intention of writing a new adult book, but had not yet and signed up for an event in Savannah, that was new adult centered. And I really I I messed up my own schedule by having to write a book that fit in that. Now years later, I wrote quite a few new adult books. But, you know, at the time, I really pushed it to to be able to get in there and have something to to sell and to share and to promote. So I say it’s it’s better to stick either with your genre as far as reader events or a multi genre event.
Tawdra Kandle [00:29:00]:
Coastal Magic started out as paranormal only and then stretched into, you know, romance and fantasy and sci fi and what have you. So Mhmm. You know, most events now are multi genre. There’s a few that are, you know, that focus on on just one particular
Jim Azevedo [00:29:16]:
Sure.
Tawdra Kandle [00:29:16]:
One. But, yeah. I would I would say stick to the genre that you already have, at least one, maybe more books, and that’s my
Jim Azevedo [00:29:25]:
Okay. Yeah. Do the larger reader events, they charge you for, conference registration and then the table separately, or is the table part of the No.
Tawdra Kandle [00:29:32]:
It’s usually it’s usually part of the registration. Yeah. And most of them, you can get a full or a half table, you know, depending on what yeah. And and there’s some that only offer half tables, you know, that everybody gets a half table. And that’s hard for me, because of I do have a sizable backlist and you know? So, I have to be selective about what I’m gonna bring in those kind of in those kind of situations. But, yeah, most of it most of them do charge for the the table fee, and then that includes your registration as well. Mhmm. And, and most of them offer, sponsorship opportunities if you wanna get a little bit more name recognition and, you know, get your name out there a little bit more.
Tawdra Kandle [00:30:18]:
And there’s certain events, Laurie Foster, her, readers and authors together, event, which is probably one of the most successful signings I have ever done. And if you are invited, I highly, highly recommend. And but they don’t they require sponsorship in order. Like, that is their that’s their entrance fee is that you have to sponsor something, whether it’s a a meal or a room or something. You have to do some you have to sponsor something to go, but it’s it’s very well worth it.
Jim Azevedo [00:30:55]:
Okay. Now you brought up something almost in passing that I wanna make sure that our viewers can understand, because, some of these some of the reader events are invite only, but there are others that are open to all authors.
Tawdra Kandle [00:31:09]:
Right. Right. Yeah. And most these days, would qualify as invite only. You can get on their interest list, Okay. And and you might be invited at, you know, depending on how they’re, how they’re rolling out the registration. You know, the the thing about reader facing events is they really are a partnership because the people who plan them can do a lot, you know, to their their job is to set up the framework and to kind of create the the background, but the authors have to do their part to bring the readers. And, so if if, you know, when I was when I was running a reader facing event, that was a big thing.
Tawdra Kandle [00:31:57]:
If you had authors who you knew you could count on to bring in readers, you were going to want them there, and then you would fill in with with some newer authors. So
Jim Azevedo [00:32:08]:
Gotcha. Okay. As a newer author, if I’m going to my first event, would you recommend that I share a table with another author? Yeah. Author friend? Yeah. Yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:32:18]:
Yeah. I think it it first of all, it’s a better if if the cost is different Mhmm. Then it’s a a lower investment, and it gives you more money to, you know, to spend on your branding and your swag and your books and everything else. And, it really means that you don’t have to do as much in order to to make it worthwhile to break even. But yeah. And it’s always nice too. My favorite events have been when I’ve been
Jim Azevedo [00:32:47]:
sitting at a table with
Tawdra Kandle [00:32:47]:
somebody who, I can then say, you know, oh, what do you write? And then as readers come up, I can introduce them and and they do the same thing. Oh, well, you like to read this. Well, you should read Tadros or, you know, you like to read this. You should read Cynthia, you know, or, whoever happens to be sitting next to me.
Jim Azevedo [00:33:04]:
Sure. It’s a nice icebreaker question.
Tawdra Kandle [00:33:06]:
Right. Right. Right. And, you know, I don’t write everything. I don’t write mystery. I don’t write, sci fi or or, you know, thrillers or whatever. So it’s great to be able to say, oh, well, you read thrillers. Well, you really should, you know, read those persons.
Tawdra Kandle [00:33:21]:
So yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:33:22]:
It’s it’s
Tawdra Kandle [00:33:22]:
a nice thing.
Jim Azevedo [00:33:23]:
We’ve only got about fifteen minutes left, and I wanna get to some of the, your pointers on how you can be prepared. So if you’re gonna go into your first reader event. So maybe things like, your branding. What does this mean for an author who’s maybe never done this before?
Tawdra Kandle [00:33:40]:
Well, you should you know, ideally, you have your branding in place before you release your first book. That’s not always the case. You know, back in the day, nobody told us. And in 2011, nobody said to us, get your branding before you, you know. So it took me a little while to to kind of, fall into that. But it is important that whatever you are, however you’re presenting yourself, whether it’s on your your, website, on social media, on your, you know, vendor pages, it should carry through to your in person. So, you know, even if that’s just color, you know, back in the day, purple I had I had purple hair. It’s now green.
Tawdra Kandle [00:34:21]:
It’s now got green highlights instead. But, purple was a big part of my branding. And so I made sure that, my tablecloth I always had a purple tablecloth, which side note, I had, taken from my oldest daughter’s wedding. Purple was happily one of her colors, and I I I, you know, I released
Jim Azevedo [00:34:42]:
You gotta recoup some of those costs. Right?
Tawdra Kandle [00:34:44]:
I know. I released my first book about, six months after her wedding, and I was like, this is great. I have a problem.
Jim Azevedo [00:34:50]:
I want a purple right now. I’ll take this. Exactly.
Tawdra Kandle [00:34:54]:
So, you know, just that kind of thing. If you have a logo, think about a banner. Although, I am I was thinking about this this morning. I am really on the fence when it comes to banners. Back in the day, again, I would I got a lot of banners. I had a sometimes we were buying a new banner for every new release. This was before rapid release became a thing. You know, I’ve seen now some of the smaller just tabletop banners, and I’m thinking that I’m more in favor of those than I am of the big six foot ones that we had.
Jim Azevedo [00:35:29]:
They’re hard to travel with. Oh my gosh.
Tawdra Kandle [00:35:32]:
And terrible on the nails. I can tell you this. So just terrible to put up. But, also, sometimes use a table cloth. One of my favorite things has been, a friend of mine was able to order, these, like, table drapings that, had a logo on them, and that’s been a great investment. You know, and then just the the little things that you that you use for setting up your books or for just table accents, that’s always, you know.
Jim Azevedo [00:35:59]:
You’re just making sure that everything’s kinda coordinated to your brand, through your cards, to your covers, to Yep. Wearing.
Tawdra Kandle [00:36:05]:
To whatever you’re handing out. Yeah. Yeah. And and wearing too. That is important. And a lot of authors, don’t really think about that. But, really, however you present yourself online, it really should carry through to how you are presenting yourself in person. And if you are, somebody who, you know I don’t know.
Tawdra Kandle [00:36:27]:
Like, your your thing is that you’re always wearing yoga pants or whatever, it’s perfectly fine. I’m really my thing has always been to to appear as professional as possible. So, you know, I do dress up a little bit more. I like to either have a dress, skirt, something, or, you know, at least something that carries through.
Jim Azevedo [00:36:44]:
You’re a pro. Right.
Tawdra Kandle [00:36:45]:
Well, I wanna yeah. I don’t wanna I don’t wanna look like I just ran in. You know? I I just happened to stop by. So and that’s just that’s just me. But, you know That’s
Jim Azevedo [00:36:53]:
only when you get, like, when you’re, like, you have your own nut, like, series at that point.
Tawdra Kandle [00:36:57]:
Right. Yeah. Yeah. That’s that’s that’s entirely true. You know, I wouldn’t go with my hair in curlers. That’s what I used to say. You know? Gotcha. That that dates me a lot because we don’t we don’t do that anymore.
Tawdra Kandle [00:37:08]:
But, yeah, I I do think it’s important that your everything carries through, with with your branding and that you’re very intentional about that. And that should go with your swag too and Right. And how you do that. So
Jim Azevedo [00:37:23]:
This might seem like an obvious question, but how important is it to just tap your pitch down?
Tawdra Kandle [00:37:30]:
So important. Yes. Yeah. It’s so important.
Jim Azevedo [00:37:32]:
We’re talking about elevator pitch? We’re talking about log line, about your author?
Tawdra Kandle [00:37:37]:
You should have yeah. You should have a reason when somebody comes to the table and somebody says, because the first question they will almost always ask is what do you write? And, I mean, that can be a little bit of a blow to the ego when you want people to already know what you write. Right? You know, you’re you’re you came to the signing. You don’t know what I write. But you really should have something that is, pithy and yet engaging, intriguing, makes them ask another question or makes them pick up a book. I was at a signing recently, with a woman who I think I was trying to remember what her line was, but it really did. I noticed that she was using it over and over again, and it was like, it was The Office Romance on steroids because she had written a series that was all set in one office and all the different people, you know, had their different romances. Mhmm.
Tawdra Kandle [00:38:32]:
But it should be about your overall voice more than just a series. Because people are gonna say, what do you write? Well, I write contemporary romance. I write small town. I write military. I write royal. But what is what is it about my voice that carries over? And for me personally, it’s, you know, strong women, snarky characters, you know, guaranteed happily ever after or as I think my tagline now is just like real life only spicier.
Jim Azevedo [00:39:02]:
So Okay.
Tawdra Kandle [00:39:03]:
Yeah. Because that’s So you
Jim Azevedo [00:39:04]:
can use tropes. You can use tropes too. That’s that’s fine. That’s what readers
Tawdra Kandle [00:39:07]:
Definitely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. But you probably don’t wanna throw too many at them.
Jim Azevedo [00:39:14]:
Yeah. Okay.
Tawdra Kandle [00:39:14]:
Yeah. Because the last thing you want to do is confuse or overwhelm readers. And that, you know, that that can come with not only what you say, but, like, how many books you have on your table, which is is really tough. One of the the number one questions I’m asked by, authors who are going to their very first event is how many books should I bring? And that’s really hard. To ask you that next. Yeah. Yeah. Right? Yeah.
Tawdra Kandle [00:39:44]:
And that’s really hard, because if it’s an event you have never been to, if it’s, an event where you’re expecting to meet a lot of new to you readers, then you really should have the greatest quantity should be the first book in whatever series you want to push. Okay. Or if you have multiple series, I would bring I would choose one series and bring the most of book one, and then I would bring lesser amounts of book one of the other series. Just again, you don’t wanna overwhelm people. And it’s always hard for me to choose. You know? I I say to my books, I’m sorry. I took you last time. I’ll take you next time.
Tawdra Kandle [00:40:25]:
You know? I’m gonna take this one this time just because we have a new release coming out. But it you know, it’s always better to say that you sold out than to go home with a lot of books.
Jim Azevedo [00:40:41]:
Always leave them wanting more.
Tawdra Kandle [00:40:42]:
Always leave them wanting more. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:40:45]:
Okay. But how do they pay for these books at your table? So how do you how can you be prepared in terms of payment or receiving payment for your for your books?
Tawdra Kandle [00:40:54]:
Oh my gosh. There’s so many more options now than there used to be. I use a I use something called Square, and it’s a, I think it’s called Square. Right? Yeah. It’s, yeah. It’s a it’s a Bluetooth, so I have a little reader, and people can just tap their card or whatever. But, you can also use, Stripe, PayPal. Use that was what I used way back in the day.
Tawdra Kandle [00:41:16]:
It went on to my phone, and they just swiped their card through. I always have change for cash because some people do like that, but you can also have a little, QR code with your Venmo on there, and people can pay you by Venmo, or, you know, whatever other Cash App or what have you. It’s so easy now. It really is so much easier. So easy. Yeah. Yeah. It it is.
Jim Azevedo [00:41:41]:
Okay. So so what about swag? Is it swag necessary for for a newer author? It seems like it’s super necessary for authors who are a little further along in their careers.
Tawdra Kandle [00:41:51]:
Yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:41:52]:
What what do you recommend? Because I’ve I’ve kinda seen it all. I’m sure you have too.
Tawdra Kandle [00:41:56]:
Yeah. And
Jim Azevedo [00:41:57]:
I’ve also other trends with swag, do you recommend having something that authors are I’m sorry, that readers can take away with them when they leave?
Tawdra Kandle [00:42:04]:
Definitely. Yeah. I mean, we it used to be the paper swag was great. We used to do postcards. We used to do, you know, character cards. We used to do a rack cards, we called them, that had, like, the book cover. And, honestly, paper swag anymore, you’re gonna find it all over. The people just aren’t taking it.
Tawdra Kandle [00:42:24]:
You know? Or they might take if you have a card, I will have a lot of people who will come to a signing and say, well, I don’t buy, you know, I really read on my Kindle. What do you have on on Kindle? Or I really read on my phone. What do you have that I can get there? So I always try to have a card with a QR code where they can find me, you know. So that I will I find That’s
Jim Azevedo [00:42:42]:
a great idea.
Tawdra Kandle [00:42:43]:
Yeah. Yeah. You know. And and you should always have a sign up for your newsletter as well. So that’s that’s great, whether that’s an iPad or whether that’s just an old fashioned clipboard, you know. I mean, the thing about the old fashioned clipboard is that you have to decipher handwriting, which is a challenge. But, you know, it it you can do it. It’s certainly the easiest way.
Tawdra Kandle [00:43:07]:
Anything that you can have that you can give somebody that they’re excited to take that has your name or some of your branding on it is is a positive thing. It’s a great thing. You know, I have a friend who is just her swag is always, like, it’s always the swag that I keep, whether it was, like, a sewing kit or she had a little, makeup mirror thing or a little nail. You know, something that people wanna keep that they’ll stick in their purse, and every time they pull it out, they see your name on it. You know, my kids still have from the when I drag them around to to book signings when they were younger, they still have shot glasses that they’ll talk about the author who they were And
Jim Azevedo [00:43:50]:
what kid what kid shouldn’t have a shot glass?
Tawdra Kandle [00:43:53]:
Right. Right. Yeah. So, you know, we talk about these and we still have cups that we use. It doesn’t have to be super expensive. You can go to there there’s a lot of different options right now. One of my favorite that I did back in I think it was 2015 was, I was releasing, a series of beach books, beach romances, and I was at Penncon that year. And they had a swag table that was separate from the signing room.
Tawdra Kandle [00:44:25]:
And so I put one thing of swag out there and it was sunglasses. No. It was, it was a shell necklace with my name on it and that little thing that said bring this to my table to get the rest of your swag and the other was sunglasses with my name and my website on them. So that it they got both sets, but it you know, it to get the rest of it, they had to come see me at the signing, and it was it was very attractive. And it worked well with that branding. When I released the anti Cinderella, which is a royal romance, The the original cover had her in a ball gown with, like, beat up sneakers, and so I got all these little canvas sneaker, keychains. Mhmm. And and I did those.
Tawdra Kandle [00:45:10]:
And now for those, I had to actually brand them to myself by putting a little tag on it with my k. With my name and everything. But it was, you know, it was instantly recognizable.
Jim Azevedo [00:45:20]:
So And I can tell people just from doing a simple Google search out there, like, if you have an idea for your swag and you do a Google search, chances are there’s Oh, yeah. Some vendor out there who’s got a chop sheet. Exactly what you’re looking for.
Tawdra Kandle [00:45:33]:
Exactly. Exactly. And, you know, but, again, the closer you can keep it to your branding is Yes. Is the best because, you know, the people remember. You know, people said for a long time to me, oh, I still have your little, I still have your little, sneaker. And I I think about that book, and I think about the characters whenever I see it. Well, then guess what? That was money well spent. Right?
Jim Azevedo [00:45:55]:
I would also recommend this is this just kinda popped in my head, but I would also recommend not getting glossy cards, because for me anyway, it’s like when I meet, a new partner or even a new author or reader, it’s like, you can’t write on them. Like, you need to that’s what they’re for, to start, you know, for an author to to sign. But for me, from a business perspective, it’s like if I can’t get someone’s name and phone number down on the card because it just wipes off, it’s just it’s useless.
Tawdra Kandle [00:46:22]:
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
Jim Azevedo [00:46:23]:
That looks nice. But
Tawdra Kandle [00:46:25]:
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. You have to be you have to think about the practicalities of everything.
Jim Azevedo [00:46:31]:
Okay. The last thing I wanted to ask you because we’re almost we’re running out of time. This happens to me every single week. Is it cool just to kinda sit back at your table as as readers come walking up to your table?
Tawdra Kandle [00:46:42]:
You already know the answer to this question.
Jim Azevedo [00:46:44]:
I know. But I’m just I’m so happy that you brought it up in your article.
Tawdra Kandle [00:46:48]:
Yeah. No. I mean, really, at the end at the end of a perfect signing, your legs should be exhausted because you should be up, and it’s it’s not easy. And I do understand this that, you know, trying to engage people as they pass your table and try you know, you feel like you’re hawking goods or whatever. But it really is important to be standing up and looking engaged even if nobody has come to your table for half an hour. You still have to look as though you’re just as excited and, you know, I’ll say things like, oh, I really love your t shirt or, you know, that are you reading that book or, you know, something to bring them in. I mean, I’m not yelling across the room, but, you know, just something to draw them over and then and then you have your question. What do you read? What’s your favorite trope? That’s my thing lately has been, you know, like, what’s your favorite trope? What what book keeps you up all night reading? You know, what’s the last thing that you read that that has that you just can’t stop thinking about? Those are those are great questions.
Jim Azevedo [00:47:49]:
Because at the end of
Tawdra Kandle [00:47:49]:
the day, we’re readers too. So for me, even if it’s not somebody who bought my book, I want them to remember that we had a really great talk about something that we, you know, both are excited about.
Jim Azevedo [00:48:01]:
And you connected.
Tawdra Kandle [00:48:02]:
We connected. That’s it. Yep. And then at some point, they’re at some point, they’re going to see my book somewhere, whether it’s a a bookbub or or an ad or someplace else. And, yeah, what’s your favorite trope is the great icebreaker. That is that is that is really exciting. People love to talk about that. So yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:48:24]:
If people wanna find you online, TADRA, is the best place just to send them to your to your website? To your other website?
Tawdra Kandle [00:48:31]:
Yeah. They can go to my website, and it’s you know, honestly, TADRA is what will bring you just typing in TADRA will bring you to my social media or Okay. Just, yeah, various places. I’m you you can be pretty sure if you type in my name and you spell it right, you’re gonna find me.
Jim Azevedo [00:48:50]:
Okay. So for people who may not be watching us right now, but you’re listening to the podcast, that’s tawdrakandal.com. That’s tawdrakandle.com. You can learn all about Tawdrift by going there. We did it.
Tawdra Kandle [00:49:08]:
We I know.
Jim Azevedo [00:49:09]:
We’ve come to the end. I’m a little bummed, but I’m still also pretty excited because I knew this was gonna be a good conversation after reading that article. And it’s exactly, I think, what we all kinda needed here or at least what I needed. I’ve been I’ve been interested in your and your take on it just, you know, for all the conferences that you’ve been going to and producing
Tawdra Kandle [00:49:26]:
Yeah.
Jim Azevedo [00:49:27]:
For years.
Tawdra Kandle [00:49:29]:
Yeah. A long time.
Jim Azevedo [00:49:31]:
It’s been a while. So I wanna thank our viewers out there. If you like this episode with Tawdra, if you could share and subscribe and like the page, that helps us kinda spread the word out there and get more experts into self publishing insiders as well. Also, did you know this, Tondra? If you bookmark at d2dlive.com, then you can see what the next topic is gonna be for subsequent weeks and who the guest is. Oh, that’s cool.
Tawdra Kandle [00:49:56]:
That is cool.
Jim Azevedo [00:49:57]:
And for authors out there yeah. This next part, I know you know, Tondra. So for authors out there who are getting into independent publishing and possibly self publishing for the first time, you can sign up for a free account at Draft2Digital simply by going to draft,thenumbertwo,digital.com. So we’re coming to a close here, and I wanna thank our viewers once again for spending time with us today, week in and week out. And some of the newer people out there who are joining us maybe for the first time, thank you for spending your time with us. We have a new thirty second spot that I wanna kind of tee up here because for those of you who may be new to print on demand and may not be sure, like, what it is or how to publish a, print on demand book, free Draft2Digital, we are dedicating a full day of webinars coming up really quickly on Saturday, April 19. We’re gonna have about six or seven hours worth of sessions to kinda walk you through the process to tell you what it is what on demand is all about. It’ll take you from being a beginner to an expert by the end of the day, and here’s a little commercial spot to tell you all about it.
Jim Azevedo [00:51:12]:
And, Tawdra, I’ll see you backstage. To everyone else, we’ll see you next week. Thanks, everybody.
Mark Leslie Lefebvre [00:51:20]:
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of holding your own book in your hands. Draft2Digital has always been about creating free tools to help remove the barriers between your writing dreams and having a book published. That’s why we’re thrilled to offer an entire day of free online webinars to help you understand everything you need to know about getting your book into print. Whether you’re just starting or you’ve been around the block a few times, our print books for indie authors day likely has something for you.
Kevin Tumlinson [00:51:59]:
That’s it for this week’s self publishing insiders with Draft2Digital. Be sure to subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts and share the show with your will be author friends, and start, build, and grow your own self publishing career right now at draft2digital.com.