Financial performance of vendor participation at events this year (2024) compared to last year (2023) yields disappointment. I and my best friend, Cindra, have gone to some new events this year as well as returned to previously attended events in the constant adjustment to figure out which yield best return on investment.
Last year, Cindra and I noticed that paintings did not sell well, particularly compared to sales in 2021 and 2022. Books, however, are doing better than those two years.
So, what gives?
In discussing this with my husband, he opined that desultory sales of paintings was due to the economy. He thought it much less likely people would indulge in a luxury items like paintings when the cost of necessities like fuel, groceries, and rent has dramatically increased. In short, he said, people don’t have the discretionary income they had just a few years ago.
OK, that explains the slow sales of artwork. But the improved sales of books defies that explanation.
The fact of the matter is that people still want their little luxuries. Leisure reading or reading for pleasure constitutes a luxury. Despite competition from social media and video games and other demands for a person’s time and attention, reading remains a popular activity. Many people are still happy to buy a book.
One thing I have noticed is that I generally do better at arts and crafts shows rather than author or book oriented events. When there’s an excess of competition offering similar products, my sales of books drop dramatically. The obverse, however, does not hold true for paintings. When participating as a vendor at a book fair, paintings don’t sell well either.
This reality makes me think that my husband is correct: It’s the economy. What is comes down to is that folks with less disposable income to spend on those little luxuries will spend it on a book rather than a more expensive painting (despite our paintings being very reasonably priced).
Regardless, I will continue to participate as a vendor at various events. Not only does this serve as a personable method for engaging with and building my audience of readers, but it gets me out of the house. If I can persuade someone to take a chance on one book, perhaps that person will like it well enough to purchase more of my books. Maybe someone will recommend my books to their book club? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
If you want to see where I’ll be next, go to my EVENTS page.