Hello!
Last weekend I was in Indianapolis for Gen Con. They had record attendance with over 71,000 people! Here's a snapshot of the crowd outside the vendor hall before it opened:
I did this event last year, and at the time, it was my best event in terms of books sold and dollars made. It was beaten by the Huntsville Expo earlier this year in April, but it has taken its crown back. I did a whopping $2,655 in sales across 4 days!
I've got a smaller one day show in Mississippi next weekend, and then Dragon Con at the end of the month. We'll see if Dragon Con takes the place of Gen Con for book sales!
A small side story that I thought was awesome. On the last day of Gen Con, a woman had stopped to admire one of my special edition books. She was about to buy a copy, and then suddenly she became weak and almost passed out. My friend and I let her sit behind my table to rest, and it turned out she's diabetic (like me).
She ate something and waited for a few minutes, then when she felt better, she said she wanted to buy a book. I told her that wasn't necessary, but she insisted. She also said she was an author (a New York Times bestseller) and that she was happy to hear how being an independent author was going because she had the worst experience with traditional publishing.
Anyway, I thought it was amazing that someone who has been so successful with her books wanted to buy one of mine. I always say that the author community is one of the most welcoming and amazing communities, and this experience adds to that.
In my last newsletter, I asked for feedback about the dragon themed pens. I got TONS of responses, and I appreciate everyone who took the time to reply! I spoke with the pen maker, and it looks like we will be doing them soon. I'll be sure to let you know the details.
I have my tentative panel schedule for Dragon Con, as well as signing times that I'll be at the vendor booth:
Title: The Adventure Begins
Description: New writers always ask "Where do you get your ideas?" Or "How do I get started writing a book or story?" The years of experience racked up by our panel discussion will answer some of these questions--and more.
Panelists: Bill Fawcett, D.B. Jackson, Elizabeth Donald, Richard Fierce, James Palmer, Todd J McCaffrey
Time: Saturday at 5:30 pm
Location: Embassy EF Hyatt
Title: The Rise of Romantasy (in YA)
Description: Romance and fantasy have been around forever. So lets smash 'em together and get something new?
Panelists: Katie Cross, Kaitlin Bevis, Richard Fierce, Jess Lyles(M), Berta Platas, Alison Tracy
Time: Saturday at 8:30 pm
Location: A707 Marriott
Title: Dragons of Pern: Compare and Contrast with Other Dragons
Description: We compare and contrast dragons from Pern and other places. How are they the same and how are they different?
Panelists: Todd J McCaffrey, Joelle Presby, Richard Fierce, Jody Lynn Nye(M), K. N. Lee
Time: Sunday at 10:00 am
Location: Embassy AB Hyatt
And my signing times in the booth are:
Friday from noon to 5pm
Saturday from noon to 4pm
Sunday from noon to 4pm
Monday from 11am to 3pm
I will also be at the Fantasy Gather on Friday night from 7pm to midnight in the International Ballroom at the Hyatt Hotel.
It's going to be a busy time! If you plan on attending Dragon Con, I hope you'll swing by to see me!
Below you'll find a free ebook promo, an audiobook giveaway, and a chance to win a prize pack!
What I’m reading: I'm still reading The Last Shadow Knight by Michael Webb. Being away at a convention kept me from reading, but I dove back in Tuesday night.
What I’m watching: I missed last week's episode of Evil being at Gen Con, but I caught up yesterday and watched this week's as well. It's been a wild season!
What are you reading/watching?
As always, a huge thank you for the support!
Richard
Over 90 books to choose from, plus a chance to win a prize pack!
Dragon Fantasy Audiobook Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win until August 31!
This one ends August 20th!
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