@LnzyHou I have visited Asheville several times. And I enjoy the ways that it is weird.

What's your community known for? I'm in Hillsborough, NC, USA, known historically for our associations with the Revolutionary War. More recently, we're known as a hotbed of writers and artists. https://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/2024/08/what-were-famous-for-open-book-blog-hop.html

@b4cks4w I hope you will be, too!

@LnzyHou @cassandra17lina Oh, I wouldn't vote for her, but it would be a relief to worry at the level she makes me worry instead of at Orange levels.

@LnzyHou @cassandra17lina Oh! I hope you're both right. Liz is more conservative than me, but at least I wouldn't be worried about the fall of democracy if she got into office. And woman versus woman for President would be very exciting.

@JanetZumba_FalPals How likely is it that this is just coded language for "I don't like that she's black/brown"?

@cassandra17lina I like this version of events and sincerely hope you are right.

Last night the kiddo and I realized that we had both matched our dresses and our hair. Aren’t we cute? #CoSoParents

My kiddo passed their driver's test today! I'm super proud of them, and excited about this next stage of independence, and also a little sad. Such is motherhood. #CoSoParents

I’m part of a classics book club, so I’ve just started reading Vanity Fair. I’ve been dreading this one because I tried to read it a couple of times in the past and found it tedious. This time though, I’m quite enjoying it so far. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes it isn’t the book but whether the reader is in the right frame of mind for it. #CoSoReaders

Had the best weekend with the kid and their bestie. We LOVE aquariums.

@gemswinc so pretty! I have definitely enjoyed both the break in the heat and all the beautiful mushrooms. Here’s yesterday’s crop of fungus in my yard:

Today I'm celebrating reaching the end of the Menopausal Superheroes series. 10 years in the making! https://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/2024/08/iwsg-end-of-era.html #CoSoWriters

When do you invite feedback on your creative work? That's our topic for #openbook today. For me, who I ask is just as important as when. https://samanthadunawaybryant.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-role-of-feedback-in-writing-life.html #CoSoWriters

Holding my kid’s hairbow today while they did PT. What do you think? Ally Sheedy Breakfast Club makeover vibes?

So there's my 2¢--Big Box events don't have community ties and only care about their own bottom line. They can be somewhat profitable, but in the end, not worth it to me. 11/11.

I'm not going back next year. Even though this large event puts my books in front of a larger and broader audience, it was ill-managed and too hard physically for the payoff. (Bad management = poor communication before and during the event, difficulty with hall access for vendors, sudden changes in hours without notice, generally being treated like I was a nuisance instead of a valued participant) 10/?

That compared pretty favorably with other authors at the convention at a similar level in their careers. Especially when you consider that I'm not particularly good at the "grab people and make them buy" carnival barker style of sales that performs well at these events. 9/?

I worked 44 hours, between set up, selling, and breakdown across 4 days and one evening. So somewhere between $5/hour and $10/hour depending on how you count my profits. 8/?

So, $1033-$475 table cost -100ish in on-site expenses = $458 profit. (I'm not up to doing the math on much I spent buying my own books to gather stock, but generally, I pay 1/2 of cover price, so if we're folding stock costs in, I made $229. 7/?