During my second week at Belladonna, we reorganized the office. Filing over a hundred of different chaplets and logging them into a spreadsheet. I took some time to read through some of the amazing poetry that had been published through the company. However, The most exciting thing was running the Belladonna table at the NYC Queer Zine fair at The Gay Center. I was terrified. I would have to run the table by myself and I wouldn’t necessarily categorize our chaplets as zines (they have no pictures!)
Arriving there was pretty hectic. I had to carry a huge event box filled with 100+ copies of chaplets I’m supposed to sell, 10 tote bags, our table cloth, book stands, and t-shirts. Luckily, they paid for the uber there. When I arrived, it was hectic. All of the zine owners were running around decorating their tables, trying to organize their space in a way that shows off their zines the best. The zines were incredible and very diverse. Some were pure photography, others were directed to younger readers, while some were intended for ***adult readers.
The Belladonna table was squeezed in between two really good and fast selling zines. The first hour there I sold nothing. I was ready to pack it up and head home. I did not want to embarrass myself for another 5 hours, sitting at a table filled with poetry chaplets. But I couldn’t back out for two reasons: first, I made a commitment, and second,I believe in the work that Belladonna publishes. I knew we could be a competitive seller if people took the time to read some of the poetry. So instead of presenting the chaplets closed on the table, I opened them. I allowed potential buyers to read them. I allowed them to take their time. And we started to sell!
By the end of the fair we sold a good amount of chaplets and some totes. Even when the cards were stacked against us, the quality of the material pushed through. I learned a great lesson that day: sometimes you have to find unique ways to reach out and bring the reader in, give them time to taste the work, and trust that the material will sell itself.
jay – sorry for the slow reply here. In the world of small press, the experience of booth tabling is a teeth-cutting experience for many, and a real encapsulation of the project, in a lot of ways. The doldrums at the table can feel awful, but I’m glad you pushed through! And to your experience, I would only add that the success of those things can’t really be measured in sales (though I’m glad you got some); quality of interaction is just as important, and – if you’re into the project of small press, at least – the possibility of turning on a couple of new readers to the press is what I tend to think makes them worth doing. Despite all the box-lugging. – LBN