Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
I’ve filled out my application and was accepted to attend Read Between the Stars on October 4, 2025. This time, it’s held at the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, Colorado. It’s a large venue surrounded by several shops. So, the foot traffic should be quite high.
With it being in such a public venue, I wonder if I’ll still be able to livestream it to the YouTube channel.
Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to setting up the table, bringing the Guardian along, and having a great day with some talented authors. I had such a great time at the last RBtS, and I look forward to meeting some more readers and authors again this time around.
Plenty of Time to Prepare – Hopefully
I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare something amazing for the last Read Between the Stars. I don’t think I did a bad job, but there were a lot of things I wish I would have brought or added to the display. We took a lot of notes from the last event and have ideas for the next one.
One of the things I wanted to do was to 3D-print out characters from the books. So, do I try the designs myself, or pay someone for 3D art to feed through the printer? I suppose that depends on my bank account.
There are a few other odds and ends I think would be a lot of fun to add, and since it’s October, you can bet that I’ll bring some Halloween goodness. After all, I’m a dark fantasy author and love Halloween!
I would like to get everything situated long before October, though. The last thing I want is to rush to get things organized the week before the event.
Can I Finish Fury In Time?
Fury is the sequel to Kingmaker, the dark fantasy novel I showcased last year. I would love to have the second book ready so readers can buy both should they like. Besides, progression in a series gives the appearance that you have the intention of finishing it.
Currently, Fury is just over 90,000 words, and I estimate it’ll probably take another 20,000 before it’s done. Then, I need to have time to edit, rewrite, and adjust the manuscript before working on the cosplay cover art.
It’ll take about two weeks to finish the first draft, but everything else is going to be quite time-consuming.
Although Read Between the Stars focuses on sci-fi and fantasy, I’ll still bring a few copies of Shadows of Atlantic City. I almost sold my remaining copies of A Freelancer’s Tale at the last event to people who were just starting their writing careers. Who knows, I might meet a Western lover here in the Denver metro area.
Regardless, it’s going to be close to finish writing, editing, and formatting Fury before October 4th. Not to mention the fact that it often takes Amazon several weeks to ship 60 copies of a book.
So, in reality, I have about three and a half months to get everything squared away.
Merch Displays for Online Store?
I am debating on getting a few samples of my merch from Fourthwall and placing them on the table with QR codes to buy online. I suppose I could order several samples myself and sell them directly, but that would also entail getting packing materials.
One thing I could do is order five of everything. What doesn’t sell at the event, I can use for giveaways and contests on the blog and YouTube channel. Everyone loves freebies, and the last contest helped me generate quite a few video views and visitors to the blog.
I might just do that anyway. It would be fun to giveaway an autographed copy of Kingmaker alongside its coffee mug.
Going Beyond Just Selling Books
Yes, it would be pretty freaking amazing to sell enough copies of my book to at least pay the table fee. But going to events such as Read Between the Stars is more than just selling books and handing out autographs.
For me, it’s about public appearances, experiences, and meeting potential readers and other authors. Networking is often more valuable than making a sale. At least, it is for me. You never know who you’ll meet when out in the wild.
Besides, it’s one of my goals to be a common fixture as an author in Denver, Colorado. In fact, I’ve been putting work into SEO to appear in search that way as well.
At the end of the day, it’s worth the table fee to get the experience of being out in public and engaging potential readers. And as long as I can sell about seven books or so, I’ll walk away breaking even financially while having a great time at the Stanley Marketplace.
Marketing WriterSanctuary While I’m At It
As a sort of afterthought, I’m also going to market WriterSanctuary a bit. It’ll probably be nothing more than a QR code and what WriterSanctuary does to help aspiring writers of all kinds.
I’d like to have the information about myself and the brand on a board of some kind, making it easier for folks to scan the code and visit the blog or YouTube channel.
So, if you think about it, the $30 table fee is also giving me a chance to advertise locally and perhaps gain a few followers and viewers. In the grand scheme of marketing, it’s not a bad use of cash for selling books and the WriterSanctuary brand.
It’s cheaper than what you’d pay Google or Facebook for ads.
A Busy Four Months
I easily have my work cut out for me. To make sure I can get everything handled beforehand, I think I’m going to try to manage Monday through Friday writing sprints. That way, I guarantee myself a 2-hour block of time to work on all aspects of finishing Fury.
Of course, we need to wrap up Shadows of Atlantic City as well. It’s going to be quite a stressful, fun-filled, four-month extravaganza for me, I suppose.
I have faith in myself, though. I am relatively confident I can get everything squared away before October 4th. If you’re in the Denver area that weekend, stop by and meet the authors including myself. There are some talented folk who will be there, and I look forward to seeing everyone!
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