K.E. Barron's Blog

It’s sure been a minute. Perhaps while I struggle to finish Book 3 of the Bloodstone Dagger, I should continue on with my In Defense of Tropes blog series. Next up: the ancient and ubiquitous Dam...

In this third and final instalment of my In Defense of Tropes blog series, I finish off with the most overdone trope in all of existence. The Chosen One. But, is it truly overdone or just badly done?

Read on over at Foul Fantasy Fiction

Completing my latest title, Queen of the Skour, Book 2 of the Bloodstone Dagger was such a struggle to finish. Heck, even this blog post is a struggle. Where do I even start with this thing?

First, I’d like to make it clear, that I couldn’t be happier with how Queen of the Skour (QOS) turned out in the end. My regrets wit...

Part 2 of my tropes series explores the allure of the bad boy in women’s fiction and how in order to keep him around, it’s important to separate fantasy from reality.

Read about it over at Foul Fantasy Fiction

My blogspace is primarily used to document my personal experiences as an author and not for opinion pieces. However, I figure, since expo season has dried up due to COVID-19, I’ve taken to writing a blog series over at FoulFantasyFiction.com about literary tropes and why authors shouldn’t shy away from them.

In Part 1: Three is Not a Crowd, I delve i...

My blogspace is primarily used to document my personal experiences as an author and not for opinion pieces. However, I figure, since expo season has dried up due to COVID-19, I’ve taken to writing a blog series over at FoulFantasyFiction.com about literary tropes and why authors shouldn’t shy away from them.

In Part 1: Three is Not a Crowd, I delve i...

The third annual Dino Con has come and gone.

Like the last two years, this con was a blast. These smaller shows allow for more interactions, better chances of rubbing shoulders with minor celebs, and more visibility. This time, we stayed in the Heartwood Inn & Spa where we had that marvelous french toast to die for! We were given the honeymoon suite, which was its own little house on the property.

This was also a special year in that my spouse and cover artist, Tyson Villeneuve won the...

The last weekend of September, I was invited to do a book signing at Coles in Red Deer and put a few of my books on consignment. I had always planned on doing a sigining since I’ve started this journey, but never got around to it. Now, after just re-releasing The Eye of Verishten, I decided it was time to get into bookstores.

I came to this event like I do any other convention. I set up the ol’ diorama, bookmarks, and stacked my books accordingly. The staff were very helpful and attentive, be...

After the smashing success in Saskatoon, I came into Edmonton Comic Expo with even higher expectations. I know, I know, one shouldn’t go into anything with high expectations, but I couldn’t help it. Edmonton Expo has so far outperformed Saskatoon, so why would it be any different this year? 

I’m glad to say it did surpass it… well… only in one particular way, which I’ll get to later.

Firstly, we were super late coming in. Not only did we leave Red Deer late, we had less time to get there than...

After the dismal sales levels last year, I didn’t get my hopes up with this con.

However, I’m happy to report that this show set a new record for me in more ways than one.

First off, Tyson and I decided to carpool to Saskatoon with our good buddies Vince Seim and Chance Clark of H3 Trilogy. We had deep conversations all the way there and back, which definitely helped the long trip go faster. After setting up later that Friday night, we went for dinner at Primal. I had squid ink pasta which is noodles served jet black. Doesn’t sound appetizing, but it come highly recommended and man was it ever good. It may have to be the restaurant of choice every time we come back to Saskatoon.

Saturday morning went as expected. Not super busy and people artfully avoiding the table, but that didn’t last all day. My table display markedly improved over last year. With a tablecloth, prints, hardcovers, and of course the diorama, there were a lot more interactions.

This brings me to the first of my record-breaking news. Saskatchewan Expo went from being my lowest sale con to the highest. Since I’ve had two titles instead of one, I’ve discovered that no matter how many days the con lasts or the size of the con, I sell the exact same number of books each time (with the exception of Saskatoon last year, of course). It appeared as if I’d sell the exact same amount again, until someone came up to chat while we were packing up. I mentioned how strange it was that I keep selling the same number, and he purchased both books! (Pity sales are still sales).

The pressure is now on Edmonton to beat that record.

Other neat things:

1.       The con seemed better attended than last year. There were times where the crowds were that of Edmonton’s. It may have been because of the more famous celebrities they managed to wrangle, the fact that the main food concessions were down the aisle from our booth, and the pathways were narrower, so it wasn’t as easy for the crowd to avoid our booth this time.

2.       I had two return readers come by the booth looking for the next one, which I had to solemnly tell them it wasn’t ready yet. One of them said she read EOV and was half way through IS. I asked her what she thought and she said, “Well, out of all the books I bought at the expo last year, I enjoyed yours the most.” I then wanted to ask her what other books she bought so I could secretly compare myself to them, but I ignored that little devil on my shoulder and said, “Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed it.” I’ll just leave it at that.

3.       We had really great neighbors. To my left was a booth selling honest to goodness hand puppets. They drew a lot of attention and were the quality you’d expect from the Muppets or Sesame Street. To my right was a super nice lady selling steam punk paraphernalia. She was my first book sale of the weekend, and I purchased a pair of earrings from her later on.

4.       Tyson and I were invited out for supper with all the comic book creators, some we knew from other cons, and most total strangers, but we had a great time.

5.       And how could I forget the second record-breaking moment for best purchase at a con. I went to get food on the Saturday and found this gem.

As for things to improve for future shows:

1.       My banners need some serious updating. There was an author booth with tons of books on his table and banners screaming, ‘Award winning this’ and ‘Starred review that.’ I was kicking myself because I have both those things, but didn’t take the time to capitalize on all of it. I have signs showcasing my IPPY award, but no mention of Booklist. I need to get my butt in gear and update my banner for Eye of Verishten and probably Immortal Serpent too, given the changes coming down the pipe for that series.

2.       My pitching skills are getting better, but when people ask me ‘What are your books about?’ I still either freeze up or go into a long spiel about each one until the attendee’s eyes glaze over. It was fine when I just had one book, maybe two, but I won’t be able to get away with that for three. I need an all-encompassing pitch that more or less brings all my books together. They are definitely capturing people’s interest, but many of them slink away saying, ‘I’ll come back when I’m done looking around.’ I feel I can still convert these people.  The following are the different pitches I use with varying results:

a.       My books are Game of Thrones meets Outlander.

b.       My books are like Brandon Sanderson’s, if he would take certain things further if you know what I mean, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

c.       My books are set in the same world, but follow different characters in different places where they sometimes crossover. Depending on which one you start with gives you different insights into characters going into the next book that someone else may not have. (This pitch is still the most effective so far).

Perhaps this is just the nature of the game. You just can’t win over everyone, but I still think there is room to improve that conversion rate.

I will definitely have more to think more about it come Edmonton Expo Sep 21-23. Hope all who are in that area can come out.