Resources
What I Use
I get asked a lot what and who I use, for everything from cover art to editing to the supplies for direct sales. I want to preface this by saying I’m a small time indie author, who does not have a huge backlist or a huge monthly income. This is meant to be an informational guide to others who want resources that are tried and true!
Cover Art
When it comes to cover art, I have a few artists I adore.
Fakel Barros – site – Fakel designed The Ashes of the Brothel and the Hexes From Exes series for me.
Atra Luna Design – site – Atra Luna designed the entire Protegre Brides series – from the covers to the art that’s included when you buy from the site!
Best Selling Covers by David – site – Higher in price point, but David designed On Stolen Tides cover!
Printed Swag
As part of buying from me direct, you get printed swag. This means postcards of art, stickers and so much more. For awhile I was using printing services like VistaPrint and MinutePress. Once I became high volume, the cost was too high to justify using them. I decided to start printing my own stuff! Note – these are all Amazon links, and all affiliate links. I’ve found they have the best prices by far. If anyone has something similarly priced without supporting Amazon…please let me know!
Printer – Epson EcoTank ET-2800 – link – I bought this in September of 2024 and it’s held up very well! I ran out of the ink in March, but I use it A LOT. I’m talking – stickers, art, the whole bit.
Printed Art – Glossy 4×6 notecards – link – This was HUGE trial and error. First of all, most printers cannot print borderless over a 4×6. This means if you were to use a 5×7 or any other size art card, there would be a white border around your print. Not all printers are this way, but mine was, so I made sure to only buy 4×6. I experimented with matte vs. glossy and found the glossy is the best way to print. The matte looked splotchy no matter what I did. I also tried photo paper – it was too flimsy and photo like, which I didn’t like.
Mailers – 8.5×11 – 7×10 – These are the two most common sizes I use. The larger is for 2 or more books, the smaller for 1. If I’m using the larger I’ll sometimes add more padding.
Label printer – link – This is not a necessity, but it does help A LOT. If you’re using a service that creates labels for you this makes your life so much easier. Otherwise, you can just print it off a normal printer and tape it onto your packages. I love mine!
Sticker Paper – link – This is the sticker paper I use! It’s thick, shiny and durable.
Cutting stickers/art – link – I did a lot of looking around and decided on a Cameo 4 instead of a Cricut. I use this to cut stickers, and sometimes to cut fun art and that’s it. I got it on Facebook Marketplace for $100 and it’s been amazing!
Vendor Events
I did my first vendor event in 2023, and my events have changed DRASTICALLY since then.
RAVE 2023 in Las Vegas, NV. I shared a half table and had no signage. I tried to sell art separately and emulate Blind Date with a Book.
Readers of the Valley in early 2025. I have height, signage and trope cards. This is my booth when I drive!
First of all – signage. I printed my banner on Vista Print and designed it myself. They had some predesigned banners and I adjusted for my branding. I’ve seen authors make banners for particular series instead of them as an author.
I also used Vista Print for the runner on the table with my name. My table cloth was from Amazon, I wanted to stand out amongst the sea of black and it works well!
For height, I like this collapsible shelf. I painted it black to fit my aesthetic and I get SO MANY COMPLIMENTS on it! You can collapse it flat and it’s 3 levels, which makes for height and excitement. I’ll usually put a series on it and decorate it with items that are similar to that series. Like Hexes from Exes, I’ll have demon skulls. I also will put art or anything else to draw the eye.
Another way to draw the eye are lights. I bought some pink, purple and white to really mix it up. I usually have 3-4 of them strewn about my booth.
I bought some matte paper and print random things on it depending on the show I’m at. I have one with QR codes to follow me on social media, and I’ll have one with deals for that show (bundles, etc). I display them in these acrylic sign holders so they sit upright and look good.
I use these to display my books. I bought plastic ones initially, but they obscured the view of my covers!
Trope cards – I’m on the fence about these. I’ve seen some people really love them, but I don’t think I’ve found the right fit yet. I’ve added QR codes to take people to KU if they don’t buy in person and it’s had mixed success. I think mine may be too busy, I need to find a way to draw the eye quickly when I’m talking to someone else.
Payment options – Most people DO NOT carry cash! Some ways to take payment include Venmo, Zelle, Paypal, Square, etc. I personally use Square and have a Square reader. The app also allows for tap payment on my phone. I also carry change and make sure my books are priced a round number. $10, $15, $20, etc. Having to worry about exact change for an $18 book is annoying.
Branded gift – I don’t know how else to describe this, but you should have some sort of branded item to hand people. Business card, trifold bronchure, SOMETHING! Heck, a sticker with your logo! A flyer! Yes, it may end up in some peoples trash, but I’ve heard a lot of readers lament not having something of mine to look at later. A lot of readers will circle back to their goodies and follow or buy from you later.
FUNNEL PEOPLE!!!! This is my biggest advice! Decide where you want your readers to look to find you consistently. Social media, discord, newsletter – where will you post all the latest updates? Most authors utilize newsletters because if TikTok/Meta/Discord/whatever dies tomorrow they’ll still have access to those e-mails. Newsletters also have a higher open rate, whereas social media algorithms only show your posts to 7% of your followers. You can enter people who sign up for your newsletter in a drawing, or offer art or stickers for people who sign up. Just think of a way to connect with your readers later!