Monday, June 9, 2014

Chicago Tribune Printer's Row Lit Fest - aka Selling Books for Fun and Profit

This last weekend, I got the opportunity to hang out with my publishers and five of my fellow Post Mortem Press authors at the PMP table at Printer's Row in downtown Chicago.  I'd already had the pleasure to meet Cynthia Pelayo (author of Young Adult award-winning novel Santa Muerte), Christian Larsen (author of the urban fantasy Losing Touch), and Brian Dobbins (author of the witch/detective historical fiction novel, Jasmine's Tale), but this year I got to meet Max Booth III (author of the darkly comedic Toxicity) and Josef Matulich (author of the newly released Camp Arcanum, which I heard him describe as a novel about “magic, sex, and power tools.”)   Oh, and I was also there selling copies of Try Not to Burn, a supernatural thriller which has been called "The Matrix meets Dante's Inferno."

From left, Josef Matulich, Cynthia Pelayo, Christian Larsen, Max Booth III, Yours Truly, and Brian Dobbins

Alcohol may have been consumed during the event, as Brian smuggled in bourbon, and Christian has recently taken to hazing his fellow authors with a beverage called “Malort.”  Apparently, only 1 in 49 people like the taste of it.  I was warned to step away from the table when I drank it, just in case I had a negative reaction.  After drinking it, though, I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.  Perhaps I'm one of the 49, or perhaps it's because most hard liquor tastes the same to me (I'm more of a vodka man, myself), but I thought it tasted fine.  

This was my second year at Printer's Row, and each time I've gone, my publisher has sold out of the copies they brought of Try Not to Burn.  Thankfully, I always bring some copies of my own to events like this, just in case.  By the time I rode the train back home on Sunday, I only had 2 copies of my book left in the box.  

Closeup of my book at the PMP table at Printer's Row, right next to Cynthia's Santa Muerte

 Last year went so well I wasn't sure it could be topped, but somehow, this year was even wilder, with more authors, more books sold, and some wonderful people in the crowd.  The authors came from as far as San Antonio, Texas (where Max is located) to attend the event, Josef showed off his juggling skills at one point, and I lost count of the number of people who stopped for a photo opp with Max and Christian as they held up their...um...well, let's just say they put together some “eccentric” signs that drew a few crowds.  A photographer from the Chicago Tribune even stopped by to snap their picture.  

Christian and Max doing their best hobo impressions...If anyone asks, I don't know them.

I also lost track of the number of fire trucks that raced by throughout the weekend, but I'm hoping the event is just located close to a fire station, and that the apocalypse wasn't actually happening somewhere in the city, because it almost seemed like it at some points.  

The weather managed to behave itself this year, which I was thankful for.  Last year, there was a bit of a drizzle on Sunday, and this year, rain was threatening to fall on Saturday, but we had clear skies all the way through.  

If you were at the event, thank you so much for stopping by for a chat and/or to buy a book, and for making the weekend such a wonderful and unforgettable time.