Rethinking Book Sales: Community-Centered Creative Practices That Work
Published 1 day ago • 8 min read
Back in November, at Author Nation, J.L. Birchwood and I sat down at a table and chatted with a few authors she knew from the Midwest. She suddenly realized that I did not know the man sitting across from me. “You don’t know Donovan? He is here every year. He owns a bookstore.” I was instantly on board with getting to know him. And he had a beard. And I would later find out he also plays D&D. Books, beards, and board games—all the things I like. I knew I had to begin a quest to make him a friend.
Donovan Scherer is the author of books for young readers, the illustrator of coloring books for all ages, and the owner of the Studio Moonfall bookstore in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Instead of focusing on the Amazon algorithm, he puts his energy into his community both in Wisconsin and online.
I caught up with Donovan after the conference for a conversation about running a community-centered practice.
Libby:You have built a creative life that places your shop, your readers, and your neighborhood at the center of everything, and I would like to hear how that approach took shape for you. What experiences pushed you toward building a place where the focus stays on people and participation rather than the constant chase for sales metrics?
Donovan: When I started publishing my books in 2009, I didn’t know anything about selling them online and went right into doing farmers’ markets and comic conventions. As I got to learn more about the self-publishing world and tried my hand at online sales, nothing really clicked for me. Having the experience of in-person sales from start made sense. I got to see what people liked and how to best get them to know the characters I was creating.
When the opportunity to open a brick and mortar shop for Studio Moonfallcame, it was a way to build on that experience. Now, we’ve got a nice little place for both readers and writers and I can keep buying myself more time before having to learn how the internet works.
Studio Moonfall in Kenosha, WI.
Libby:I would like to hear how you learned to fold your creative work into investing into your community. How did you figure out a rhythm that lets your writing life grow through the same environment that supports your store and your events?
Donovan: A nice thing with the physical store is that I have to work hours that make sense so I can time out creative time around that. The hours of neighboring businesses, weather and seasons, and holidays all help me set the schedule for the store. During shop hours, I can usually take care of everything involved with running it. Outside of them, I can tap into the creative well to come up with ideas of new things to put on the shelves.
Leaning into the seasons gives me a calendar to set expectations to. From April to September, I run the Kenosha Book Festival once per month. Most weeks, we have guest authors come in on Fridays to help add a fun, expected thing to happen in the neighborhood.
This coming summer, we’re planning to add onto the events by partnering with some of the businesses nearby.
Libby:You show up at markets, fairs, and public events with a consistency. For a lot of writers, they just don’t see the value. What do you think writers gain from being physically present? How has that presence shaped your readership in ways that online platforms never could have achieved?
Donovan: I’ve always made most of my sales at in-person. Like over 99%. With doing smaller, consistent events like weekly farmers’ markets - in my case, the same market every week - I see a lot of the same customers each time. They’re surprised if I’m not there.
I don’t know that it’d be the case for everyone. I illustrate my books and go pretty heavy with merchandising so I have a ton of options for people who see me over and over.
Having my “book tour” schedule pretty set in stone at this point, I have less trial and error than when I first started and can focus a bit more on making new things for the customers I regularly talk to.
Studio Moonfall, a small but mighty bookstore. Shop indie.
Libby:Writers often tell me that they feel literary culture doesn’t really exist in their towns, especially when in smaller or rural communities. And I feel that currently living in a rural town. I see that the town wants to be supportive of writers, but there isn’t community events to help them with reach. I would like to hear what you would say to an author who feels that their community has no interest in what they create. How can they start paying closer attention to the conversations and interests happening around them so they can enter those spaces with intention?
Donovan: You can start the conversation. And talk loud.
I’ve always found it easier to start your own thing, like an author meetup, writer group, or host a book sale event. They grow over time as long as you stay consistent and invest in their growth.
And it gives a chance for the people looking for that type of thing to find it.
Or if you don’t want to start your own thing, if you do find someone else trying to get something off the ground, you can try to amplify it yourself. Spreading the word, getting directly involved with managing events, or even as a sponsor are all ways to help build your scene so that others out there see your freak flag flying.
One of the interns at the store.
Libby:For authors considering farmers markets or art fairs but unsure how to begin, what early actions help them enter those spaces without narrowing the experience to immediate sales? What have you observed at these events that teaches writers how to engage with readers in a consistent and grounded way?
Donovan: Before I started doing events, I went to them as a customer to get an idea of how my work would fit in. Markets and art fairs and comic cons are all different so you need to be a bit flexible. But really, I think if you’ve got an event you want to try out, I say just jump in.
After 16 years of doing in-person events, I still change and evolve how I do things.
But for some immediate things to knock out:
Have a way to process credit cards on your phone.
Be able to pitch your books in 10 words or less, not a 30 second elevator pitch.
Set up a six foot folding table in your living room and practice your display setup.
Donovan Scherer's booth setup.
Libby:You host events that draw families, artists, and readers who want to connect with the spaces they visit (and the people in them), and I want to hear how you shape those gatherings so that people leave feeling part of something larger. What are you paying attention to when deciding what kind of event will serve the neighborhood as well as the creators involved?
Donovan: This year especially, I’ve started niching down the Kenosha Book Festival. We used to have some crafters and artists for this one but now it’s exclusively books. This helps give the marketing a simple message - BOOKS!
Having authors return year over year has been great for readers who want to continue in the series they’ve started or to meet authors whose books they’ve picked up in the store.
2026 will be a big year for expanding throughout the neighborhood. The past few years have been rough with road construction, fires, buildings collapsing, you name it. This coming year will be the first chance to really collaborate with my neighbors to have them be involved with the festival.
Libby:For authors who are used to measuring their progress by digital reach, charts, and algorithms, how would you describe the shift that happens when they start building relationships with the people who live closest to them? What changes in their work when they begin seeing readers as neighbors rather than an algorithm to crack?
Donovan: I don’t think it’s that different, just more tangible. When people visit regularly, I get to know more about the kind of books or events they like so I can make recommendations.
I assume that’s how robots in Amazon do it, too, but like I mentioned earlier, I don’t know how the internet works.
Libby:You built a life where writing, illustration, bookselling, and community involvement feed one another, and I would like to understand how that structure keeps you motivated. What keeps you rooted in this approach rather than drifting toward the more isolated version of authorship that many writers assume they must accept?
Donovan: Oh, I still very much work in isolation. At least for the creative/production side of things. The store, markets, and my own events bring the social aspect to the sales side of things which my brain doesn’t grasp without feedback beyond charts or impression results or CPCs or whatever.
I’d like to be more social with my production, like live-streaming some of the artwork, but I really prefer to hide in a blanket fort to draw goblins or farting unicorns.
Libby:In-person sales is hard for a lot of writers because many of us tend to be introverted and love spending large amounts of time by ourselves. I could easily see myself going into a bookstore, walking around awkwardly for a while, buying 2 books, and walking out without building up the nerve to ask anyone in the store how they decide which local authors to carry. How would you encourage authors to change their mindset around approaching booksellers and build confidence to pitch their book?
Donovan: Most stores should have an established way they take in new authors so don’t worry about pitching them on something new or beyond what they do. You’re just plugging into the way they already do business.
A lot of setting yourself up for success can be done ahead of time:
Cover, formatting, blurb all to professional standards just like selling online.
A Sell Sheet or Sales Sheet that provides all the general info about your book. ISBN, retail price, book description.
Libby:What if in-person-talking-to-a-bookseller is a total deal breaker for an author? Like, they just cannot bring themselves to do it? What direction would you point someone who can’t go in and make the ask, but still loves this community-first vibe you give off?
Donovan: You can always be part of the community from the other side of the table, like as a reader. Attend events and meet other authors and maybe you’ll find a way to be part of it that’s a better fit. If you meet some local authors, read their books and love them, write a blog post reviewing it and share it with them to spread word to the local community. Or if there’s a big author event coming up and you like talking with authors online, maybe interview them. You can be a hub for the event outside of the event itself. If you’re engaged with the community and have a bunch of your own books tucked away somewhere, the bookseller might just catch the scent and order them for the store without you asking.
Libby:What is the last book that you read that you can’t stop thinking about?
Donovan: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. I was just looking through the books I’ve read this year and that one was my favorite. Can’t go wrong with knights in the apocalypse!
Libby: Thank you for the chat!
Donovan has been lying low on community events this winter, instead writing lots of books and planning his summer programs. You can support his work and the bookstore over on Patreon and get yourself some monthly goodies. You can submit a request to have the bookstore carry your books here. And if you are ever in Kenosha, make sure to stop by the bookstore and say hi!
Before You Burn This Letter
Here is a picture of me with one of the Studio Moonfall interns at Author Nation, what a troublemaker.
