Parisian Phoenix Publishing

Yesterday I spoke a little about the synchronicity that happens when you meet people and remember who they are and what they do.

Those connections are what makes a small business successful. Connections build awareness, trust and word-of-mouth.

The history and the business stuff

In about a month, I will observe two milestones:

1. The three-year anniversary of Parisian Phoenix Publishing
2. The one-year anniversary of my lay-off from Stitch Fix

My lay-off from my job folding clothes at Stitch Fix (where I did most of my brainstorming and podcast listening that gave me the knowledge to build this publishing company) ‘forced’ me into trying to do this for real. I asked myself– can I survive off the book publishing business and the extra editing and freelancing journalism jobs I find?

So far, the answer is almost.

Every month I list ALL my assets and ALL my debts and even though cash flow suggests that the numbers should not add up, somehow I have the same exact amount of debt and the same amount of debt I had when Stitch Fix closed our warehouse. My financial spreadsheet for the business suggests that we have made between $300 and $500 a month, and those figures include the extra income from editing and writing clients, even though they do not have books with us.

Thanks to the support to everyone who buys books, the business is not only surviving but seems to be growing.

Reflections after burgers

Last night, I took Eva Parry, the author of Shuffling and Scribbling, out for burgers at Dairy Queen. I cook primarily vegetarian, and Eva is a textbook carnivore and we both enjoy DQ burgers. They sent me a BOGO coupon last week and Eva has a lot of clients this weekend (she’s a in-home pet caregiver, dog walker, and animal trainer) so it felt like a good way to fortify ourselves.

The BOGO was for their ‘stackburgers,’ and they also have the small burgers on the two for $5 mix and match menu. We each got a big burger and a small burger (I saved my small burger for later) and an order of cheese curds to share. I also got a mini frosted animal cookie blizzard (which was probably a mistake because I can’t chew cold things on either side of my mouth right now.)

After the coupon, the bill came to $27.21. And the burgers will be the base for two meals. I beat myself up over my choice to go get burgers because $30 is about my current weekly grocery budget and I’m overweight and should not be eating fast food burgers and manufactured ice cream.

But when I got home, I got an email from my friends at Blue Flame Events Retail Store at the Palmer Park Mall in Easton, Pa., where we have our vendor shelf. We sold two more books in July! And we made:

$27.12

A note on strategy

Now, the beauty of the numbers, in my mind, is the universe saying, “It’s okay. Enjoy the occasional burger and ice cream.” “Celebrate the small wins and live a little.”

And some of you are probably thinking, “Wow, she needs to relax if she’s stressing out over one fast food meal.” (And you wouldn’t be wrong.)

I chose to join the Blue Flame Events Retail Store because of the effort Kim and Tim put not only into the store, curating the vendors, and making everything look and feel welcoming, but also because of the presence they have, the dedication and creativity they put into marketing.

Any event attended or commitment made by an author or publisher carries its own risks and advantages. Craft fairs can be advantageous if you know the market. You wouldn’t show up to a motorcycle rally selling treadmills. I have found children’s books do well at vendor events if they look good and the creators know how to talk them up, but even that can vary year-to-year, event-to-event. Sometimes it pays to be “the only author,” but sometimes people just aren’t there to buy books.

Book fairs and festivals can lead to an author or publisher not standing out, as one of many. But then sometimes the right pitch can mean great success. If you figure out what people want, and what people are buying, reeling them in can yield results. At the Flemington Book Festival, I noticed most of the people buying books were women ages 20-45. When I started telling them I wrote “horror with a woman’s touch,” I sold a dozen novels.

Even Barnes and Noble can be risky. A store that anchors a shopping center, like the one in the Southmont Shopping Center in Bethlehem Township, Pa., draws people who specifically came to the plaza for books. But in the Lehigh Valley Mall, a lot of their shoppers (especially right now) are people curious about the remodel or waiting for a table at The Cheesecake Factory. And at the Promenade Shoppes in Saucon Valley? Those visitors have so many eclectic, high-end shops and restaurants that I don’t think their interest is books. Many people stop by for a cup of coffee or the bathroom because the eateries are expensive and there’s not much standard cheap fare in the area.

So, I invested in Blue Flame Events because they had an accessible facility, centrally-located with easy parking. And I know their marketing is spot on. But I know shoppers at the store are probably looking for gifts. They don’t enter the store looking for books. But it’s one more physical location where people can find the books. And it’s more exposure. I am grateful to work with Kim and Tim and hope their efforts will continue to pay for my occasional burger.