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You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em

10/30/2017

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Years ago I used to do a show in Dana Point, California. It was a beautiful location right by the ocean. From my booth I could see the tall ship Pilgrim. I sold pretty well at this show.

For a variety of reasons (mostly that I kept forgetting to sign up), I stopped doing this show. Well, this year I thought I should do it again. My reasoning was that my newer artwork more reflected the location. I am doing much more nautical art and I figured it would be a great fit at this show.

I got up early the morning of setup and arrived at the show location 10 minutes before the allowed setup time. I like to do this whenever possible just because it is easier to setup when you don't have to contend with your neighbors.

When I got to the check-in area, there was no one there. Not even the usual line of vendor vehicles waiting to get in. Did I get the date wrong? No, there were lots of barricades up and other pre-show stuff going on.

I found the person in charge and I was in the right place, I was just the first one there. They showed me to my space and I started setting up. About 20 minutes later a few other vendors started straggling in.

Then I noticed who the other vendors were...

There was the window replacement contractor, and the local credit union, and the made in China seller, and the made in Vietnam seller, and, well, you get the idea. When I had a chance to walk the show, I found that maybe 5 out of 50 or so vendors actually made their own stuff.

There were many other changes to this show as well. Like music that didn't fit the theme, and making visitors pay to get into all of the event except the vendor section.

Needless to say, my sales were not very good. And, I was really disappointed.

And what did I learn from this experience?

Two things: First, shows change and you've gotta know when to keep doing them and when to stop. And second, heed my own advice. Investigate a show before doing it.

If you want to avoid the mistake I made, get this book, The 35 Questions to Ask Before Applying to a Show:

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Clearing the log jam of creativity

12/6/2014

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The Shy Artist's 2015 Art Show Planner
I have been fighting with my computers recently. All three of them. My favorite old desktop is still running Windows XP and has everything on it exactly the way I like it. However, it is getting old and slow. My newer laptop keeps crashing. The blue screen of death rears its ugly head on occasion. It is not talking to the printer and it is really slow. Slower than my antique desktop. Lastly, there's my notebook. It used to be a Windows XP machine, but now it's a Linux mint machine. The computer itself works just fine, but I had let my neighbor borrow it for a few months and it came back with really sticky keys.

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Tuesday Tips for Artists - How to respond to "I love your work"

10/21/2014

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Hope you enjoy this infographic with ideas on how to respond to that all too common sentence that customers say, "Oh, I just love your work!" My book, "The Shy Artist's Guide to Answering Questions" has dozens more ideas for responses to common questions and comments. If you have trouble talking to your customers, this is the book for you. Go buy it and use it!
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Why is it so expensive to have your art in a gallery?

10/20/2014

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The Shy Artist's Guide to What Galleries Want
Why is it so expensive to have your work in a gallery?
As a former gallery owner, I heard that or similar questions all the time. Why do galleries take 50% of what your work sells for? Wouldn’t I make more money if I just sold it myself? Gee, I should be a gallery owner so I can make a bunch of money!

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Friday Freebie - How to Find Free Amazon Kindle Books

10/10/2014

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Like myself, many authors will sell their Kindle ebooks for free for a couple of days as a way to get their sales ranking to go higher. We also hope that the people who got the book will leave a review.

The selection changes every day so you can always find something interesting. If you like to read, this is a great opportunity to score free e-books. Watch the video tutorial to see how it's done.
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When Inspiration Strikes...

5/6/2014

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A is for Artist
Friday night I was watching a marketing webinar on how to publish and market books. I already knew most of what they were saying, so I was only half listening in case something interesting came up. While I was listening, my brain was working. All of a sudden something triggered a plethora of ideas. I started madly writing things down so I wouldn’t lose them.

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Never judge a book by its cover

7/30/2013

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It's about halfway through the Art-A-Fair Festival. This is the summer long art show in Laguna Beach, California that I have been doing for many years. Over the nine weeks of this show I talk to quite a few people.

Some are artists, some are not. If I spend enough time talking to the person, and if I think it's appropriate, I show them my latest book, The Shy Artist's Guide to Answering Questions.

What has surprised me is who ends up purchasing one of my books.

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So Many Questions - So Many Answers

4/18/2013

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The Shy Artist's Guide to Answering Questions
There's something a little bit scary about clicking the button. The button that says, "Okay, I'm ready to send this out into the world.

I just did that today. I clicked the button. I approved the final version of my next book.

This is a very similar feeling to completing a piece of artwork. You know ... that moment when you sign your name to the piece declaring IT IS DONE.

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Last show of the season!

12/11/2011

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I just finished doing my last show for the year. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief and get back to writing the next book.

I am working on the book about how to answer those annoying questions and comments you get from customers. So, if any of you have any interesting stories to tell, please let me know.

I am looking for questions or comments that you commonly hear AND how you respond. I'd also like to hear about any strange or out of the ordinary comments.
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My First ISBN number!

6/13/2011

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I am so excited! I just got my very first ISBN number for my first published book, The Shy Artist's Guide to What Galleries Want. I guess that now make me an officially published author. How cool is that!
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    Loretta Alvarado, Fiber Artist

    About the Author

    Helping artists and crafters improve their sales, one word at a time.

    Loretta Alvarado is the author of several business for artists books. She spends most of her time in her studio making art and writing. But you can sometimes find her on Facebook.



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