Sold out author

MY INVENTORY at the recently concluded Iloilo Mega Book Fair were mostly my books and some merchandise that tested my brand as #ThePSN.

My books were mostly those titles published in the last ten years.

The latest of which were in 2021.

They mostly sold out before the end of Day 2 in the four-day book fair.

***

The book fair was open from 10am to 9pm, like the mall hours of venue Iloilo Festive Walk.

And for decency, I open early at 10am everyday.

But I was hardly open until 8pm except on the last day.

It was because I got dinner dates on the first three nights.

But mostly because I sold out everyday.

***

What does it mean to be a “sold out author” at the book fair?

For me, it only means that people were buying me until there was no more me to be sold.

It means that people bought all the books I wanted to sell.

Most of my books were priced at P400.

Two titles were priced at P800.

And for those out of print books (25 to 30 years old) that were once sold for P40 0r P10 at BookSale, I priced at P200.

***

Do I believe there are book buyers in Iloilo?

No, I wasn’t very confident of my buyers when I joined the book fair.

In fact, I was decided I wouldn’t make money at the book fair.

That I would only be there to establish my presence in Iloilo.

This is the sixth Iloilo book fair, yet only my first participation.

I was in the US for all the previous book fairs.

***

Even with my sold out status— meaning I was able to sell all my stocks, I still felt there aren’t enough book buyers in Iloilo.

Book lovers, yes.

Book readers, yes.

But book buyers, I still believe they are very few.

I mean, most other booksellers would have sold out too if there were plenty of buyers.

***

On the last day of the fair, I bought P1,500 worth of books.

Two new titles: “Ang Hangaway kag ang Higante” by my friend Bryan Mari Argos who came all the way from Roxas City to launch his book; and “Artfully Speaking & Other Essays” by my longtime online friend Jerry Yapo from UPLB.

***

I also bought several previously-owned books from such authors as Akutagawa (“Rashomon and Other Stories”), August Wilson, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Gore Vidal.

I’m pretty sure I have Rashomon in some other newer edition.

But this is a 1954 edition, so I bought it for the vintage feel.

***

I’m pretty sure I have Vidal’s “The Judgement of Paris” in hardcover.

My late husband was a big fan of the writer; and I inherited his whole Vidal library.

But this is a 1976 paperback of the 1953 original.

It’s easier to carry through airports.

I’m pretty sure I have the 1953 original in my balikbayan box somewhere. 

***

I am a book buyer, even if I probably should stop buying more books.

I have enough books to last me a lifetime.

I may even have more than enough books that I could not read before I die.

***

Anyway, back to the idea of being a sold out author at the Iloilo Mega Book Fair.

Let’s just say that I have sold enough books for me to buy a P35,000 bahay kubo to establish land ownership in another part of town.

I sold P17,020 worth of books and merchandise on Day 1.

I only sold P1,460 on Day 2 because I was out of books to sell.

I went home to Dumangas on Friday afternoon to gather all other books I could sell, including my vintage books from 1993.

***

On Day 3, I made P12,450 from my new stocks.

And I made P6,760 on Day 4 mostly from merchandise because the books sold out pretty early.

(If you are wondering about the 20s, and 60s, and 50s in my sales, it’s probably from the postcards and other merchandise. Haha.)

***

Most of the people who bought my books have followed my career.

There were only ten or twelve who randomly bought my books.

Like those guests from NBDB, the National Book Development Board.

Like that woman from UP Cebu who returned the following day to buy more books.

Like that bookseller/exhibitor from Aklan who was my first ever costumer at the fair; and who also bought one of the last remaining books.

***

A writer-doctor from Koronadal City bought a lot of my books.

Probably my single biggest sale from the fair.

It could just be P3,200; but he was buying old titles from maybe 10-15 years ago.

***

There’s an Ilongga who visited me three times during the four-day fair.

She may have spent P3,800 or maybe P4,000 on my books.

The story of the P200 difference is simple—

She added P100 for every book that’s not meant to be sold. Haha./PN