Rosalie Gilbert

What a freaking headache QR codes are. All of the "free" places are 100% free... for a limited time only, and I've needed to make some for the next book so I can have the sources and full image gallery online, but I sure don't fancy paying the best part of $60 a year to keep it happening. My cut of book sales is very modest, and it's not where I want to spend my money. I'd rather pay to support Dreamwidth for my accounts (which I do anyway.)

Luckily, I did find a really good work around.

Vistaprint, where I get all my bookmarks, cards, pull-up banners and bits and pieces from now offers a QR code generator. I suspect that the codes only stay active and saved if you have used them to print on something, so I made them and then printed a small run of them which I can use to stick onto things that I've already printed. In the case of the Very Secret Sex Lives of medieval Women book, I can just stick them in the back of the book for any stock that's going to the museum bookshop or to book signings, so that's fine.

The new Single Medieval Women book will have them printed in the back for both the sources and the bonus image gallery, but for book signings where there are other little things, I can pop them on the back of cards or bookmarks where appropriate. People who get a free bookmark might pop into the image gallery and decide they'd like to buy a book to see more information.

It's all a tax deduction anyway, so it's not costing me too much compared to other things in life.

With all the fiasco surrounding the collapse of Booktopia and buy out by a new owner who kept the name but didn't honour any of the previous orders, myself included, I've had no stock here in Australia.

Finally me shipment arrived from America, books plus import tax and the total was not a great price. I have been selling books to the museum shoppe which has always supported me and allowed them to make a bigger profit from the books than I do, just so I can help the museum raise more money, but now my total cost is the entire of what they buy them from me for. I hope they'll still be interested in buying them from me as I can't see them importing from the publisher directly.

Apparently, there is to be a new warehouse in Australia which isn't Booktopia, so fingers crossed things are a bit more affordable.

Look, I know we are all sick of hearing about it, but by now we all understand the challenges I've faced with publishing and the front cover of my book. This week I had dealings with a venue which was hoping to sell my book over the course of a medieval event, but, in an exceptionally tactless way, informed me that they felt the cover was (and I quote) "A bit on the nose" and that it wasn't suitable for a family-friendly festival in their gift shop.

I completely understand that the original cover screams SEX in large, unwieldy letters, which is one of the reasons I printed a dust jacket. That and the nipple censorship thing, of course.

The venue was not particularly happy with the dust jacket either, so with an extremely limited time frame, I got this one off to the printer for a new dust jacket. The venue conceded that this one was (and again, I quote) "A bit better." They insist that the book be wrapped somehow so it can't be perused by potential customers. I really would have just given it all a solid miss for the way they feel, except for the fact that they are actually potentially interested in stocking my book all year round.

Anyway, I'm now waiting for these to arrive, so I can trim them and wrap the books with their new "bit better, less on the nose" jackets.

See what I did there? BOOK-ings? Oh, all right, it wasn't that funny.

I'm pretty excited though, because my first speakers booking for next year is in. By first, I mean on top of my regular every-year-booking bookings. This is a brand new one. There's a women's friendship group in Brisbane who have their monthly meetings with a guest speaker and I'd been recommended as an entertaining speaker with an interesting topic! That looks like February. The group does an incredible amount of outings and activities for women who are new to the area. It seems like a really great group. They have interstate trips as well as attend cultural events as a group. I usually waive the speakers fee for women's groups but since people do tend to buy books at my talks, I'm hoping that they will permit sales instead.

In other book news, Booktopia, my Australian distributor has let me know that they have only a few copies of my book in stock and with Xmas around the corner, will be asking my American publishers guys for a reprinting of my book. I know the first print run wasn't massive, but I feel that it's a small achievement in my world! My concern here is that if my local museum calls out for more books right before Xmas for their events, I may not have enough to give them and have for other things without ordering from the States. If I order directly from the publisher, the sales don't count, as I could be just hoarding them to book my sales numbers, but honestly, who has money for that? If I buy my stock from Booktopia, the sales count which affects my rankings and recommendations on Amazon which keeps visibility and therefore impulse sales happening.

In even more book news, I've gathered my courage and emailled the gift shop of the Victorian Medieval Festival in December to ask whether they might like some of my books in stock so I can so author signings while I'm at the festival but not have to handle the actual sales. I make more money doing the sales, but I'm super keen to do the bathhouse, and can sign books if people by them at the gift shop.

As usual, I'm expecting a push back of "We Are A Family Festival And Your Book Is Quite Sexy!" but I'm hoping that since I pointed out the sales figures for the last festival, they'll see dollar signs instead. You'll know how that goes if you start seeing me promote it on social media as an exciting opportunity to get your copy Signed By The Author, which still makes me giggle a bit when people mean me.

Further news on the Braille Library of Australia copy of my book. Still being proofread. Apparently proofreading and then making error adjustments is a big process! Having it even available in Braille cracks me up endlessly.

Fingers crossed for all of those things.

Well, here we are all composited into one picture! It's been impossible to get everyone together for a group photo, so that will wait until the Saturday morning at the festival. Thank goodness for digital technology.

It was a bit of fun making this, but cutting everyone out and pasting us together is time consuming. Still, it's a nice break from sewing! 

I've given the ladies the option to mask up or not, but it's a bit covid-y out and I will be. I usually hope for correct shoes, but quite frankly, I'm feeling that since we are in the Marketplace and not re-enactors (for me this year) that gumboots and dry feet are quite okay also. 

It's looking very wet on the grounds and today I would have been setting up my tent but it's too wet. I've got all my fingers crossed that it's not raining on Thursday for the grand setting up. I've packed extra surcote and hoods for warmth. I thing we will need them.