Your cart is currently empty!
Home
You’re invited!
Take a walk on the “Wilde” side with Calia Wilde — author of biker romance, science fiction, paranormal, and more, but always with misfits, outcasts, anti-heroes, and naughty souls.
-
Error!
Here’s a little secret about me. I have terrible aversion to making mistakes. Another secret (actually not a secret) is that I MAKE MISTAKES.
And this one was a DOOZY! It began like this:
I was in a rush. Or bit off too much to chew, or simply underestimated how much time and effort I needed to have/create space for in order to do all the things I wanted to do for Dreaming Dirty in Maryland. I’ll post the list farther down so you can see what I mean by this. But the result was AWFUL.
I’d planned on giving away VIP digital books and at-table freebies in digital form. Of course, a “wise author” would also want to collect emails and get those interested few included in the newsletter groups so they can information from me in the future. It’s a “thing” okay? Anyway, I set up links in BookFunnel, created the QR codes, printed labels to stick on book marks, and effed up royally.
See, what happened was this: I duplicated two landing pages I thought would do the job. But they were really restricted pages, which meant you had to be ON the mailing list first, THEN be able to get the book rather than sign up to get the book. (in plainer words, it was a great big WALL of my STUPIDITY blocking the wonderful people at Dreaming Dirty in Maryland from getting their free stuff.) UGH.
I’m trying to fix that now. Below is the Town Princess link with SIGN UP to download. Once you get that book, and verify your email signup, the link for the VIP book (Dueling Flames) WILL/should work. If it doesn’t, I’mma gonna pack up my sh*t and hide for a few weeks, okay? (insert silent screaming here)
TL;DR
I effed up: Link for FREEBIE HERE
*note this is a newsletter signup opt-in offer.
Once you get that book, come back here and click the link below for the VIP book.
And here are some photos of the event:
My table buddy’s, Jenny Allen, display. She does paranormal CSI with vampires and the books are THICK so you’re getting a ton of good writing for the money. Obligatory photo of me behind the table. And a photo of the raffle basket giveaway. Proceeds from the raffle went to a local women’s shelter and to aid victims of domestic violence.
AAP events was an amazing partner in all this, putting on such a large event with grace, efficiency, and wonderful support for authors of all tiers. 10 out of 10 highly recommend.
What it took to pull this off
Preordering content
- Order books
- inventory existing books
- Order more books because my inventory is low
- order a display rack to “lift” content off the table
- order labels for glassware promo swag
- order more glassware because I didn’t think I had enough
- Order a stretchy tablecloth (that I used to cover the next item)
- Realize that I won’t be able to carry everything, order a hand cart, but not just any hand cart, one that my musician soulmate can use for gigs. So it not only has to be able to carry books, but bass amps, etc.
- Ordered magnets for VIP
- Found out there are more VIP tickets sold, bought stickers
- Found out MORE VIP tickets sold, watched for DEALS at StickerMule and BOUGHT MORE STICKERS!
- Should I edit the back matter of the giveaway books? I should… Do I have time? No. (Action deferred until another day!)
- Then bough key chain pieces because it still wasn’t enough.
- Whoops, forgot to order bookmarks! Looked at options, compared prices, Asked “Why would ANYONE need a 9” book mark and caught an idea for a design… (two hours later…)
- Whoops, wanted to order QR labels, but then forgot I hadn’t set up the pages yet
- I really should change that back matter…
- What do you mean I have one week left? Where did the time go? OMFG!!!
- Wait, I thought I had a week left. It’s FRIDAY? (and here is where the mistake happened.) F$%#. No back matter change. How do I get this QR code? What do you mean my pages expired? UGH. Duplicate them call it good, done is better than perfect right?
- QR CODES LABELS OMG I’M LATE FOR MY HAIR APPOINTMENT
Display, giveaways, and “for fun”
- Spent some time browsing rack options and decided on a black shelf and book shelf brackets instead – OH and for that author who asked WHERE DID YOU GET THAT AMAZING EXPANDABLE BOOK END UNIT (click link)
- Bought a cute little skull coin purse for the gift basket
- Bought gift basket “stuff” to make it pretty including gold foil tissue, ribbon, confetti, and bow. (didn’t use the ribbon because I lost it in the bags of stuff)
- Went to the liquor store. (IYKYK) got apple pie moonshine in little bottles, then questioned my life for a bit. Bought wine for me.
- Bought TWO big bags of candy (chocolate and Jolly Ranchers, because variety is AWESOME)
- Bought ANOTHER black table cloth, which I LOST at the show. That’s okay, it was for a good cause.
- Bought a black candy bowl, because candy needs a candy bowl, obviously.
- Bought an inket printer because I procrastinated on setting up the QR code landing pages AND ordering the labels so had to print them myself (good investment, though) and
- Bought labels and matte photo paper for signs.
- DIDN’T buy a banner. Too expensive.
- DIDN’T buy the fancy skull book ends, too expensive, not enough room
- Set up the display on my buffet table (which is only 18 inches deep and found out I had TOO MUCH STUFF!
- Packed books, unpacked books
- Wrapped books in cool black wrapping paper
- Packed swag, unpacked swag, put swag in great little boxes, then realized I don’t know what swag is what so unpacked and labeled the dang things.
- Packed the tools, needed the tools, unpacked them repacked them
- Assembled the gift basket
- Researched how to write a GREAT blind date with a book description
- Did the blind date book descriptions
Playing Dress-up
- Did my nails with skull nail wraps from Lily and Fox that I’d been saving for this event
- Got my hair blowout and trim (otherwise it would have been swamp witch frizzy)
- My cute glitter wing tunic shirt smelled odd, so rewashed it but since it “air dries” only had to get “creative” on how to get it dry before the event
- Dug out my faux leather stretchy pants and prayed they’d fit
- Dug out the F(*^*^%^%ng Spanx. They DIDN’T FIT and were uncomfortable as heck, dug out the gentler version and still hated my life
- Dug out black socks that weren’t too hot, they had bleach splotches, found a different pair
- Black bra was in the bathroom drying on the rack, had to make do with nude.
- Make-up. UGH, that foundation is old… Where is my lip pencil?
- Why did I buy lip stain? It sucks.
- What color of eyeshadow? MIKE HELP?!?!!! I can’t make any more decisions!
- Extra deoderant because I was sweating my bits off rushing around so much
