I celebrate my birthday all month long, and what a treat it was to begin August by attending the Slasher Market in Redlands, California, on August 1, 2026.
This was my first official market as an author.
Now, mind you, I have attended book fairs before, including the Louisville Book Festival and Latina Fest. I count those as two author events under my belt, but they were not quite the same as a vendor market. Slasher Market brought together all kinds of vendors under one deliciously spooky theme: slashers, horror, Halloween, and everything dark and macabre.
When I saw the application, I immediately thought it could be a good fit for The Ordinary Bruja, my witchy, spooky, Dominican horror novel.
Lately, I have been intentionally applying to events that are not exclusively book festivals but still align with the atmosphere and readership of my work. If an event embraces horror, witchy vibes, gothic stories, or the wonderfully strange, I want to explore whether my books belong there.
Slasher Market felt like the perfect place to experiment.
Building the Author Career I Want After Retirement
One reason I am leaning into markets and in-person events is because this is something I want to pursue more seriously after I retire.
I already sell my books through my online store, and IngramSpark distributes them widely. However, I want to do more than simply make my books available online. I want to put them directly into readers’ hands. I want to talk about the stories, meet the people who are drawn to them, and discover which spaces allow my books to find their audience.
When I retire, I will have more time to write, produce new books, market my work, and attend events. Right now, I am leaning forward into that future. Every market gives me an opportunity to practice, experiment, and figure out what being a full-time independent author could look like for me.
Rather than judging my first market solely by the number of books sold, I decided beforehand that I would treat it as a lessons-learned experience.
That mindset made all the difference.
I Prepared for Awkward Silence, but Got Genuine Interest Instead
Honestly, I arrived feeling a little pessimistic.
I prepared myself for the possibility that no one would stop at my booth. I imagined myself sitting there awkwardly, unsure where to look while people passed without engaging.
The complete opposite happened.
People came over. They looked at the books. They asked questions. They picked them up and read the back covers. Some stayed for long conversations, while others gave the table a quick glance before moving on.
Both responses taught me something.
The longer conversations showed me what readers were curious about. The brief glances reminded me that this is exactly how people browse books in stores. Some readers know immediately that a book is not for them. Others need to study the cover, title, description, and genre before deciding.
I didn’t see this as rejection. I simply saw it as the natural process of finding the right reader.
The Title The Ordinary Bruja Did Its Job
One of my favorite interactions happened when a customer looked at The Ordinary Bruja and told me, “There’s no such thing as an ordinary bruja. I’ve dated a few, and they’re nothing but extraordinary.”
I laughed because that is precisely why the title works.
The Ordinary Bruja is an oxymoron. Marisol wants so desperately to be ordinary that she rejects the parts of herself that make her different. She does not understand that denying her inheritance will not make it disappear and that becoming fully herself may be the only way to save the people she loves.
That conversation confirmed something important for me: the title caught people’s attention.
The cover worked, too.
I also brought Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring and the Six Months That Changed Everything, and its cover attracted readers as well. Both covers encouraged people to stop, pick up the books, turn them over, and read the descriptions.
As an independent author, seeing those real-time reactions was incredibly valuable. Online, it can be difficult to know exactly why someone pauses on a book or scrolls past it. At a market, I could watch the decision-making process unfold right in front of me.
Books Versus Tacos: The Ultimate Market Competition
I also witnessed customers making some very serious financial decisions.
Do they buy a book, or do they get tacos from the vendor next to me?
Most chose the tacos.
Honestly, I do not blame them. It was hot, they smelled amazing, and people needed to eat.
Some customers chose the books. Others chose both books and tacos, which means everyone won.
Selling at a market taught me that books are not only competing with other books. They are competing with food, art, clothing, collectibles, and every other temptation surrounding the customer. That does not mean the books failed to attract attention. It means readers are making choices within a limited budget and an environment filled with interesting things.
My job is not to pressure them. My job is to make it as easy as possible for the right reader to understand what my book offers.
The Marketing Materials I Need for My Next Author Event
One of the first questions someone asked me was whether I had a business card.
I did not.
The conversation quickly moved into questions about how I would feel if my book became a movie, and I realized I was not prepared for that kind of networking opportunity. I had focused so much on whether people would buy books that I had not fully considered the other connections that could happen at an event.
That was lesson number one: I need business cards.
Another lesson was that I need short, visible book descriptions on the table.
Several people asked me what the books were about. I was happy to explain, but not every reader wants to begin a conversation. Some people are shy. Some prefer to browse quietly. Others may be interested but feel uncomfortable asking questions.
At future events, I plan to display small recommendation cards beside each book, similar to the handwritten staff-pick cards you see in bookstores.
They might say things such as:
“Perfect for readers who love social horror, family secrets, ancestral magic, and complicated women.”
Or:
“For readers who want a witchy coming-of-age story about belonging, grief, identity, and reclaiming your power.”
Those cards will allow people to understand the book without having to ask for a full pitch. They can read, consider, and decide at their own pace.
Creating a comfortable experience for both talkative and quiet readers is something I want to prioritize.
I Sold Four Books and My Highest-Priced Bundle
Before the market, I worried that I would not sell anything.
Instead, I sold four books.
I sold one copy of Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring, two individual paperback copies of The Ordinary Bruja, and one $30 book bundle.
The bundle was the highest-priced offering at my booth and the upsell I hoped someone would choose. Seeing it sell was incredibly encouraging because it showed me that readers were willing to purchase more than the basic paperback when the package felt worthwhile.
Four books may not sound like an enormous number to everyone, but for my first market, it felt meaningful.
Those were four books placed directly into readers’ hands.
They were four people—or households—who chose my stories among all the other things they could have purchased that day. More importantly, every sale gave me information I can use to improve the next event.
Physically Exhausting, Creatively Energizing
The event took place outside in approximately 110-degree heat.
It was physically exhausting.
By the end of the day, I was tired, overheated, and ready to rest. Even the following morning, I could still feel the toll the weather and long day had taken on me.
And yet, the experience was also exhilarating.
Every person who stopped at my booth was interested in books. I had the chance to talk with readers, explain my stories, listen to their comments, and connect with fellow book lovers.
That kind of social interaction energizes me.
Writing is often solitary. Independent publishing can be solitary, too. Markets create an opportunity to step outside the quiet work of drafting, editing, formatting, and marketing and remember why the work matters.
There are readers on the other side of the page.
My First Slasher Market Was a Win
I have nothing negative to say about my experience at Slasher Market.
I learned that my book titles and covers can stop people. I learned that readers are willing to engage with my stories. I learned that I need business cards and visible book descriptions. I learned that bundles can sell. I learned that some customers will choose tacos, some will choose books, and the truly ambitious will choose both.
Most of all, I learned that I enjoy doing this.
My first market gave me a glimpse of the author life I am building toward: writing books, creating meaningful stories, meeting readers, and finding new ways to share my work beyond the internet.
It was hot. It was exhausting. It was exciting.
And I cannot wait to do it again.
Want to get the books?
The Ordinary Bruja: Book One of Las Cerradoras Series – Johanny Ortega
Marisol Espinal has spent her life trying to disappear from her family’s whispers of magic, from the shame of not belonging, from the truth she refuses to face. She’s always wanted to be someone else: confident, capable, extraordinary.
But when strange visions, flickering shadows, and warnings written in her mother’s hand begin to stalk her, Marisol is forced to confront her deepest fear: what if she isn’t extraordinary at all? What if she’s painfully ordinary?
Yet Hallowthorn Hill doesn’t call to just anyone. And the more Marisol resists, the stronger its pull becomes. The past she’s buried claws its way back, and something in the mist is watching—waiting for her to remember.
If Marisol cannot face the truth about who she is and where she comes from, the same darkness that destroyed her ancestors will claim her, too.
Somewhere in the shadows, something knows her name.
And it’s time for Marisol to learn why.
1st and 2nd Edition Copies of “Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring and The Six Months that Changed Everything” by Johanny Ortega
‘Mrs. Franchy’s Evil Ring’, a captivating middle-grade novel tailored for young readers aged 9-12. Join Isla on her inspiring journey of self-discovery and understanding. Get your copy today!
Leave a Reply