The Surrender Book Launch

The moment you've been waiting for has arrived at last...

I'll be the first person to admit I'm a slow writer. Between my day job and marketing the books I've already published, it isn't always easy to squeeze in my daily word count. Factor in that plus the fact that I suffered a crippling bout of writer's block while working on the first draft of Surrender: The Chronicles of Servitude Book 3, and now you understand why it has been two long years since Sacrifice: The Chronicles of Servitude Book 2 arrived on your bookshelves.

I am deeply sorry for leaving you all hanging. I'm happy to say that Bobby Roland is back, all safe and sound (a.k.a. In Constant Danger), and now you have the opportunity to read his latest exploits as he battles his new nemesis, an individual you will learn much more about in Surrender:

Bobby Roland has spread himself too thin.

Bobby has finally found a demoniac to cleanse. Before the exorcism is complete, he learns that someone is plotting the assassination of a local humanist leader.

When Bobby’s enemy, Thane, appears at a party with threats to kill everyone, Bobby realizes he can’t save them all on his own. But Bobby doesn’t give up easily. He flees town to find help and discovers it in the most unexpected of places.

Can Bobby and his new friend save everyone before it’s too late?

Surrender may be purchased in the following formats:

Paperback

Kindle

Nook

Kobo

iBooks

If you haven't yet read Servant: The Chronicles of Servitude Book 1 or Sacrifice: The Chronicles of Servitude Book 2, they are available here in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

ALSO, if you happen to live in or near the Cincinnati area, I'm having a Surrender Book Launch Book Signing on Saturday, October 21 from 9:30am to 1:30pm at Everything Bagels in Eastgate, Ohio, located at 792 Eastgate South Dr. Suite 200 Cincinnati, OH 45245. Everyone is more than welcome to attend!

As usual, happy reading!

--J. S. Bailey

Fear is Just Around the Corner

Surrender: The Chronicles of Servitude Book 3 will be releasing on October 20, but for those who absolutely cannot wait another few days to get some new Bailey stories in their hands, you're in luck!

I contributed three all-new stories as well as some backstory to the horror/comedy anthology The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove, which is available now in hardcover, softcover, and ebook formats! Proceeds benefit Reading is Fundamental, so be sure to get your copy today!

Softcover

Hardcover

Kindle

Kobo

Nook

Graves Grove isn’t your ordinary town…

Nestled within the folds of the Canadian Rockies, Graves Grove probably isn’t the picturesque place you’d like to stay for long. Peculiar things happen here. The citizens seem normal superficially—they function well enough. But each one is deeply disturbed, wrapped in secrets and neuroses which drive them to strange behaviors.

And then there are all the missing children. And why is everyone afraid of that sycamore tree?

The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove is an anthology of stories taking place throughout the history of this mysterious town, from its founding to its future. Read them…if you dare.

Cincinnati Comic Expo: A Recap

It's been two weeks since the start of the Cincinnati Comic Expo, which was held at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Downtown Cincinnati from September 22-24. It was my first time attending, so I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since I was a vendor selling my own books. Would any attendees be interested in supernatural suspense novels? I figured they would be, but I didn't know, so some risk was involved there. I did split the cost of an exhibitor booth with fellow author A. Charles Ross, which turned out to be a splendid idea since one of us could hold down the fort while the other went exploring the rest of the Expo.

As it turned out, I sold enough books to cover the cost of my half of the table (but not the exorbitant cost of parking--alas!). Overall, it was a great investment. I came SO CLOSE to breaking even, and since I'll have a new book out soon, next year I will probably do even better.

Here are a few things I did that I think helped with sales.

1. I marked down the cost of my books.

I normally sell my trade paperbacks for $17, which includes sales tax. For the Comic Expo, I marked the price down to $15 including tax and had signs clearly stating that this was a Special Convention Price. This gave people a reason to buy my books right then and not later.

2. I made signs summarizing each book.

I typed up a brief summary of each book I had for sale and listed authors and TV shows that were similar to each story. This helped tell people about the books for those times when I couldn't be in the booth to talk about them myself.

3. I bribed people with cool bags.

I ordered a hefty batch of reusable shopping bags with my name and website on them (Big shout-out to Uncover Creative for designing them!), then made a sign telling people that they could get a free bag if they bought three or more of my books. I had at least five people take me up on the offer, which amounted to quite a few books sold!

4. I handed out bookmarks.

Foot traffic was a little slow during certain times at the Expo. During those instances, A. Charles Ross and I stood out in front of our booth passing bookmarks out to the few people passing us by. One man who would have passed us by without looking ended up buying ALL of our titles after we gave him free bookmarks. Not too shabby!

5. I had clearly-marked signage.

I recently had my publisher, BHC Press, design a table drape and retractable banner (a.k.a. My Giant Face) for my events. The table drape and banner clearly state that I write supernatural suspense, and My Giant Face on the banner was so captivating that one girl saw it from across the room and thought it was her own face that someone stole off the internet and turned into a banner. (She had brown hair and glasses, too.) Another woman noticed My Giant Face and said that I looked like I could be one of her sisters. My doppelgangers didn't buy any books, but at least I know that my retractable banner is noticeable!

6. I talked to lots and lots and lots of people.

In fact, I talked to so many people that my throat was raw and rasping by the time the Expo was over. I used about 70,000 cough drops over the weekend just to maintain the ability to speak. I still sounded like a frog as the event came to a close. But that's good--that means so many more people know about my books now!

In all, I sold 15 copies of Ordinary Souls, 10 copies of Rage's Echo, 6 copies of Servant, and 5 copies of Sacrifice. I can use these numbers as a benchmark to surpass at next year's Cincinnati Comic Expo.

Have any of you sold books at conventions? What tips would you add here?