Four years ago I started writing a heist fantasy trilogy where thievery is a legal, regulated sport. In short (and this was my pitch I used at the con): 30 years prior to the books, electricity (dynamo) was discovered. Copper became the top currency overnight, upending industry and the economy. The struggle became violent, and a system of sanctioned thievery to contribute to the public good was founded.

I used the con to reveal the title of my third book, even though no one except friends who showed up knew who the hells I was. Book 1: thieves overthrow the government. Book 2: the repercussions. Book 3: all out war for society’s future.

90 copies at a con of 30,000 (GalaxyCon) isn’t a lot… but it felt REALLY good to get in front of people and show them some of the magic (dynamo, damnit) I put into my books. You can see some of it from the pics, where I designed a setup to look like an upscale stolen goods stall. A few things I did (other than the pitch) to build up engagement:

1. Signage! All of the prints (artwork, front vinyl banner, top 'shop' sign) were Walgreens if you’ll believe it.  
2. The colors I chose (god I miss Jo-Ann Fabric) are very common/popular in the books. My cover designer is also my color consultant and tattoo artist.   
3. I did a raffle for newsletter signups. I was able to hook up a little computer to a touchscreen that played my promo videos when not in use, and had a signup/payment page when needed. That would enter folks in the raffle for the grand prize of a 1kg copper bar (stamped Azorian Mint), a 2oz round (same stamp), or a stylized copper-plated challenge coin of their choice.  
4. The artwork was DEFINITELY a plus. I’ve commissioned character art, map art, cover art, etc. and was able to use it to the fullest. Bookmarks from books 1 and 2 with different characters were free. The prints I gave away with book purchases.  
5. I had a really clacky semi-matching mechanical keyboard for the newsletter signups that drew more people in than 1-4 combined

The conversations were all amazing, and I was shocked at how many people wanted to know my favorite line from the books, or a favorite character, etc. Like they were actively quizzing me on it. If you’re an author I don’t need to tell you how cool this feels.

Anyways, I’m not a *new* author per se, but I am an unknown one. My third book is 50% complete and I can’t wait to close out the trilogy (neither can my developmental editor). By Hook & Crook and Thiefcatcher have audiobooks, narrated by the amazing Luke Daniels (book 2’s just dropped over the weekend!). And I have a new reader magnet in the works: a "Powered by the Apocalypse" TTRPG set in my world with 13 different character types and a pilot campaign. You can see a couple sneak pic pics from it on my newsletter.

I have a site at [sgkaram.com](https://www.sgkaram.com) if you want to poke around. Check out my videos, I did them myself in After Effects (all licensed video, fuck AI) and think they're pretty damn cool. I try to keep the newsletter (somewhat) fresh, too. 

I sold 90 copies at my first con and brought my world to life