Sometimes Success Looks Like a Conversation

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to spend part of my Saturday at Overbooked Bookstore in downtown Fargo for an author meet-and-greet and book signing. Just outside, downtown was full of activity as the Red River Market, North Dakota’s largest farmers’ market, brought people into the area for a beautiful September Saturday.

Going into a book signing, it can be easy to measure the success of the event by one thing: how many books you sell. If that were the only measure, yesterday might have seemed like a quiet event. There were not a lot of book sales. But I have learned that sometimes the most important moments at an author event have very little to do with how many books leave the table. They happen in the conversations.

Throughout the event, people stopped to look at the books, ask questions, share pieces of their own stories, and learn why I write. Those conversations gave me opportunities to talk about faith, children, healing, courage, and the mission behind my books. And that matters just as much as making a sale.

One of the sweetest surprises of the day was a visit from a friend who was in town from Illinois. I was not expecting to see her, which made the visit even more special. In the middle of a busy downtown Fargo Saturday, that familiar face was such a gift and another reminder that sometimes the moments we remember most are the ones we never planned.

One of the things I have tried to remain grounded in throughout this journey as an author is remembering why I began writing in the first place. It was never simply about selling books. My books have become another way for me to tell stories that encourage children and families, share faith, talk honestly about difficult experiences, and remind people that hope can still be found in places where life has been painful. It is also why 100% of the proceeds from my books are donated to organizations that help children who have experienced abuse or trauma.

So when someone stops at my table and asks about that mission, when a parent picks up a book and wants to know the story behind it, or when a conversation opens the door to talk about faith and healing, something important has already happened.

Yesterday was also a reminder that being an author sometimes means simply being present. You bring the books, set up the table, smile at the people walking past, answer questions, and tell the story when someone wants to hear it. Then you trust that you may never know what God chooses to do with those small encounters.

There is something special about doing that in downtown Fargo, especially on a day when the sidewalks were busy with people enjoying the Red River Market and everything happening downtown. I am grateful to Overbooked Bookstore for giving me the opportunity to be there and for continuing to create a space where local authors and readers can connect.

Of course, I am grateful every time someone chooses to purchase one of my books. Every sale helps support the organizations at the heart of this ministry. But yesterday reminded me that numbers do not always tell the whole story. Sometimes success looks like selling a book. Sometimes it looks like meeting a new reader. Sometimes it looks like someone stopping for five minutes and having a conversation you never expected to have. Sometimes it looks like a friend from Illinois walking through the door when you least expect it. And sometimes our job is simply to show up, offer what God has placed in our hands, and trust Him with what happens next.

Yesterday, there were not many sales, but there were conversations, connections, and a few unexpected gifts. And I am learning more and more that those moments may be every bit as important.