Selling Fantasy in a Faire Full of It: My First Time Vending The Scottsboro Renaissance Faire

If you had told me a few years ago that I would someday be standing in a corset at the Scottsboro Renaissance Faire in Alabama, selling a fantasy series I wrote myself, I would have laughed, blushed, and then immediately panicked about whether my pen name should sound more wizardly. My first weekend vending at a ren faire this month was a success, and I am still floating somewhere between delirium and the smell of roasted turkey legs.

Setting the Stage

My series, The Source Keepers, features a unique magic system, political intrigue, impossible choices, and the kind of fantasy drama that would absolutely be right at home on a medieval tapestry. This made the Ren Faire the perfect place for an in-person vending event.

My tent wasn’t just filled with books, though. Alongside the novels sat my mounted bug specimen art, book hooks, and assorted handmade pieces because, let’s be honest, I am the type of creative person who cannot keep her projects in one lane. When someone asks, “What do you make?” I have to resist the urge to answer, “Yes.”

A Heart-Full Moment Before the Gates Even Opened

Before the faire even officially kicked off, I got the kind of emotional boost no marketing strategy could ever replace. Some of my friends and readers drove six hours to support me. Six hours. For me. For my booth. For this crazy dream I turned into a real thing. I have to admit, I didn't actually believe them until I saw their faces for the first time in 10 years. I will never forget that.

And I didn’t just see familiar faces! I got to see some of my longtime readers in person for the first time, including two who have alpha and beta read for me since the early days of The Source Keepers. Seeing the people who helped shape this story standing in my booth, holding the finished books… I am not saying I teared up, but I am also not saying I didn’t.

The Magic of Face-to-Face

Selling online is great. I love my readers across the world, and I am forever grateful for the internet making indie publishing possible. But selling in person? That hits differently.

At the Scottsboro Ren Faire, every person who walked by was a potential new friend or reader. People in armor, fairy wings, plague masks, kilts, gowns, and wizard robes came over to touch the covers, ask about the plot, or gently (and sometimes not so gently) tap the insect art to make sure it was real. One child stared very seriously at a beetle and whispered, “He looks like he knows secrets.”

Honestly, same.

The Conversations that Matter

Nothing compares to talking about your book with someone who isn’t related to you and isn’t obligated to read it. I got to answer questions like:

• “Is this like high fantasy or stabby political fantasy?”

• “Is it gay?” (Yes.)

• “Is this going to ruin me emotionally?” (Also yes.)

• “Okay, but is there a morally gray man I can fall in love with?” (We have several. Please step inside.)

People who had never heard of me left clutching the first book as if I had handed them a prophecy sealed with wax. I tried to play it cool. I failed.

Renaissance Faire Logic

There is a special kind of energy at a Ren Faire:

• You can watch a sword fight, buy a hand-carved bow, then pay a woman in chainmail to teach you how to throw an axe.

• A grown man wearing a barbarian fur shoulder cape will point at your book and declare, “This looks sick!” and suddenly your entire career feels validated.

• I watched a grown man dressed as a Viking get excited over a cicada shadowbox, and you cannot convince me there is a better universe to exist in.

The Lessons I Learned

1. Hydrate or die-drate. Corsets are unforgiving. Water is essential. So are ibuprofen and snacks that require no refrigeration.

2. People love to support creators. Whether or not someone bought something, I heard countless versions of: “I love seeing people follow their passions.” That alone was worth the booth fee.

3. Indie authors belong at Ren Faires. Our people are there. They are reading while waiting for jousts to begin. They are emotionally prepared for magic at all times.

   
   

The Aftermath

By the end of the weekend, I was exhausted and overjoyed. I made new readers, met fellow vendors, traded stories, and got to stand inside the world I write for a little while.

I also came home with:

• Lots of goodies

• Fewer books

• More friends

• Leaves in places leaves should never be

10/10. Would absolutely do again.

Looking Forward

The Scottsboro Ren Faire lit a fire under me. I am already planning new displays, new merch, new costume pieces, and maybe an even bigger banner that says: “Come get emotionally destroyed by The Source Keepers.”

To everyone who stopped by, browsed, bought, or just talked to me:

Thank you.

Indie publishing can be a lonely path sometimes, but events like this remind me that our stories don’t just exist on pages. They live in the moments we connect with people who believe in magic, too.

I've already added two new Renaissance Festivals to the 2026 event calendar. Find my ever-growing list here. https://www.thesourcekeepers.com/event-list