At quilt shows, you're competing with every "quilty" vendor there is...and it's hard to sell a novel when the vendor next to you has fabrics! I know I gravitate to the fabrics everytime!
Go outside of the box, and take your booth to non-traditional venues...gun shows, car shows, county fairs, flea markets...where you are not set up next to the "other guys", but instead are offering something unique and different than the other vendors that are set up. I know I did my best sales when I made and sold beadwork at the kinds of shows I listed above. It gives the ladies that are tagging along with their husbands something to look at, and you get "guilt and/or revenge sales"....the guys buy stuff for their guns or car collections, and either buy the ladies something that interests them, or the ladies buy it because their man bought something he didn't need! ;)
It also tends to be less expensive to set up at these kinds of shows! :)