Except
for the top-selling authors, publishers no longer spend as much time as they
used to publicizing books. It is up to
you, the author, to promote your book. There
are several venues for book signings including bookstores, libraries, book
fairs, and conferences. In this post, I
will discuss book signings at bookstores.
Before approaching a bookstore for a book
signing, check the Internet or call ahead to find out the name of the manager
or appropriate contact person. Once I
have a name, I visit the bookstore in person.
I always bring a copy of my book to give to the manager along with
postcards or business cards.
If the bookstore is not already carrying
your book, drop off two or three copies for them to sell on consignment. Most bookstores like to carry books by local
authors. I have never had a bookstore
turn down a request to carry my book on consignment. Set up a time for the book signing during the
visit.
Once you get home email the manager of the
bookstore to thank him or her and to confirm the date and time of the book
signing. Also, email the manager a
publicity notice with the picture of the book cover, a summary of the book, and
the details of the signing so it can post around the store and on their
website.
While bookstores generally announce book signing
in their newsletter and/or through posters in the store, the author is usually responsible
for notifying the local newspaper. You
should also post information about the signing on your website, Facebook page,
and Twitter.
Arrive early on the day of the
signing. Dress appropriately. You may want to dress in costume to call
attention to the theme of your books, such as a long dress if your book is set
in colonial times. I have a penguin
shirt I wear since my book is set in Antarctica.
Bring a poster to call attention to your
table. I also bring my collection of
ceramic penguins, which I set out beside a bowl of wrapped candy. Check with the bookstore first to make sure
they allow food. Some bookstores
actually supply snacks and drinks for book signings.
Bring extra books as well. At my last book signing, we sold all of the
bookstore’s copies as well as a dozen extra copies I brought with me. All sales should take place at the bookstore
register. Keep track of the books that
you brought with you so the store can give you your cut of the sales (usually
60% if you supplied the books and they did not have to pay for shipping). Checks for sales of consignment books are usually
sent to the authors twice a year.
Also, have plenty of postcards or bookmarks
to hand out. Some people may show
interest in your book but are not ready to purchase the book just yet or would
prefer to purchase the eBook online. I
have a QR code on my postcard that takes them directly to the page for my book
on Amazon.com.
Once the book signing is over let the
manager know how many books you sold from your own supply of books. If the book signing went well you can request
the bookstore to purchase your books through a distributor such as Ingram. While you will probably make less of a profit
on each book, this saves you the hassle of having to supply bookstores with
copies and having to keep track of bookstore sales.
Finally, send a thank note to the manager
and offer to be available for future books signings or other events.
