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At the outset, I have to say I make no guarantees. We’ ve all heard the stories of book signings
when no one came, or the one about the lonely author sitting forlornly as a bookstore patron asks
her where the bathroom is. While I can’ t actually make your numbers better, here are some tips
to help improve your own book signings.
I’ m also making the assumption you’ re not John Grisham, Nora Roberts, Tom Clancy or
Stephen King. If you are, you don’ t need tips. Just show up. Your crowd will be there. For the
rest of us, I want to share the best bit of information I ever received on the subject of signings:
You aren’ t there to sell books.
What? You thought that’ s what a book signing was for? Well, not really. The more
important goal for a book signing is making a contact with a bookseller. If you’ re a pleasant
individual, nice to the employees, courteous, in short, everything your mother always told you to
be, the store manager will remember you, the employees will remember you, and they will push
your book. And when your next book comes out, they will happily order your book for their
store. Now if you sell lots of books and attract a crowd, then your job of impressing the store is
that much easier.
So what can you do to improve sales at a signing? There isn’ t one answer. You have to
decide what you are comfortable doing. Find what works for you. But I can give some tips to
help you pick and choose to fit your own style.
STAND UP
Most stores will provide a chair for you to sit on. Don’ t use it, except maybe to stack books
on. An author is much more approachable if she’ s standing and greeting people than if she’s
placed a table between her and her audience. Move among the crowd. Pass out your bookmark
or postcard. Be courteous to anyone who approaches you. In fact, act like a greeter. Say
hello to everyone, ask them if they like to read, or talk about the weather. Once you’ve had a
conversation with someone, they will be much more likely to buy your book.
HAVE SOMETHING TO PASS OUT
In the paragraph above, I mentioned passing out bookmarks. You should have something
with your name, the title of your book, the titles of upcoming books, the titles of past books, and
maybe a way to reach you, be it e-mail or PO Box. (Don’ t put your real address on anything. I
have a separate e-mail account just for fans and a PO Box. I can’ t say I’ ve been inundated with
mail at either address, but I feel better knowing that my home address isn’ t plastered all over
the place.) I use postcards that serve a double purpose. They’ re just the right size to tuck into a
book, and I do send them out to my mailing list as well.
FOOD IS ALWAYS GOOD
For my first series, The Destiny Coin, I always had chocolate coins to pass out. Children
flocked to the table, but I wouldn’ t give them one without the permission of the parent—which
leads to a conversation, which often leads to sales. But grown-ups like candy, too. Or cookies,
or brownies, or whatever. I have two friends who have had book signings where they provided a
cake with the image of their book on top. You can now get a photo cake topper at just about any
grocery store. So you arrange a tea party at the store, you bring a cake with your book cover on
it, and stand up and serve the customers.
GIVE A TALK
If you can arrange it with the store, offer to give a talk about writing or the writer’ s life
before the signing. You might attract local authors for the talk, but you’ ll also attract people
who were just browsing. They’ ll listen in on the periphery, and if they become interested, they’ll
stay. And buy the book, we hope.
GIVE A READING
Show them your brilliance by reading a passage from your book that’ s sure to grab their
attention. I read the prologue of one of my books at a signing and a woman came up to me
afterwards and said she never read romance, but I had captured her attention. She bought the
book.
POSTERS
Bring posters you can hang or stand around your space. Your publisher will sometimes
provide such posters, and some stores make beautiful posters for you, but you can make them for
yourself. A copy store should be able to help you create a few posters for a reasonable amount
of money. Go for color—you want to be noticed—and make it big enough to be easily read.
PLAY UP A TIE-IN
I heard of an author who wrote a book about historic San Diego. She led a walk through
the historic district, then finished with a book signing at the end. What a fabulous idea. If you
have some sort of local tie-in, by all means use it to generate publicity. Did you attend school in
the area? Definitely mention that when you contact the store. Does your book take place in that
town? Mention it. I am a mother of twins and have been asked to speak at a national mother of
twins convention followed by, you guessed it, a book signing. Take advantage of any tie-in you
can.
SET A NICE TABLE
More than likely you will have a table for your signing. Remember, you’ re not sitting
behind it, but do make it look nice. Buy a few bookstands and place your books so the audience
can see them. Make an attractive display. Many times the table won’ t have a cloth, or maybe
just a paper cover. Consider buying a tablecloth to drape over the edge. I also use a large swatch
of red material that draws the attention. I drape this over the display or edge of the table and
arrange stuff artistically on it and around it. You don’ t have to be Picasso. Just do something
that pleases the eye.
SEND BOOKMARKS IN ADVANCE
Have the store place your cards or bookmarks out for at least a week in advance. It’ s even
better if you sign them first.
CONTACT THE LOCAL WRITERS’ GROUP
Make sure the local writers’ group knows you’ ll be in town, and not just romance writers’
groups, but any writers’ group. There will probably be members who feel they want to support a
fellow writer.
HAVE COPIES OF GOOD REVIEWS AVAILABLE TO READ
Quotes from these are also good for posters. I also like to have information from RWA on
hand to show the numbers to nay-sayers and give proof about the power of romance.
TRY TO GET MEDIA ATTENTION
I sent a press packet to my local radio station, and they called me to be on the morning
show, the number one show in the state. I was able to promote my upcoming book signing on
the radio, and all it cost me was the price to mail my press kit and the gas to get to the station.
If you’ re signing away from home, see if any radio or TV stations will interview you. Ask the
store for a media list.
SHOW ME THE BOOK
When people stop at your table, hand them a copy of your book. People will seldom pick up
a book on their own, but most will take it from you. If they start to read, you may have just won
another sale.
AND JUST A FEW REMINDERS
• Remember to call a week in advance to remind the store you’ re coming. I didn’ t do this
once, and drove an hour to a store that had no idea who I was, and they didn’ t even
have my book. I had a confirmation letter, but the person who arranged the signing
forgot to contact the store.
• Remember to take a guest list. Collect the addresses of those who stop by so you can
add them to your mailing list and announce future books to them.
• Remember to ask the manager how many of the unsigned books you can sign for them.
Many will ask you to sign all, but even a few will help your sales.
• Remember always to ask how to spell a person’ s name if you sign it to them.
• Remember that thank you notes are always nice, and help the store manager remember
you.
• Remember to bring along your author’ s copies. I’ ve had at least five signings where I
had to retrieve books from my car because we sold out all the books the store ordered.
The bookstore will work with you in replacing them.
And if it’ s your first signing, be sure to tell the store manager to order lots of books. For
your first signing, everybody shows up—your family, your friends, your acquaintances, your
children’ s teachers, your neighbors, your dog groomer, etc.
Be friendly, be approachable, and have fun.
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