Book signings are paramount in promoting your work. The following are a few tips I found that worked for me:Most cities, towns, rural counties, or parishes like to promote local authors. And most of these venues do announcements for local authors via newspapers.
The contact person will likely be the life-style editor for the news paper and will be happy to do an interview with the author. Before an author approaches the news paper, contact your local bookstore, mine was hastings, and ask for a book signing date. More than likely , the store will have a section for local authors and will be happy to oblige a signing date. After the particulars are decided upon about the number of copies required and the date of signing, offer the manager that you will be plugging the sighning in the interview article.
The timelines will be cordinated with the signing date and the article and the rest is up to the author to do a few marketing techniques;
- If the bookstore supplies a poster of your book as hastings did for me , great. If not, find a printshop that can accomodate.
- Have bookmarks with the cover of the book and any website information on it.
- Have your signing table decorated
- By all means, give the store a signed copy of your book
- Most importantly, engage customers with friendly conversation- have fun
The signings I have done resulted in at least 30 copies of my book sold, a happy book store manager, and an invitation to return.
Lastly, you will now have a pattern and resume of successful signings when you branch out of your local area to do signings.
6 comments:
Hey Robert, I followed you back and discovered you've published some shorts! Excellent!
Great advice on what to do for book signings. I sure hope I'll have cause to use it in the near future!
Have a great day!
Lis'Anne
As a general assignment reporter, I get to periodically write news for our Arts/Entertainment section. I love promoting local authors!
One of my favorite articles I've written was for a pair of older ladies who had published a book of poetry together. They were so fun to talk to and I still get calls from them from time to time at the office and they tell me how their book is doing. I love it!
Terrific advice for book signings. I have one scheduled for my travel guidebook to Michigan (August 1st), and your tips will certainly aid me in the planning stage. So, thanks, Robert!
This is helpful information Robert. I am beginning this part of the journey myself and have had some difficulty "breaking in". I have found my local radio station to be somewhat interested but so far that is all that has been realized. I live in a town where the only book store is a Wal-Mart and thus far they haven't been too keen on promoting a local author.
David J. Gluck
...please where can I buy a unicorn?
Thanks for the tips, Robert. I'll know just what to do when I set up mine.
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