A book signing event at a local bookstore can be a great way to begin your local promotional efforts, but it takes careful planning to make it pay off. Here are some tips that have worked for other authors.
1. If you are contacting an independent bookseller, chances are you will usually speak with the owner or manager. It's a good idea to work several months out, as bookstores can be booked as much as five months in advance.
2. Find out if the bookstore already has your book in stock. Chances are it won't, so offer to send a reading copy with promotional material. Stamp it "Review Copy" so it won't be sold. Then follow up in about a week to be sure it arrived and to schedule a signing and mini-seminar.
3. Find out whether the store will order your book for stock or if you should bring copies.
4. Ask if the bookstore has a media list you might use. Some authors have found this helpful in locating newspaper, radio and television contacts.
5. Spend some time determining what kind of invitation list you can put together. Go to your database and locate fans, friends and colleagues within a fifty mile radius. If you have postcards (and you should), send them with a note about the date, time and store location along with a personal " Hope you can make it" message. Plan for the postcards to arrive about a week before the event.
6. Have your book cover enlarged to an 11 x 17 inch laminated poster and put in on a stand-up easel. This works well for signings as well as speaking engagements.
7. Write a brief news release with the signing specifics to give to the store for their store newsletter.
8. Create three to four benefit-oriented announcements that store personnel can read the evening of your engagement to encourage people to come meet and hear you.
9. Develop a short bio that the store coordinator can use to introduce you before your speak.
10. Create a book sales flier to hand out at the store that contains a photo of your book's cover, a paragraph explaining why potential readers must have your book, a brief author bio and both the store and your contact information. Depending upon the subject matter of your book, there may be other establishments that would allow you to post your flier - so don't rule them out.
It's a proven fact, the more planning and preparation you put in to your book signing and speaking events, the more successful they will be.
[This post was created from excerpts taken, with permission, from The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, Fifth Edition, co-authored by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier.]
Comments