How to do a Successful Book Signing

Today Siv Ottem's cover art for her debut novel, Secrets of the Ash Tree, is being revealed by Michael Di Gesu, the cover artist. Be sure to visit his site after reading this post!

Book Signings
*Excerpt from How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now!

Upon hearing the words “book signing,” most people think of a bookstore. And in the past, bookstores were great places for authors to meet readers and fans.

The decline of the bookstore and the emergence of e-books has changed that aspect. Fewer stores mean fewer opportunities for signings. Many people have converted to e-books, and while there are ways to autograph e-books, they’re difficult to sell in the store. (Although it’s not impossible, as signings at a Barnes and Noble can involve Nook sales.) The ease of self-publishing means there are more authors, too. Meeting a real live author in person just isn’t a novelty anymore.

However, there are those who still treasure an autographed book. And since fostering relationships is important, personal appearances can still spur sales.

With bookstores on the decline, where else can you do a signing? The possibilities are endless! Depending on the subject matter of your book, consider these venues:

• Gift stores
• Specialty stores
• Coffee shops
• Arts and crafts fairs
• Festivals
• Farmers markets
• Fundraisers
• Political conventions
• Church events
• Libraries
• Trade shows
• Museums
• Restaurants
• Parks
• Neighborhood events
• Gym or YMCA
• School and college events
• Cruise ships

Use your creativity to think of other opportunities.

Consider ways you could turn a signing into an event by doing a reading, giving a talk, conducting a workshop, etc. Your appearance could tie in with a local event or involve other authors.

Publishers and publicists sometimes send authors on tour. Due to the cost, most authors don’t get to enjoy this luxury. Often it is up to you to set up your own appearances.

Here’s a checklist of the proper etiquette for setting up and conducting a book signing:

• Contact the venue a couple months in advance via a letter and/or a phone call. Similar to pitching the media, you should be prepared to explain the benefits of your appearance and what you will do to bring in customers.
• Confirm the date and how they intend to acquire books. Will they order from your wholesaler or publisher, or will you be expected to bring your own books?
• Send a media release out to contacts in the area about your appearance and list it in every free event calendar.
• Send out invitations, either physical or emails, to your personal and business contacts in the area.
• Check for local book clubs and writer groups and invite them as well.
• If applicable, you might even want to contact local schools, colleges, businesses, or organizations.
• Send the store promotional materials several weeks in advance, such as bookmarks and posters.
• Confirm the date the week before the event and make sure the venue has books on hand.
• Arrive early to set up your display table and meet with the staff.
• Be sure your display table is attractive and enticing. Use props, displays, candy, giveaways, a signup sheet, etc.
• Engage those who walk by your table—don’t just sit there!
• Hand out bookmarks to every person you meet.
• Don’t be afraid to roam the store or venue.
• Offer to sign extra books.
• Thank everyone before you leave and send a handwritten thank you card afterward. (You’d be surprised how many fail to do this.)

Even if you didn’t sell a ton of books, if you were a delight to all involved, it is likely you will be asked to return in the future. Often book signings lead to other opportunities. The networking and marketing aspects are just as important as actual book sales.

Any other book signing tips or locations?

Royalty-Free Stock Images

Like music, images are copyrighted. Permission must be granted by the artist or photographer before you can use them. This goes for commercial and non-commercial use.

If you’re looking for an image for a book cover, you want to find one that is royalty-free. It needs to be clean with a high resolution. (300 dpi)

There are many site out there with complete free images, but there’s a downside - many also have spyware.

If you’re looking for images, it’s better to stick with trusted sites that sell images:

Shutter Stock
Deposit Photos
IStock Photos
Big Stock Photo
Getty Images

There is always a chance someone else has used the image, so do a Google search to see where else it appears.

Best case scenario is to hire an artist or photographer to create a cover from scratch. Not the cheapest, but certainly the best!

I’ve been a professional photographer for 23 years now and I’ve considered offering some of my photos for sale. (Since diversity seems to be my middle name!) They would of course be royalty-free and reasonable. If I decide to go this route, I’ll let you know.

Any other good sites for images? Would you buy direct from the photographer?

And your inspirational photo of the day:

Publishing Tidbits and Interviews

I have an interview today at Susan Whitfield’s BLOG. The author of many books, she’s a fellow NC resident and a delightful person. Please stop by her site and say hello.

My cats, Rocko and Spunky, were interviewed by Shelly Arkon’s dogs at her BLOG last Thursday. I was out of town Thursday and Friday for a seminar and didn’t get the link up until lunch on Friday. If you didn’t get a chance to meet my two little black rats, please stop by her site.


If you’re looking for writing, publishing, and promoting tips, visit Elizabeth S Craig every Sunday when she posts Twitter links to hundreds of resources. She and Mike Fleming also manage the Writer’s Knowledge Database, the LARGEST online database for writers. Articles, tips, resources - it’s all there at your fingertips.


I won a signed copy of Searching for Arthur from Donna Hosie on Saturday. Thank you so much, Donna.

I also won a copy of Carolyn J. Rose’s No Substitute for Money at Patricia Stoltey’s blog. Thank you Carolyn and Patricia. Since this was the second time I’d won her book (what are the odds of that happening?) I gifted it to my mother-in-law.


And a drop for those of you still seeking rain…

An Author Revealed and the Effects of Delayed Print Copies of The Cuckoo’s Calling on Retailers

This week it was revealed that author Robert Galbraith is really J. K. Rowling. From Entertainment Weekly -

"In a statement to The Sunday Times of London, which followed up an anonymous tip with some literary sleuthing, Rowling fessed up that she is indeed Galbraith: “I had hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation, and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.”

"Despite some sterling reviews (Publisher’s Weekly declared it a “stellar debut”), the book has barely made a sales ripple either in the U.K. or the U.S. It was published stateside in late April by Muholland Books, a three-year-old imprint of Little, Brown (which released The Casual Vacancy). One expects sales to explode now that Rowling has been revealed as the true author"

While many think it was a marketing stunt, evidence points that it was not. Copies of the print book are rare and the publisher doesn’t have many in stock. They are now scrambling to crank out another 440,000 books to meet demand.

That demand may be met before those books ever hit the market though. From Yahoo Finance -

"In the meantime, however, most bookstores don’t have print copies of the book. Amazon says the hardcover will ship in one to three weeks and refers readers to Kindle if they want to read Cuckoo immediately.

"This is freaking out bricks-and-mortar booksellers who fear that by the time that they finally get print copies in, everyone will already have read it on Kindle. The New York Times quotes one store owner: “People who can’t get it as a book are going to run and get it as an ebook. By the time the books are back, two weeks from now, most people are going to have read it on some device. That really concerns me.”"

Physical bookstores will likely take a hit and sell fewer books. Could this have been prevented? Was it a marketing stunt? What do you think of famous authors writing under a pseudonym?

Yesterday my cats, Rocko and Spunky, were interviewed by Shelly Arkon’s dogs at her SITE. Can you say the truth about cats and dogs?

And your Friday inspirational photo:

A little ice to cool you off!