This came to me the other day from Gayle Shanks, the lovely owner of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ. It was in response to my telling Gayle the promotional efforts I am undertaking for a writer’s seminar I’m giving.
“I can’t wait to meet you. You are the ‘dream’ author. You do your homework, encourage people to come to the seminar, contact resources, etc. How wonderful it would be if everyone who came to the store did the same.”
What a heartwarming thing to say (thanks, Gayle!) – and what an alarming commentary regarding author preparation. Gayle’s observations tell me one thing; many authors don’t lift a finger for their own promotion. They get the book signing and foolishly expect the store to undertake all the publicity of their event. We all know what it is to assume, right?
The first thing to ask yourself is, “What is the goal of my signing/reading/event?” The answer should be to have a successful event, of course. There’s only one way that’s going to happen; you need to tell people about your upcoming event.
In my case, I contacted all of the surrounding writer’s groups in the Phoenix, Tucson, Tempe, Scottsdale area. I have a good friend who’s very respected in that area, and he also served as my “big mouth” – someone who will graciously spread the word about your event.
What can you, Joe Author, do to take the necessary steps to a successful signing? Get the word out. Tell people about your signing. Analyze your book and approach those who would find your book interesting. Example: if you write medical fiction, send postcards that have your cover art on the front and event info on the back to some of your local medical professionals. Remember, having a crowd is far better than yawning into your coat pocket. And store managers ALWAYS remember the big signings. The important thing to remember is, do your part to make sure you have a fun, successful signing.
I’ve tapped the resources of one of our best selling authors, Scot R. Stone. The man is a promo magnet. I asked him for some tips that have served him well. Many thanks, Scot.
- Advertise for your signing in your local newspaper by providing interview information. Make sure the article is released the week before your signing. If it’s released too soon, people will forget about it. Sometimes the store will submit the information, saving you the trouble. The store can either request information about you and your book for the newspaper directly from you, or go to your website to pull it.
- Advertise on a local radio station, or do an interview. Sometimes the store can give you contact information, other times you will have to hunt it down yourself.
- Fliers. If you are doing a signing at a local store, advertise it with fliers at the local library in the same town.
- Provide fliers with your book signing information. Have the store place them near the registers. Provide them at least two weeks in advance, and don’t print more than a hundred. You usually can make two fliers out of an 8 1/2″ by 11″ piece of card stock paper. Don’t print the fliers on colored paper. It makes it too hard to read, but make your wording, instead, should be colorful. Make the time, date and place of your signing stand out. Sign the fliers to entice people to take it, or ask the clerks to stuff them in the customers’ bags.
- Set up your signing at least one month in advance to give you enough time to prepare for it, and the store enough time to order your books. (Lynn’s note: It’s a good idea to check two weeks before your event to make sure they ordered the books – oh, the horror stories I could tell)
- Poster display. Not all stores do this, but ask if they will make a poster advertising your event. Obviously, window placement is ideal, but take whatever you can get. It’s perfectly fine to ask if they have a poster holder they can put in a high traffic area.
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Posted by lynnpricewrites 
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