Book signings! Do they help and are they worth it?
Good morning ladies and gents.
Today I wanted to blog about book signings. Do they help or are they a waste of time and money for the author?
Personally, I like doing book signings even though I might not sell one book. To me, it's the chance to come face to face with some of my readers and make new friends. Even people who might not have read my books, might be interested if they are face to face with me.
Granted I haven't done a ton and I haven't sold a lot of books, but talking to people about my books and getting to know knew friends far outweighs the time and expensive I've went through to have the signing.
One thing that irritates me, is how the big book giants like B&N, Borders, etc., have this issue with POD publishers. Siren has the majority of my novels currently and they are a POD publisher for prints. This makes it near impossible to even get a big book store to allow you to do a signing. They can't return your books is the main excuse I hear when I talk to someone about it, but even if you bring your own in, do your own money thing and all, they still won't agree to it.
I'm having a book signing in a small-town book store in 12/11 in little Shelbyville Tennessee. How well will this go over? I don't have a clue, but fellow Siren author Tonya Ramagos and I are going to do it. It cost me to have a banner made and it cost me to run an ad in the local paper. My thought is to get my name out with the local community, especially when the book store owner says she can't keep erotic romance in her store which is what I write for the most part. This makes me excited and I sure hope we get a good turnout.
What to bring? Books, change if you handling your own money, black sharpy to sign books with, pictures stands to showcase your books, giveaway items
Should I serve some kind of food? I'm serving cake and punch
Should I advertise? I am. We shall see how well that works out
Should I bring swag? I am. I bought some aluminum water bottles to give away with my name, website and logo saying on them. Some authors use book marks, book thongs, pens, etc. I figured free stuff always brings people in
What time of the day should I have this? Mine is going to be 11-2. Is it going to be enough? I don't know, but we'll see. I don't think a long one is necessary unless you are Nora Roberts
I will definitely let everyone know how it goes. Obviously a small town book store, things will be slower than say if I did one in Nashville, but hey, it's worth a shot and I'm hoping some friends show up so I don't look really stupid.
~ Until next month
Sandy
Hey, Sandy- I've done tons of book signings at B&N, Borders, Walmart (yeah, Walmart!!) and it's been great for the most part. I've met readers I'm still in contact with and I believe I've gained new fans. Although it takes far more effort than a virtual book tour, I'd do it again in a minute. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you're sticking to your guns, and doing your signings. I've worked in marketing for 15 years. The key to success in anything is perserverance. Using every tool in your toolkit will allow you to reach your audience from every possible touch point.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, there's nothing like allowing readers to put a face to the product. Book signings, book club meetings, trade shows, blogging, advertising, etc. use it all!
Good luck!
Sandy, I wish you all the best for a successful, fun book signing. I would love to hear a follow up about how things went.
ReplyDeleteXXOO Kat
Sandy,
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the book signing! Let us know how it goes.