A Modest Proposal to Improve Conference Book Signings by Rolynn Anderson

I’m going to the October InD’Tale Conference in Burbank.  Brenda Whiteside and JL Wilson are going as well (I kind of talked them into the adventure…gosh, I hope they find it worthwhile).  Though the conference rate and the hotel price are reasonable, each of us also shelled out $50 for half a signing table ($100 if you want one by yourself).  

Now, I’ve played this game before and I’m determined (because I love the InD’Tale folks) to improve this ‘wasteland’ called a conference book signing.  We all know about the reader-rush:  they blow right by lesser-known authors to line up for big name writer autographs. Truth is, these readers, are shy about chatting with authors they don't know, even if these authors tell stories in their genre.  

I’ve taken on the task to get conversations going between readers and writers.  I'm laying out my proposal below, hoping you'll critique it.  InD’Tale has given me the go-ahead to make this idea work!

1.  I collect $2 from each book-signing author (50)…for a $100 Amazon Gift Card

2.  I make up a Scavenger Hunt List of all the authors who paid $2 each.  Beside each author’s name is the genre.  (The reader’s e-mail address. is at the top of the Scavenger Hunt List; it's up to each author to make note of the reader's e-mail address)

3.  Each author provides a unique short question/prompt (for the Scavenger Hunt List) that the reader must come and ask the author.  Example #1: Which heroine is most like you?  Example #2: Which book was the hardest to write?  The author answers the question for the reader (an answer which the reader writes down-short version) and the author puts a sticker next to the answer.  The hope is, further conversation ensues…and a sale is made!  (Another way of doing this is to have a list of 20 prompts, and the reader picks a different one to ask of 20 authors.  That way authors don't continuously answer the same question.)

4.  When the reader gets 20 answers, she’s done, and turns in her Scavenger Hunt List. There will be a time limit. (About 50 writers will be involved, we hope.  I'm keeping the answers to 20, because of genre considerations, and instead of a race to get answers, some conversations get going).

5.  All scavenger hunt sheets are checked for authenticity…the winner is drawn at random.  Wins $100 Amazon gift card.

I’d gather the $2 through Pay Pal and make up the Scavenger Hunt List via Google Docs.  The list would be finished and copied BEFORE the conference (there will be a deadline).  READER’S WOULD BE ENTICED TO COME BECAUSE OF THE PRIZE.  Each reader would know $100 Amazon Card can be won…each will get the Scavenger Hunt List.  

So, now shoot holes in this as well as tell me the strong aspects of this idea.

Thanks!

So here’s my golf/spelunking novel, BAD LIES http://a.co/0DuYNPn:

Italy’s haunted caves spell danger for an American golfer and a NATO geologist

****

Sophie Maxwell is a late-blooming, unorthodox golfer, and mother of a precocious thirteen year-old. Determined to put divorce, bankruptcy, and a penchant for gambling in her past, Sophie goes to Italy for a qualifying golf tournament.

Jack Walker turned his back on a pro golfing career to become a geologist. As a favor to his ailing father he’ll caddy for Sophie; off hours, he’ll find caves on the Mediterranean coast, suitable for NATO listening posts for terrorist activity.

Someone is determined to stop Jack’s underground hunt and ruin Sophie’s chances to win her tournament.

On a Rome golf course and in the Amalfi coast’s haunted caves, all the odds are stacked against Sophie and Jack.  In their gamble of a lifetime, who wins?

Seven Suspense Novels Spiked with Romance

Web and Blog:

http://rolynnanderson.com

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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4990049.Rolynn_Anderson

The Best Book Signing Ever! by Alison Henderson

Like most authors, I've done a few book signings over the years. When my first book--a Western historical romance--was released in 2010, I gave a talk and signed books at the historic home I'd used as a model for the heroine's house, I did a Valentine's Day signing in a gift shop in the small Missouri River town where the story was set, and I spoke to my college roommate's book club and signed books. All events were fun and I sold quite a few books, but I never did a signing in an actual bookstore until last month.

I'm sure you're all familiar with SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS TALES, my collection of holiday short stories released in the fall of 2015. In early November of that year, I screwed up my courage and took a copy into a cute local bookstore, as well as the perennial Christmas shop on the main street of our little town. I chatted with the owners, left my contact information, and went home to wait, certain they would want to carry my book in their stores. Days and weeks passed without a word. 

Christmas came and went, so I shrugged my shoulders and moved on. Imagine my surprise when I received an email out of the blue, a YEAR later, from the owner of the bookshop saying they'd like to carry my book for the holidays and schedule a signing for the weekend before Christmas! I rushed right in to The Pilgrim's Way with a few copies of SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS TALES for their shelves and set things up for the signing. Imagine my further surprise ten days later when I received another email asking for more books because they'd already sold several. This was getting exciting!

I fired off a press release to three local newspapers, bought peppermint and milk chocolate truffles to hand out to patrons, and tried to keep the butterflies at bay. The morning of the signing, I loaded my bag with candy and ten more copies of the Christmas book, as well as three copies each of my two female bodyguard books. Wonder of wonders, the owner had lent the copy of UNWRITTEN RULES I'd left with her to a customer who is an avid reader. The woman loved the book and told her they should stock it in the store!

I was nervous at first, but as soon as things got rolling, that melted away. We live in a tourist town, so Saturday afternoons usually bring quite a bit of walk-in traffic. Talking to strangers does not come naturally to me, but I found offering candy to everyone who entered the store a perfect way to break the ice and start a conversation. A couple of local writer friends stopped by to offer moral support, and this adorable couple came all the way from Salinas to buy my book after reading about the signing in the paper!

The signing only lasted two hours, but in that time I sold eight copies of SMALL TOWN CHRISTMAS TALES, two copies of UNWRITTEN RULES, and one copy of BOILING POINT. I consider that a rousing success. The owner seemed pleased and asked me to bring more copies of the bodyguard books because she plans to keep them in stock. 

I never expected to see my books on the shelf in a real bookstore, but now I'm thrilled to be able to tell anyone I meet that they can find my books at The Pilgrim's Way in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. What a rush!

Alison 
www.alisonhenderson.com 

A Resounding Success by Margo Hoornstra



 

Take a number of writers eager to share their craft, sprinkle with some enthusiastic book lover volunteers then add several interested readers to the mix and what do you get? A full day to discuss, share, learn and teach writing at the Alpena Book Festival. And, yes, we were encouraged to promote ourselves and sign our books. Stocked on the shelves in a bookstore no less.

You may remember the last time I posted here on September 23^rd, fellow Rose Diane Burton and I were just heading off to take part in the event. Blasted out of my comfort zone big time when I accepted her invitation to attend and wondering what to expect, I needn’t have worried.

What a fabulous experience. Everyone was friendly and accepting. The venues, an ‘old fashioned’ bookstore, a charming loft meeting room, an art gallery space all were homey and unique.

 

 

As traveling companions, Diane and I mesh pretty well. She is an excellent driver with a solid sense of direction, qualities I lack on both counts, although I have been known to read a map correctly when pressed. As roommates go, I hit the jackpot. She’s tidy and courteous, who could ask for more? Since we have a lot in common, we had plenty to talk about. Our families, our writing, various author groups we both belong to. The current state of publishing and such. 

Even our individual nighttime rituals and early morning routines seemed to be complimentary. While she reads before bed, lights on as I settle in don’t bother me at all. I’m up early to spend alone time with my beloved coffee, and hopefully don’t disturb Diane as she catches another hour of shut eye.

 

 

All in all, it was a week-end saturated with the who, what, where, when, why and how of the profession we all know and love.

The only down side was the lengthy drive in and around your typical week-end traffic. Easy enough to solve. Next year we’ve decided to arrive earlier and stay longer.

It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.

 

My days to blog here are the 11th and 23rd. For more about me and the stories I write, please visit my WEBSITE

To Event or Not to Event, by Christine DePetrillo

Do you participate in book signing events as an author and/or a reader? I go to them as an author, but not as a reader. Is that weird? I’m an avid reader. I eat books. If someone said you can only have books or chocolate, but not both, I’d pick books… about chocolate. Just kidding.

Maybe.

Seriously though, why is it that I feel compelled to haul myself to book signing events to sell and sign my own books, but don’t salivate over the possibility of attending such events to gush over my favorite authors? I have a million of them. This is kind of a mystery to me. I’d like to get to the bottom of it. Someday.

In the meantime, here are my top five reasons to attend book signing events as an author:

1. To meet fabulous readers in person – I can’t tell you how much joy it gives me to be in the presence of people who have read my books and have liked—maybe even loved—them. People who want to follow my characters as they fall in love. These people are the reasons why I continue to write. Without them, I’d have lost my writing fuel a long time ago. A big thanks to all readers!

2. To get my books in new readers’ hands – This is about promoting and marketing. Sure, I love my current readers, but I’ve got a heart big enough to accommodate MORE readers. I want them to enjoy my work, get sucked in, and anxiously wait for my new books. I’ll admit it – I want FANS!

3. To scout out what other authors are writing – I snoop at book signing events. I peruse the other authors’ tables to see what they think makes a good book. Sometimes I agree. Sometimes I don’t. But at the end of the event, I’ve got a finger on the pulse of what other writers are producing. I’ve also been watching which tables get the most traffic and ponder the whys of it. I like to learn from these events as much as I like to sell and sign stuff.

4. To role play – I’ll admit it, my life as an elementary teacher is fairly “ordinary.” When I attend these book signing events, however, I get to be a Romance Novelist. It’s kind of sexy and mysterious and attendees are wondering, “Where does she get her ideas? Has she done some of the things in her books? What kind of research did she have to do to get that scene right? Are Black Wolf Tavern and The Clumsy Grasshopper real bars?” I get to put on another hat and play for a few hours. It’s fun!

5. To goof around with fellow authors – This might be my favorite part of book signing events. Writing is a solitary endeavor. It’s just me, my laptop, and some cuddly pets for most of the journey. I interact a bit with my editor and cover artist. I bounce ideas off of critique partners. But essentially I’m alone in my process, talking to my fictional characters, who quite surprisingly, answer me back on a regular basis. I attend book signing events to connect and be surrounded by other folks who “get” what it means to be an author. Not everyone does, you know. Plus, I’ve made some great author friends whose antics at these events I wouldn’t miss. (Like, I leave some of these shindigs with a stomachache from laughing so hard. Ask author Heather Rigney of The Merrow Trilogy. She’ll corroborate.)

 

So those are the reasons I hop on board the book signing party train as an author every now and then. Maybe one of these days I’ll go to one purely as a reader. Give that whirl and see what happens.

What are your thoughts on book signing events? Yay? Nay? Only if you’re forced to? Not if you’re life depended on it? Once a year? As often as possible? Only as an author? Only as a reader?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series, Books One to Six, available now. Book One is FREE in ebook. Always.

SAFE, The Shielded Series, Book One, coming soon. 

What I Learned at a Multi-Author Book Signing

Sunday, my local Romance Writers of America chapter hosted a book signing at a local mall. I watched the way other authors interacted with shoppers as they walked by.

Laura Breck

Of course, we all had candy and free giveaways on our tables to try to lure customers closer, but the authors who made the most contacts were the ones who came out from behind their tables.

Standing in the high traffic areas, these authors handed out bookmarks and trading cards and chatted with people as they walked by. The topic wasn’t their book, but instead, they asked questions about Valentine’s Day plans or what they were shopping for.

Most of the people who walked by weren’t interested in buying paperbacks, but they were excited to learn about our books so they could download them to their electronic readers. A few people bought books, though, mainly as gifts for loved ones.

It was very nice to connect with readers, even though I now have a big box of paperbacks, and no place to store them!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Laura

~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance

LauraBreck.com

~Dancing in a Hurricane is available in digital formats at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace

~Love in the Land of Lakes is available in digital format at Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace

A Memorable Opportunity to Support a Good Cause

Laura Breck

A group of authors from the Midwest Fiction Writers’ fundraising anthology, Love in the Land of Lakes, will be signing books and chatting with whomever stops by Thursday evening, May 23.

We’ll be appearing at SubText Bookstore, 165 Western Avenue North, Saint Paul, MN 55102 at 7 PM. I’ll be there with a big stack of the anthology paperbacks, and I’d love to meet readers and writers and talk about how the anthology was created.

All profits from the anthology go toward providing learning opportunities for writers in every stage of their career.

 

Hope to see you there!
Laura
~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance
LauraBreck.com
~Dancing in a Hurricane is available in digital formats at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace
~Love in the Land of Lakes is available in digital format at Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace

How to Host a Successful Book Signing

by Jannine Gallant

I bet you thought I was going to give you all the answers. Ha! I wish. But I will give you the limited wisdom of my experience and ask for yours in return.

I just brought home a big box filled with 50 copies of my latest book, Bittersweet. My heart pitter-patted in my chest as I flipped through the pages and gazed at my beautiful cover. Then the churning awareness that I had to sell every last one of these little gems took hold. Gulp!

I'm not a novice at book signings, but I'm no pro, either. When my first book, Victim of Desire, released nearly two years ago, I naively ordered 100 copies figuring they'd sell themselves. Okay, you can all stop laughing now. I held 3 signings and learned from each one.

The first was in my small home town of Tahoe City. The paper ran a story for me for free. I rented a room for a modest cost where local artists display their work. I brought lots of appetizers, told all my friends, and was thrilled when they showed up at the appointed time and bought 28 books. A success - I think so. What I learned was that I felt awkward asking for money because I knew these people. The solution, my best friend in the whole world took over the financial transactions. I signed and talked. She collected payment. The atmosphere was convivial and fun! But only one person showed up that I didn't know. So word didn't exactly reach the masses that the hottest new author since J.K. Rowling was making a personal appearance.

My second signing was with a group of authors over two hours from my home. It was a lovely day in a vineyard with music and wine tasting. The other three ladies were chatty and interesting. The problem, no one approached our table. I think the people milling about were afraid they'd have to buy a book from every one of us. Definitely a dilemma. I sold 3 books, which didn't come close to covering the cost of my gas. I'd have to say this one wasn't a success.

My final book signing was in the town where I grew up. My mom, who still lives there, talked to the local librarian. (This is library lovers month, so I didn't totally ignore our topic choices! LOL) This wonderful woman made fliers, brought coffee and cookies, and arranged an article for the paper. She also asked me to plan a presentation. I wanted to pull my hair out just thinking about talking in front of people. On the big day, we arrived, set up, and waited for several of my mom's friends to trickle in. I survived the reading and discussion - even enjoyed it after I quit shaking. But I sold less than 10 books. Again, this signing was a friends only affair. I think we'd have to call this one a toss up as to rather or not it was a success.

So, as I think about arranging signings for my new book, I ask you what I can do differently? What has worked for you in the past? What should I avoid? Please share your experiences.

For more information on my books, please check out my website and blog or follow me on Facebook and Twitter.