What To Take To A Book Signing

Tips that were sent to me and that I found here and there and thought you'd get a lot out of them.

Things to Take To Signings

Make 11x`14 poster of author, books and say Meet The Author to be placed on table
Have flyers, bookmarks, postcards, business cards, cover books, and perhaps bowl of candy on table to give away

Send sign for window to the book store three weeks before signing


Charitable contributions will get you in the doors of many chains also -- most corporations make allowances for this sort of thing. When you host a signing in a non-bookstore setting, you are accomplishing two things:


1) You are targeting your readers by matching their interests with the topic of your book and 2) You are the unexpected guest - and this will add far more to your "star quality" - people will want to stop and talk. In a bookstore you're getting many a dozen people stopping by your table whose interests may range from religion to childrens' books to Do-It-Yourself.


At A Book Signing

- Have an attractive two or four color bookmark designed by a graphic artist and print thousands of them. You can give one to everyone who comes in the store. List a few endorsements on it as well as a brief paragraph of what the book is about. Leave your address off.

Put the price and the ISBN on the bookmarks. Bookstores often have their own bookmarks and are reluctant to have you give yours out if they think their customer is going to you directly. Sign a bookmark for someone who lingers at your table but does not buy your book. Remember your mission: "Spread good will!"

Many people will come back to the store to buy your book after you have left. Send the bookstore several hundred-book marks, and suggest that they include them in the bags of people who buy books before your book signing. - Get to know the "Community Relations" person. They are the ones who will book you again if they like you. -


Remember to call at least two months in advance if you want to be included in their in-store flyer. - Go to Kinko's and have your book covers enlarged in color to an 11 x 17 poster, laminate them and have them put them on a poster type board with a stand up thing on the back. Always bring them with you to the signings! Anything else you can think of to call attention to your table is also GREAT! - Ask them for a media list (radio, TV, etc.).


Some don't have them, but the ones who do will usually share it or tell you where to get it. It makes calling the radio and TV stations easier. If they don't have a media list, ask them which stations they would recommend that might be interested in an interview. When they know you are also doing stuff to promote the signing, usually they do more too! - Ask for a community list, i.e., Chamber of Commerce, Society of the Arts, etc. Send them a news release about your book signing (and seminar or keynote, if applicable).

You never know where your speaking engagements may come from. Check first with your meeting planner to get permission, then add a personal note to the news release inviting them to come and hear you speak. - Although the stores send news releases, send your own as well. This increases the chance of getting coverage. - Call the radio and TV stations no less than a month in advance and request an interview the week of the signing. Send them a news release about your book signing. Give them a special invitation to attend your book signing, and if you are in town to do a keynote or seminar, invite them to attend at no charge.

Remember to send them a promotional copy of your book. - Put several of your books "face-out" when they aren't looking! - Send them your endorsements.

Print them in an attractive large font and on a white piece of paper. They will often use them on posters, etc. Also send several book "covers."

Request that they put up a special display, including poster, at least a week in advance of the signing. Most do, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Send your picture (color is best) to join the book cover on the poster. Sometimes they use it, some times they don't. At least it gives them an option. Offer to send any additional information they may need.

Talk to people. Many people think because you wrote a book, you are unapproachable. Prove them wrong. It builds relationships. Be exceedingly FRIENDLY!

Book signings are no place to be shy. Ask the manager how many books they would like for you to sign before you leave so they will have some on hand. NOTE: Generally speaking, they cannot return any books you sign, so always ask!


If the signing went well or even if it didn't, and you impressed the manager, they will usually have you sign a bunch before you leave. Bring a camera and have your picture taken with the manager and other key people in the store.

If you want to call attention to yourself, pay attention to other people. Most people don't do this. You may want to use several of the photos in publicity in the future.

Have a Polaroid camera handy at your table. When someone buys your book say, "Let's have our picture taken together!"

Have someone from the store take a picture of you and your new customer. Give it to them and sign and date the back of the picture. Suggest they use it for a bookmark. This increases the odds that your book AND the picture will become more of a conversation piece. did.

If you are in town for a keynote or seminar, bring some seminar flyers to hand out. It doesn't have to be fancy, just who, how, what, when and where will do! Invite the Community Relations person to attend your seminar for free.

Many won't take the time to come, but it's a nice touch! Call the local newspaper and request that someone come and take pictures for the "feature article" you will also request. Suggest that they interview the bookstore manager or community relations person.


If they like you, they will almost always say great things you and your book. Get there no less than 15 to 20 minutes early and if you can, stay late. When people stop by your autograph table, as you are introducing yourself, hand them a copy of your book.

Many people will not pick up your book, but most will take it if you hand it to them. If they begin to read it, that's your cue to keep quiet. - Communicate with the bookstore by writing on postcards that show your book cover OR have numerous extra book covers printed and use the front part of the cover as an oversized postcard. While they do require extra postage, they keep your book in front of them as a constant reminder! -

MOST IMPORTANT: Have FUN! Let people know you are there to have fun, even if you don't sell any books. The manager of the store often feels worse than you do, because they are afraid you won't come back. Have fun!

Create attention!Some final words: It is important for you to understand that the purpose of book signings is not necessarily to sell books, but to make the book store customers AWARE of your books. Another important point to understand is that books DO NOT sell themselves! People SELL books!


It's equally important to spend some of your time at your signing to smooze with the people who take the money from the customers who buy your books. Get to know the staff at the bookstore. THEY can help you continue to sell your books LONG AFTER you have gone! Book signings are an opportunity to build relationships with the book sellers.

I consider book signings as an opportunity to SELL the booksellers on recommending MY books when someone asks for a good relationship book! Several more things. . . as an author you should ALWAYS sign your books. Some people are too shy to ask for your autograph. Sign it anyway! Simply ask, "Here, let me sign that for you. Whose name would you like in it?" Always ask. Never assume the book is for them - Ask the Community Relations Coordinator to make up some "Author personalization Slips" (1/4 page sheets of paper with your photo and/or book cover on them with a message that says: "


If you would like for (the author's name) to personalize your book for you, please PRINT the name you would like inscribed below." This will speed up the process and help keep you from having to ask, "What name would you like in the book?" or "What is the correct spelling?"


What I learned/will do different next time:1. Write the little blurb that the store employee reads to announce your talk. They are clueless (at mine the guy read the squib they put in the newsletter which wasn't very complete).2. Personally write the blurb for their newsletter. Provide it without waiting for them to ask. (this is important) 3. Call the store in advance to talk about setting up a display and taking consignment books.

I tried to get this from the event coordinator and she isn't the right person to talk to about it--nor did she tell me that, but that's another story.4. When giving a talk, work from notes. I read a speech and it was fine, but I quickly saw that in such an intimate setting, a completely written speech takes you away from your audience too much.


You need to keep eye contact with them. When I finished reading and just started taking questions, the audience *really* warmed up. Take a nice pen. I couldn't believe this. I showed up at a signing without a pen. I took a signup sheet to get an announcement e-list started and nobody signed it. Now I realize I should have handed it to an audience member and let people pass it around rather than waiting for them to come up and find it on the table.


1 Provide a flyer a week in advance. I don't know if all stores are this way, but their posters/flyers suck. They are almost unreadable and you have access to a book jacket image, which they don't.2. Make a little stand-up table poster. I felt like it sort of marked my territory and made it easier for people to find me. Have a pile of bookmarks to give away.


I include bookmarks for all books plus a business card in every piece of correspondence that leaves my office. The utility companies send statement stuffers to you, so why not send one back? When paying bills, slip in several of your bookmarks along with your check.
When junk mail arrives, keep the "postage-paid" envelope and throw everything else away. I had tiny notes printed that say,

"You were kind enough to send us your stuff. . . professional speaker, author & relationship coach, Larry James invites you to check out his stuff at www.CelebrateLove.com, a site designed to help you fit the pieces of the relationship puzzle together in a healthy way."

Welcome to the Writers Notes

This is a blog to put all information for writers such as marketing, publishing and self publishing as well as any other subject that would be of interest to authors.

I'm hoping that there will be a lot of good info included by writers from all sites and that we can learn from each other. I'm working on marketing myself at this time trying to find the right markets to post my newest book to. Some subjects are harder to market to than others, but it's something that every author has to do whether they are tradionally published or they've published their own book.

I will do a posting about book signings next that might help others who are new to the book signings and hopefully it will give them some info on what to do and bring to a book signing.