Every year I tried to attend a wonderful writers’ symposium called Life the Universe and Everything. Here are some notes I took from a panel of author(s) who were guests at the symposium. Enjoy

–        Book signings no longer mean standing, sitting behind a table. You need to get out from behind the table and meet people.

–        Get to know the employees of the store for they will remain at the store after you leave and give recommendations to readers of your books.

–        When set up assigning talk to the store to see how much they know about, book signings. They may try to put you somewhere in the corner.

–        Make sure the store has books in stock. A good backup is to have some of your own copies in your trunk.

–        Prep them marketplace such as local newspapers. Don’t trust the bookstore to do it.

–        Analogy book signing on your Facebook page.

–        Visit schools before signings for children’s books.

–        Bring camera for newsreel and shots of signing.

–        Never trust a publisher to set up, book signings.

–        Bookstore is usually have community relations managers. They would be the person to contact to arrange for signing.

–        Drop ship the POD requires two weeks to get arranged. Contact this store 30 days in advance of the signing to see if they have ordered the books. Call again in 15 days and see if they have. They may not be aware that the ODs take longer than other books.

–        First-time authors. The bookstore will usually ordered 10 books. If they sell the 10 books. They may be persuaded to order 20 next time for the next book signing

–        Different employees in the story do different functions. See who does what, and follow-up with them.

–        Tell the publisher what you’re doing it shows them that you are serious about your craft in your career. And they will be more inclined to let you know of other opportunities such as another book signing elsewhere.

–        Key copies of your books in the car so that if the bookstore runs out, you can let them use yours and they can reimburse you by getting more books for you.

–        Make sure your table is something that people will want to come and visit, such as having candy.

If you would like to add your own suggestions, please feel free to do so in the comment section of this blog.