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 by: Connie Gotsch In December 2002, I brought my first novel, A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL, to a shared signing at a local bookstore. My partner was a lady who had self-published a youth novel. People flocked to this author's gaily-decorated table. Many seemed to know her. Even when they didn't, they laughed and chatted, nibbling at candies she'd set out, and picking up printed information. She sold several books. Me? I sat with A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL, as invisible as if some fairy had turned me transparent. No one even glanced in my direction, let alone bought anything. I had no candy; no information to pick up. I had not thought to bring either. Fast-forward to March, 2005 at my town's public library. I'm needing a drink of water, I've talked to so many people who've stopped by my table during a Saturday signing of not only A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL, but also my second novel, an e-book called SNAP ME A FUTURE. In addition, my purse holds checks from sales. What's happened? Magic dust fall on me? Nope. I've just figured out that besides scribbling my name on the flyleaf of a volume, "BOOK SIGNING" means giving a sign that my book exists, and I'm signing it--NOW. The insight came from a nifty little encyclopedia of promotion and publicity, called The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What your Publisher Won't by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. When I looked at her chapter on book signings, I realized I'd done little in 2002 to make my presence known to people coming into the book store. In other words, the one blurb I'd sent to my local newspaper wasn't enough to get anybody's attention. I might as well have flung a pea-sized pebble at an elephant, expecting him to look up. So per THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER, I made changes when I approached my signing at the library. Three weeks ahead of time, I e-mailed releases to newspapers in all the towns near mine. I also sent e-mails to my friends and colleagues, inviting them to the signing. Since I'm a local radio announcer, I told people about the event during my daily program. Next, I considered my presentation. The library promised a table to each of the twelve authors participating in the event. How could I make mine stand out? With an attractive cloth for starters. I selected a blue, cotton-linen one for a classy touch. My novels' heroines are classy, professional people. That got me thinking about a theme that promoted my books. I decided to spotlight the locales of the stories. A black-and-white photographer, I chose two of my pictures to display, and made a sign explaining that one represented the Southwest, the setting of SNAP ME A FUTURE. The other was from the Amish country in Pennsylvania, the backdrop for A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL. Next, I considered candy to give away. Spice drops seemed perfect, since both the Pennsylvania Dutch and Southwesterners use spices in their cooking. I put the candy in a china bowl with Southwest designs. After that, I organized a free book raffle, using an attractive somewhat-Eastern-United-States-looking box into which people could drop their addresses. I wrote up two recipes to give away, both of which I mention in the novels. The recipe sheets contained my name, my titles, and my publisher's address, (dlsijpresss.com) The library didn't allow us to hang notices pre-announcing plans to attend the signing, or I would have done so at least a week before the event. However, we could put signs on our tables. I made several with my logo, 'Imagination on Board.' Finally, I prepared handouts about both books--including synopses and snippets from reviews--and brought a printout of SNAP ME A FUTURE, to show people how to take it off a computer. The results? A week before the signing, friends and colleagues began saying they would try to come. Many did. People who heard me on the radio dropped by. Visitors loved the recipes, and the book information. The raffle confused them; the photos fascinated them, and they got a kick out of the candy. From their responses, I learned several things. First, having something quirky on the table, or giving away something unusual draws positive attention. People loved the spice drops because everyone else brought chocolate. Also, the photos started conversations. No other author had any art pictures. Second, it isn't good to give away too much at one time. After people got candy and recipes; and signed up for the raffle, they wondered if the books were free, too. Also, the raffle actually stopped me from selling a couple of books, because the people who would have bought them took a chance for a freebee. Third, a book signing is a great promotional tool when people know an author. Friends got a kick out of seeing me sitting behind a table looking important. Everybody likes to know a celebrity, even a local one. Fourth, book signings aren't strictly about sales. Many more people picked up information about SNAP ME A FUTURE and A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL than bought copies. But later, one individual asked for details of each book, and decided to buy SNAP ME A FUTURE. That made me realize that book signings are about exposure. Book signings are also great for networking. An experienced children's writer I met at the library offered to critique a manuscript of a kid's book I'm writing. Being new to that genre, I'm grateful for the offer. How long did I take preparing for my successful signing at the library? Probably a week of evenings, by the time I made the releases, signs, and information sheets; collected my boxes, bought my spice drops, found my table cloth, selected my candy dish, and e-mailed my invitations. How much did my materials cost? A piece of paper and ink for each sign, or notice, plus xeroxing. All together, not much time and not much money, for an approach that made a marked difference in the results between my first and second ventures into the book signing process. Connie Gotsch Imagination on Board Author of "A Mouth Full of Shell" and "Snap Me a Future" Find out more at www.authorsden.com/conniegotsch Order at: dlsijpress.com ebook.com Amazon.com  Book Marketing from A-Z | Return Home | The BOOK DOCTOR | The BANYON NETWORK | The Banyon Buzz Newsletters | The Aton Project Newsletters | Contact Us | |
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