Since the release of my very first book, I Dare You, I have hosted three book signings and a writer's workshop/signing. Because of this, I've learned a thing or two about how to host a successful signing and how they can benefit you as a writer. :) Here are my thoughts: 1) Don't overestimate how many books to order. For my first book signing, I ran out of books. However for the next two and my writing workshop, I had ordered far too many books. Honestly, it's better to run out than to take some home. :) Of course, you can always use extra books for another book signing. But then you've got lots of money put out that you haven't made back yet. If you do run out of books at a signing and more people come by wanting to buy some, have a form ready where you can get their name, phone number, and address. That way you can follow up with them about buying the book the next time you have some on hand. Especially for a writer just starting out, you don't need to have 50 books at your book signing most likely. My first signing I sold 22 books. 2) Plan your location and time strategically. My first book signing was super successful because of the day and time I did it and my location. I had it at our local library when an event was already happening at the library. This brought more people to the library than usual which meant more people at my signing. My last book signing was at the library on a regular Tuesday evening and it didn't go so well at all. If your book signing doesn't do very well, don't be discouraged! Consider your location and time and see if you can make it better next time around. Try to do the signing in places where there will already be a lot of people and on a day/time when people will be more available. (Like don't do it on a Monday afternoon when most people are working or in school) 3) Advertise well. Another reason that my last signing didn't go so well was because I didn't advertise nearly as well as I should have. For my first signing my mom did most of the advertising (and my mom ran her own successful business for over a decade, so she knows marketing/advertising), which is probably why it went so well. Make sure you're using successful advertising strategies. Set up a Facebook event for the signing and invite your friends if you have Facebook. If you don't, maybe ask a friend to help you out with it. 4) Interact with your guest. Don't just sell a book, sign it, and move on. Whenever I meet a band at a concert and all they want to do is sign my CD and move on, it makes me sad. I always told myself that I never wanted to do that with my readers. If someone is taking the time to come buy your book and have you sign it, be genuine towards them. Smile, create small talk, thank them for coming. Of course, if your signing is super busy and there are a lot of people wanting to see you, this may be more difficult, but trust me; you can still make each guest at your signing feel like they were more than a reader to you. Always be genuine. Don't make it about money. Make it about your reader. 5) Have free food. I mean, enough said. Who doesn't love free food, right? Have bottled water or soda, and maybe some cookies or a fruit tray. My mom brought cookies and water to my first book signing, and they were very popular. :) 6) Do something fun. It doesn't have to just be sitting at a table, selling and signing books. When I did my writing workshop, I taught the attendees about writing and then signed books afterwards. If you want to teach something, maybe a craft workshop, writing workshop, or journaling workshop, go for it. Then sign books after. (Make it about your book though. If your book is a craft book, have a craft workshop. The book I was promoting was about writing, so I did a writing workshop.) Other ideas are to have an author Q&A or read an excerpt from your book. If you wrote a novel, maybe have your friends help you act out one of the main scenes, or create character profile cards that readers can look through at your table. Make the evening fun! There you have it! Those are my top tips for a fun, successful, and epic book signing. If you're an author and you have book signing tips, I'd love to hear them in the comments below.
Anna P.
10/13/2017 12:56:21 pm
I haven't done a book signing before, but I hope to do one someday when I complete the series I am writing! :) It sounds like a ton of fun!! These are awesome ideas, thanks for the ideas!!
Bella Morganthal
10/16/2017 05:23:32 pm
My pleasure! I'm sure you'll get to do one someday, and I can't wait to hear about it! :)
Bella Morganthal
10/16/2017 05:24:24 pm
My pleasure! Chloe, you need to do a signing after The Light releases in November! :D Do you think you'll do a blog tour?
Bella Morganthal
10/20/2017 09:41:06 am
My pleasure!! Comments are closed.
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About this page:
This page of my blog is dedicated specifically to writers. I've been writing for over half of my life. I live and breathe writing. Because of that, I'm passionate about helping other writers grow, develop, and succeed. This section of my blog will include blog posts dedicated to writing, encouragement, and resources. Feel free to read through some posts and my contact form is always open if you ever have any questions or need encouragement! ♥ Archives
April 2018
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