Book signing are about the readers. Author are successful at book signings if: they excite readers about their book and they make readers think they purchased something important (interesting or exciting).
Think about these ideas:
· Don’t wait for people come to you. Greet people near the door and ask “what they like to read.”
· Keep your spiel short. The classic 1 or 2 sentence “elevator” talk is good. Try to encourage questions.
· Study the customers in the store. If possible, visit the store prior to the book signing and analyze the crowd. Develop one-sentence spiels to fit different types. For example, if everyone entering the bookstore is over fifty and you write children’s books, perhaps you should focus on how books make great gifts for grandchildren.
· Be enthusiastic. Don’t read or do other activities as you wait for customers.
· Don’t panic or get angry if the crowd is sparse or if a customer insults your book. Forget your ego and try to SELL BOOKS.
· Advertise your signing. Any means is fair game—newspapers, posters, newsletters, word-of-mouth. Work with the bookstore owner for best results.
· Give customers something extra—a talk or reading at a specified time, bookmarks, cookies, gift wrapping, or a discount.
You’re probably wondering if my book signing are big successes? No, but they’re more successful when I follow this advice, than when I don’t.
Now what are your suggestions for book signings?
BIO: J.L. Greger is the author of seven mystery/thrillers. In her latest, I SAW YOU IN BEIRUT, Sara Almquist is in a lackluster love affair. Then an agent who has been undercover for thirty years in Iran sends an email: "Help. Contact Almquist." As Sara is drawn into the plan to identify and rescue the agent, known only as F, she is forced to re-evaluate characters from her career as a globe-trotting scientist and rethink what matters in romance and her life in general. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0960028544
