Events for Authors

Last week I had the opportunity to speak at a fundraiser called Booked for Lunch which was sponsored by the Assistance League of Georgetown Area. The 250 or so attendees paid $20 for a box lunch and an opportunity to hear the authors speak. There were three other local authors there who I knew from the San Gabriel Writers' League. We were given tables at one end of the hall to exhibit and sell books. The doors opened at 11:30 so there was time for the attendees to view the books before lunch began.

After lunch, the authors spoke for 15-20 minutes each. After the first two did their presentation, there was a break which meant another opportunity to talk to the authors and purchase books. Finally, after all had talked, there was time to sell books once again.

I sold a few books before lunch, but most of my sales were after I told them about the book. Several people bought more than one because they knew someone who would like to have it. I didn't presume they wanted it autographed, but most asked me to sign the book. One came back with a book purchased earlier and got me to sign it.

The other authors had multiple books for sale. I only had one. One of the others sold out and took orders for more books than I sold altogether. The book in demand was A War of Her Own, by Sylvia Dickey Smith, a novel about a woman in World War II. This author also took credit cards while I could only take cash and checks.

In addition to the poster I have of the book cover, Celeste suggested I take the framed awards the book has won. I think this helped. I also handed out bookmarks. I made a special sign showing the price of the book and the sales tax. The resulting price was $10 to make it easier to make change.

One person said she would love to read the book, but she prefers Kindle books. I told her it was available on Kindle and for only $5.99. I gave her a bookmark to remind her of the book's name, and she asked me to autograph it. The next day, Kindle reported a sale. For future events, I should include a sign or poster announcing the book is available on Kindle and iPad as well as other eBooks.

I wasn't sure about what to say when it came my turn to speak. Of course I had planned for it for weeks, so I don't mean I was not prepared. At other events, I vary my presentation to match the audience. This time I decided to talk about why I wrote Where Love Once Lived and how I studied novel writing to make it happen. I then read to passages from the book. I read the beginning of the book up to the point where Karen leaves the classroom to go to the book mobile, and the section from Brian's viewpoint where he and Liz leave the school. I thought this audience might enjoy meeting Liz, but the comments I got later indicate they also liked what I said about writing.

First Book Signing for Where Love Once Lived

Saturday, September 25, 2010 I had my first book signing for Where Love Once Lived. I had no idea how many books I would need so I took about two dozen books with me into the store, with another eighty-five or so in the trunk of my car. I got there early so I could find a close parking place because I didn't want to leave my signing duties for too long while replenishing the supply of the rapidly selling books.

I was scheduled for 11:00 to 2:00. There was a steady stream of customers for a small store in a small town. There were only a few short periods of times when there were no customers at all. Except while signing books, I stood and talked to everyone who came in. I even tried the suggestion I had read about of putting my book into the hands of a customer. They quickly handed it right back.

A family of four came by and asked if there was a Christian bookstore in town. After Courtney told them where the closest one was I mentioned to them that my book was Christian fiction. They smiled politely and left.

By the end of the three hours I had sold 18 copies of Where Love Once Lived. Ten went to members of my church, two to members of the San Gabriel Writers League, one to a neighbor, one to a singing friend, one to a friend of a friend, two to family members, and one copy to a complete stranger who wanted to see if it was something her book club might want to discuss.

All in all, a pretty good day.

I left six copies at the bookstore in case anyone came late. Sunday, several friends at church said they would go buy one the six I left at the store.

Georgetown Book Signing Coming Up

My first book signing is Saturday, September 25, 2010, between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at Hill Country Bookstore in Georgetown, Texas.

To prepare for and promote the event, here is what I've done:

Studied information on the web re book signing
Talked to writer friends about their experiences
Made two posters for the bookstore
Put posters about the event in other locations
Sent fliers to several local churches
Sent post cards to some friends in town
Placed ads in the newspaper
Invited San Gabriel Writers League members.

Georgetown is small enough to make newspaper advertising affordable. Even so, I'll have to sell a bunch of books to make enough to pay for the ads. I ran it twice, the week before the event and the Wednesday before.

What I've done to promote the book signing, however, also promotes me and the book for purchases to come after the event.

While trying to get enough people there Saturday so as not to be too embarrassed, I've also discouraged my Austin friends from coming because I want to make sure they will attend the signing at BookPeople in Austin at a date yet to be determined.
Also, some of my friends already have books and don't need to buy another.

Who knows what will happen this Saturday. I know a few people are coming, but I don't know how many. I guess the worst thing that could happen is that I run out of books. Actually, come to think about it. That would be a good thing.