Book Signing for Experts

Think of your book on the bookstore shelf trying to attract the attention of potential new owners. Crammed together with hundreds of other books, only the spine visible to the roving eyes of readers, your book needs a little help from its creator. So much effort has gone into publishing it; can you afford to abandon it just as it hits the bookstore shelves? Your book needs your help.

Why not orchestrate a publicity-generating event such as a book signing with a mini-seminar, discussion, or reading where you can autograph your book? You can make a book signing tour worth your effort. If you are a new or emerging author with a small publisher, resources for promoting your book are likely to be very limited. If you are a professional speaker and an author, you can raise your celebrity status by doing a book signing in cities where you speak.

A book signing in a bookstore places your book "center stage" for a while, away from the crowded shelf. The event establishes a "pull" system which means the bookstore and its patrons ask for your books rather than the author and publisher having to persuade the bookstore to stock them. The author arrives as a celebrity.

There are many other venues in addition to bookstores. Jon Hanson, author of Good Debt Bad Debt, spent a lot of time writing in a coffee shop bakery. So many customers stopped by his table to check on the book's progress that the owner of the coffee shop asked Jon to do a signing when the book was published. Bagels and Books?

If your book is nonfiction, conversations with your audience will indicate that you are a source of expert information. You have done a lot of research in this area. You may become a key resource in their future exploration of the subject matter. People generally take pride in having met and discussed a book with its author. There is reflected glory which sets that person apart from other readers and gives them a connection to the source.

If you're not doing book signings, you may be leaving money on the table, overlooking an avenue to increase profits. There are many ways to promote your book, but none is as "up close and personal" as a book signing event.

Jo Condrill is a professional speaker, author, and consultant. She has conducted successful book signings from coast to coast, including one at the Barnes and Noble Store in Rockefeller Center, New York City. Jo is the author of: "Take Charge of Your Life: Dare to Pursue Your Dreams" and coauthor of "From Book Signing to Best Seller," which was named the Best Writers Reference Guide of 2002 by the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. Jo is also coauthor of "101 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills Instantly." This book has been translated into five languages by foreign publishers: Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Turkish, and Arabic. All of Jo's books are available in bookstores and libraries throughout the US. Jo builds on her service as a civilian leader in the Pentagon and on the Board of Directors for Toastmasters International. http://goalminds.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Book Marketing Information:

Related Articles

Top Ten Ways of Why and How to Write your Books Sales Letter - Part 2
Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. But after the initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down.
Five Book Back Cover Mistakes and How to Solve Them
Did you know that your back cover information is, after the cover, the best way to sell more books? And, that most authors, emerging and experienced, miss this opportunity to engage more potential buyers? Your book's front cover and sizzling title must impress your buyers in four-eight seconds. If they like it, they will spend ten-thirty seconds or so on your back cover-a great opportunity to convince them that your book is necessary for their pleasure or success.
Ten Ways to Make Your Book Outsell Another
Wouldn't you rather write a book that sells well than be stuck with unsold inventory? When you plan ahead with the 10 tips below, you will sell thousands rather than hundreds of your unique and important information or inspirational products. 1.
8 Easy Online Ways to Market Your Book For Free
Marketing your book whether you went the POD, e-book, or traditional route can be a daunting process. Figuring out what works and what doesn't can take time, energy, and if you're not careful a lot of money.
How to Get Your Book Reviewed in Magazines
In one of my past magazine jobs my office was next to that of the book editor. He would get boxes and boxes of books daily. There was a separate room devoted to storing these books, but that still didn't keep them from piling up in his office.
7 Vital Book Promotion Tips
As a literary publicist I often am asked about publicity tips, tricks, and the magic behind my work. It's not magic.
Discover 3 Easy Ways to Promote Your Articles
Are you using these methods to promote your articles?If not, you are missing out on some easy ways to get more traffic. Ways that require no additional work on your part once they are set up.
How to Get More Readers For Your Book
Marketing your own book can seem like a scary task. You poured your heart and soul into the writing of it, and now when you think about marketing your masterpiece, you think, "I'm a writer, not a salesperson!"But there is a simple way you can get the word out about your book.
Increase Book Sales: When a Sale Is No Longer Just a Sale
Do you have books sitting in your garage that you haven'tsold yet and looking for ways to move them? Then you willwant to know about these five outrageous ideas that aren'tdifficult and can be just plain out fun. Dede Hall, author of The Starving Student's Cookbook hadvery poor sales for her books.
Distribute Your Self-Published Book - Part 1
Where is your book now? With a distributor? In a book store? Or, did it already die an early death after a few months? New self-published authors often believe they need a distributor to sell a lot of books. They want to use Ingram or Baker & Taylor because they think they need to get their book into the "brick and mortar" bookstores like Barnes and Noble.
How a Book is Born: One Authors Story
Not all books come out whole, all at once. In fact, most books ease out little by little.
Top 5 Book Selling Tips
TIP # 1Online reviews are paramount in importance when it comes to drawing attention to your book. And the best part is, you're in control of your own destiny!If you haven't yet submitted your own review on sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, what are you waiting for? This should be one of the first steps for every published author.
Self Publishing Success Starts With Marketing
Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart. The publication process is lengthy, involves a considerable number of detailed, administrative tasks and can be expensive.
Online Book Promotion Beats Traditional Seven to One - Part 1
While traditional marketing can work for the book author or publisher, the return is dim for the huge effort it takes. You must promote 90% of the time to even get a milligram of attention.
Creating a Book Poster
Posters can be a great and inexpensive way to promote your book. But don't rush right out until you know the key items to include on your poster.
Book Promotion Myth -- The Best Place to Sell Books is a Bookstore
When authors think of their audience buying books they think of bookstores. This myth sends authors taking the long, arduous road to seeking out an agent, a publisher, hoping their book will become a best seller.
Comments From A Book Reviewer
For the past several years I have been reviewing books for my own site, Bookpleasures.com, as well as many other sites.
Colour and Book Covers - What You Should Know if Youre Self-Publishing
Color is tricky at the best of times. If you want exact color management (such as a particular shade of blue for a university logo) you really should use something called spot color.
Does Your Book Cover Pass the "Ignore" Test?
Your book cover is the first impression a potential client has with your book. The book cover design and message will determine if your book will be ignored or bought.
Make Big Profits from Small Booklets
What is your excuse for not being published? "I don't know enough to fill a book." "I don't have time to write a whole book.