Day 15: Selling Books at Fairs and Festivals

Fairs and festivals can be a great way of gaining huge exposure for your book, and selling large numbers of books.  Almost every community has some kind of fair or festival each season of the year, and these events draw hundreds, if not thousands, of people.  Not everyone who attends may be interested in the genre of your book, but chances are you’ll still find your target audience amongst all those festival-goers.  You’ll likely have to pay for a booth to display your book and do your signing, but the cost can be reasonable, depending upon the size of the festival.  My rule of thumb is if you can break even on the event after 10 or 20 books, it may be well worth your time to register for the festival.  As with book signing events, your goal for fairs and festivals is to draw a crowd to your booth, sell books and “create the demand” for the book.

1.      Register for the event as early as possible

1. Contact the event organizer
2. Find out the cost of the booth or registration
3. Register for the event and inform your marketing representative

2.      Spread the word about your appearance at the event

1. Church bulletin
2. Online newspapers free event calendar listings
3. Free online listing at Craig’s List  
4. E-mail  invitations to your address book
5. Facebook
6. Twitter
7. Your web site
2. Share expenses

1. Split the cost of the booth with another author, if festival organizers allow booth-sharing
2. Decorate the booth with a banner and tabletop posters announcing that the author is available to sign copies of books.  Make the booth as attractive as possible!
3. Establish a family member or friend to help you during the event
4. Items you will need for your booth:

1. Books.  You will need to determine how many books you will need to have available for the event.  You can always keep extra copies in your car, if needed. 
2. Giveaways.  Just like at trade shows, attendees are always looking for free items.  Have a supply of bookmarks, business cards and push cards on hand to help promote your book if people don’t buy a copy on the spot.
3. Décor.  Most festivals will give you a table and a chair, and not much else.  Find out if you’ll need table coverings, a tent or awning (if an outdoor event), or a power supply for any video or audio needs you may have.  Also make sure you have pens and posters to advertise who you are and why you are there, preferably with a photo of your book cover on it.  You may even want to have a banner made for your book that you can re-use at future events.  You’re only limited by your imagination.
5. Be prepared with conversation starters.

1. “How did you hear about the event?”
2. “Are you an avid reader?”
3. “Do you live in the area?”\
4. Have a one-minute pitch ready to go that tells people who you are and what your book is about.  Practice it so that it seems natural and not forced.
6. Have a guest-book on your table for people to sign their name and e-mail address. By doing this at every event, you can create a large mailing list for e-blasts or newsletters about your book.
7. Practice good booth etiquette.

1. If you are sharing a booth, be considerate and polite to your fellow authors.
2. Don’t complain to your fellow authors if the event isn’t going well and you aren’t selling many books.  Attitude is contagious! 
3. Work out ahead of time how you will approach customers at the booth so you aren’t overwhelming them and pressuring them to buy books.
4. Be friendly and approachable.
5. Don’t just sit at the booth and wait for people to come to you.  Engage passersby in conversation and offer them any giveaways you may have.  Use the opportunity to tell them about your book.
8. Arrive early, allowing plenty of time to set up for the event.

10. Have book ordering information available in case you run out of books.   Business cards and push cards can be used for this purpose.
11. Send a thank-you card to the organizer after the event. If the event was especially successful, send a letter of commendation to the event organizer.  They may ask you to be a featured author next year.
12. Book early for next year’s event.

These tips not only apply to your local community fairs and festivals, but any local book fairs you may have in your area, too.  Of course, you may also want to look into attending the larger book fairs and festivals, but the cost of attending these venues can be high if you are not selected as a “feature” author, something that is usually reserved for well-known, celebrity, bestselling authors, or authors who have already developed a reputation for their writing and amongst other authors and writing groups.  The benefit of attending events like this is that everyone attending is interested in books, whether they are the casual reader or the bookstore owner.

There are usually a number of local and regional book festivals.  A good place to start is http://www.booktv.org/Book-Fairs.aspx.    There are also a number of industry events targeted toward bookstores, publishers or both.  Sometimes authors can participate in these events, either as a featured author or a guest speaker.  Again, the industry opportunities are usually not for the beginning author, but those who have already made something of a name for themselves. 

Whatever the fair or festival, start locally and build up from there.  At the very least you’ll gain some good exposure for your book, and at best you’ll sell a lot of books AND gain great exposure for your book! 

Coming up next:  Day 16 - Selling Books in Bulk

Day 14: What You Need to Know About Book Reviews

One of the first things an author is looking for when their book is released (or just prior to its release) is a review of their book. Book reviews can be a very helpful way of letting prospective readers know what the book is about, if it's something that would interest them, and if the reviewer thinks it's any good. If a reviewer doesn't like a book, more often than not they will not print a review of the book at all, but that's not always the case. Books can and do get negative reviews. Still, book reviews are more ammunition for authors to use in their marketing arsenal.

Getting a book review from a traditional reviewer, such as one who writes for newspapers, magazines or other publications, can be just as challenging as getting a book published. Producers for network television shows can receive 50-75 review copies per day and they may only feature a book on their programs once or twice a week. One newspaper book reviewer told me he has stacks of books in his office, and he receives about 200 books per month. He is only able to review about six books per month. Most book reviewers only publish reviews by authors they know, or books from particular genres or books from the major NYC publishers. Many newspapers are reducing their book review staff, or getting rid of book reviews altogether.  As you can see, getting a book review is not always easy.

But, it can definitely be done. The internet has made getting a book review a bit easier these days, but the author has to realize these reviews won't appear in their local papers. They will mainly be available online. That's OK, because readers are turning to the internet to search for reviews of books they may have heard of, or books relating to a particular topic. With so many blogs and websites online, it has become easier to get online book reviews, although sending a review copy to these sites is still no guarantee your book will be reviewed. However, it is often easier to get an online review than a review published by the "traditional" media.

Here are a few steps to take in getting your book reviewed:

1. Do your research.  Many authors make the mistake of sending out their book to anyone and everyone who does book reviews.  Too often, those books wind up in the reviewer’s “circular file.”  Why?  The author didn’t do their research to find out what kinds of books the reviewer likes to review.   If you have written a children’s book and you send it to someone who only reviews romance novels, you have wasted that reviewer’s time.  This is an instance in which Google is your friend.  Go to the search bar, type in the genre of your book and then “book reviewers.”  You should find a pretty healthy list of potential reviewers for your book. 

2. Pay attention to submission guidelines.   If the reviewer states they only review galley copies three months before the book’s release date, and your publisher doesn’t use galley copies and only has finished copies of your book, then you’ll need to find another reviewer.  Sometimes, the reviewer doesn’t want unsolicited copies.  They want the author to email information about the book first, and then if the reviewer is interested they will request a copy of the book.  Pay attention to those submission guidelines and you’ll increase your chances of getting reviewed.

3.  No means no.  If a reviewer declines to review your book, don’t keep hounding them to do a review or try to change their mind.  If your book isn’t for them, it isn’t for them.  Simply move on to the next reviewer on your list. 

4. Paid book reviews.  Some web sites and organizations offer to do book reviews…for a price.  There are reputable sites out there that will review your book and place their review on Amazon and some other high-profile sites, and there are some that will take your money and simply regurgitate your book’s back cover copy and give your book five stars.  Frankly, I don’t recommend paying for book reviews.  There are enough book reviewers out there that will do it for no more than the cost of you mailing them a review copy. 

5. Don’t forget Amazon.  Yes, it’s important to get book reviews from traditional media outlets, popular book bloggers, industry journals, etc., but don’t forget about one of the biggest book review sites out there:  Amazon.com.  Yes, anybody can leave a review on Amazon, but people who purchase books on Amazon base their purchasing decisions, in part, on the star ratings and customer book reviews listed on the site.  Would you buy a book with 50 1-star ratings?  Probably not.  Encourage your readers to leave their good, honest review on the page with your book listing. 

A word about bad book reviews.

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do. - Benjamin Franklin

Every now and then, not often, but a few times a year, I receive a panicked call or email from an author which goes something like this:

"I just noticed that someone left a terrible review of my book on Amazon.com (or some other online bookseller).  How can we get it removed?"

Well, the short answer is:  you can't.  Customers are able to leave reviews of your book on most any bookselling web site, and you may as well get used to the idea now that not all of those reviews are going to be positive.  That's just the nature of the business.  That doesn't mean people can go on these sites and attack you personally, but they can just about say anything they want about your book.

The great thing about the Internet is that it allows anyone to go online and instantly communicate anything they want to say.  The bad thing about the Internet is that is allows anyone to go online and instantly communicate anything they want to say.  Some people say things online that they would never say to someone face-to-face.  The anonymity of the Internet gives them free reign to say mean things.

Take this one-star book review from Amazon.com, for example:  "The character development was shoddy, unrelatable and unbelievable, the plot kept changing along with character perspectives the actually story never really getting anywhere, it was written as if it was a bunch of stories that someone decided to string together with random sentences and pieces of other stories."

The book being reviewed?   The Holy Bible.

When you publish a book, you are putting a piece of yourself on public display.  Just as in everything else in life, not everyone is going to like you, or your book.  Book reviews are subjective.  Opinions will vary from person to person.  In the not-so-subtle words of my company commander from Navy boot camp:  "Opinions are like a hole in your butt.  Everybody has one, and most of them stink."

I once shot a TV commercial for a radio station where I used to work.  The kindest review I read about it was "Terry doesn't look as old as I thought he was."  Another review contained the world "yuck."  The local newspaper named it "The Best Worst Local TV Commercial" in its year-end edition.  My morning show's ratings were increasing, so I got a chuckle out of the reviews.  When you are in a public position like radio announcer (or author) you've got to have a thick skin.  

So, what can you do when your book gets a bad review?  Should you respond to bad reviews online?  My recommendation is "no." Why throw fuel on the fire?   Let the positive (and negative) reviews speak for themselves.  When your readers contact you to tell you they like your book, encourage them to leave a fair and honest (and hopefully positive) review on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and other book review and bookselling sites.  Let your loyal readers be your cheerleaders. 

Don't let negative book reviews get you down, and don't let them dissuade you from writing more books.  Every author has received bad reviews for their books.  It happens to everyone.

Just ask the guy who wrote the Holy Bible. 

Coming next:  Day 15 – Selling books at fairs and festivals

Day 13: Consignment Book Signing Events

When you schedule a book signing event, bookstores have the option of ordering books from the publisher or distributor, or scheduling something called a "consignment" event. What does it mean to do a consignment event?

Basically, it means that you are providing and selling their own copies of your own  books. Ideally, you have purchased your copies at wholesale (or below wholesale) cost. The day of the event, you bring your books to the store. Sometimes the store will ask for copies ahead of time so they can display them, promote the event and even sell some books prior to the event. Once you bring books to the store, the manager of the store will either scan the books into their store's merchandising system or they will have some other means of tracking the consignment sales.

Traditionally, the split is 60/40, with the author receiving 60 percent of the retail price for each book sold, and the store receiving 40 percent for hosting the event. Some stores have different splits, so always ask about this prior to the event. Sometimes a store will let the author keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of their own books. They just want the author to bring additional customers in the door because those customers will likely purchase something else while they are there and become repeat customers.

The benefit of doing a consignment event is that the author doesn't get socked with any returns if there are unsold copies. The author simply brings those copies home, or the store may keep the books and sell them for the author on a consignment basis after the event, if the event went well.

"But," you may ask, "how will this help me get my book carried in bookstores nationwide?" Well, initially...it probably won't. There is nothing wrong with swinging for the fences when you first get into the (publishing) game, but every author has to start somewhere. Every author wants bookstore chains, Wal-Mart and Costco to carry their books nationwide on the book's release date. The fact is, a very small percentage of books get that kind of treatment. Bestselling authors with several titles under their belts, celebrity authors and those who are infamous for one reason or other (think Donald Trump) see their books blasted to stores all across the country when they first become available. For the author just starting out with their very first title, they have a long, hard road ahead of them, and consigment events might be some of the very first bookstore events they land.

It's not as bleak as it sounds. Some very successful authors started out this way. The authors of "Chicken Soup for the Soul", for example, engaged in a grass-roots effort to sell their book when it was first released. It wasn't availalbe in every bookstore and supermarket then like it is now. They did speaking engagements wherever they could get them, sold books through beauty shops, and I am sure they have more than one consignment event under their belts. You know the rest of the story. Now there is a whole series of "Chicken Soup" books, and the authors are very, very successful.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and for many authors, this means starting with consignment events at their local independent bookstores.

Authors also have the option of giving copies of their books to local, independent bookstores and other retailers to sell on a consignment basis.  However, at least once a month, I receive a phone call from an author that goes something like this:

"I left 10 copies of my book at the XYZ Bookstore (fictitious name) and I haven't been paid for the books they sold. When I asked for my books back, they said they didn't have them. What do I do?"

"Do you have a receipt or something in writing stating how many books you left at the store?" I ask.

"Ummm......"

Of course, I'm sure you see the problem here. If you were selling IPods for a living would you just hand ten of them over to a store without getting something in writing? Of course not. It's not that bookstores are shady when it comes to this sort of thing, but things happen. Bookstores experience customer theft, just like any other retailer. They could have mistakenly sent them to their distributor as returns, thinking they had ordered the books. Without paperwork, how would they know?

This is why it is good for authors and bookstores to sign a consignment agreement if the author is leaving books at the store for the store to sell. It protects the author, because they have a record of leaving books at the store and how much they expect to get paid per book. It also gives the store a record of just where they got those books that are sitting on their shelves.

Here is a basic sample consignment form that you can alter and print to suit your needs, but it's pretty straightforward:

Book Title __________________________
Subject: ____________________________
Title Code: __________________________
ISBN: ______________________________
Consignment Agreement
Date: __________________
This is to confirm (store name) has received (number) copies of (book title)
From (Author or vendor’s name)
For sale at $ (retail value)
(Store) will pay (dollar or percent of price) per copy sold, to be reconciled at (date).
Books will be in stock until (date) at which time it is the author's
responsibility to reclaim any unsold stock.


SIGNED: _______________________________ for (store)


SIGNED: _______________________________ for vendor


Author Contact:
Name
Address
Email
Phone


Store Contact:
Name
Address
Email
Phone

The author and the bookstore should each keep a copy of the consignment agreement.

Remember, your book is your business, and one of the basics of running any successful business is keeping good records.

Coming next:  Day 14 – What you need to know about book reviews

Day 12: Getting Media Attention for Your Book

You've written a great book, you have signings lined up and you're already selling some books.  You're set, right?  Well, almost.  You have sent out press release after press release (or your publisher has) and the media act like you have forwarded them a chain letter from Nigeria.  What does it take to get the media to notice you (and your book)?

Reporters are busy people these days.  The news cycle is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Media outlets receive dozens, if not hundreds, of press releases every single day.  Add to that the fact that many media outlets have very strict, fast (even unreasonable) deadlines, and you start to see why a press release about the release of a book may not grab their attention.  After all, books are released every single day (more than one million in total last year alone).

With so much vying for the attention of the media, how can you possibly grab their attention?  As a former reporter myself with more than 20 years of experience in the news business, I have a few suggestions on how you can break through the clutter and grab some headlines:

1.  Your story has to be interesting.  This is a given, right?  Not necessarily.  Something about you or your book has to be newsworthy.  We've already mentioned that the act of releasing a book isn't necessarily newsworthy (unless you live in a really small town where there isn't much news).  Releasing a book about how to live on one income in a bad economy, on the other hand, is newsworthy.  Find the "story" behind your story, and you have something to pitch to the media.  Is there anything about you or your book that you can tie to a current event?  If so, you've got a great "in" with the media.  Newspapers and magazines are always looking for great feature stories, but again, there has to be a "story behind the story."

2.  Be an expert.  Did you do a ton of research to write your book?  If so, consider yourself an expert.  Offer yourself up to the media as a local source they can turn to for local reaction to regional or national stories.  One author I work with has several years of experience in law enforcement, and I refer media contacts to him when they need a comment about anything that has to do with crime statistics or personal safety.  Of course, they mention he's the author of a book when they quote him.

3.  Contact the right people.  If you have written a Christian book, try to talk to the Religion reporter for the local newspaper, not the editor of the paper.  If you have a sports related book, you want to talk to the Sports Editor, not the features reporter.  Make sure you talk to the people that would be most interested in what you have to offer.

4.  Don't be a stalker.  Go ahead and contact those reporters, but within reason.  Sending them a press release and following up by phone once or twice is fine.  Emailing or calling them on a weekly basis to wear them down into submission is not.  Want to ensure you'll never get news coverage?  Spam a reporter's email inbox repeatedly and stalk them by phone to the point that you're on a first-name basis.  If the reporter is interested, they will call you.  If they aren't, they won't.

5.  Keep in mind what sells.  The media is in business for one reason:  money.  They want to attract the most readers, the most viewers and the most listeners so they can continue to sell advertising and turn a profit.  To do that, they want to offer their audience one of the following:

The unusual.
The topical.
The sensational.
The controversial
The emotional.

If you can tie yourself and your book into a topic or a story that touches upon one of these attributes (or all five), you'll get some media attention.  Remember, it's not the media's job to promote your book.  There has to be something in it for them. 


6.  Don't forget the alternative media.  Striving for coverage from newspapers, TV and radio is fine, but don't forget that there is a whole world of alternative media available.  There are literally thousands and thousands of blogs, Internet radio shows, local cable access TV programs, alternative weekly newspapers, podcasts, video blogs, newsletters and other outlets where authors can get exposure for their books.  Exposure from these alternative sources can often lead to broader exposure on national TV and radio if your story goes "viral."  Too many authors try to get on the national news right out of the gate.  Don't overlook your local media sources, and don't be afraid of the online media.  They are the cutting edge of the media industry.

It can be fun seeing your book mentioned in the newspaper, or on radio or TV, but don't forget the whole point of getting media exposure in the first place:  to get a mention or two of your upcoming book signings and author events and to let people know your book is available, and where they can get it. 

Failure to mention any of these things results in lost sales and promotional opportunities, which is the reason an author does the interview in a first place.

Here is a checklist to keep in mind when you prepare for and conduct your media interviews:

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW:

1. When you set a date/time for the interview, stick to it. Unless there is dire emergency in your home, there is no good reason to reschedule an interview. TV/Radio shows usually spend some time before the interview promoting the fact that you will be appearing at a specific time. Stick to it.

2.  Don’t be late for your interview, not even a little. In fact, if you are supposed to call in or personally appear on a show, be a little early. Nothing frustrates a host more than wondering if their guest is going to be on time. Radio and TV shows stick to strict time limits. Late guests throw off that schedule and you could find yourself without an interview.

DURING THE INTERVIEW:

You have lined up an interview with a newspaper, radio or television reporter. Great! Interviews are a great way of promoting books, but there is a difference between talking about your book during an interview and selling your book through interviews.

1.  First and foremost, don’t sound like you’re selling your book (even though that is exactly what you are doing). Radio hosts in particular don’t want to schedule an author to come on their show only to wind up with an infomercial about a book. Phrases like “if you buy my book you’ll read about” are not good selling points. Sometimes the story behind the writing of the book makes a great interview.

2.  No one-word answers, especially in rado and TV interviews. Nothing will kill an interview faster than giving a simple “yes” or “no” answer to the interviewer’s questions. You can answer with a “yes” or “no” but also explain the reason why the answer is “yes” or “no”. On the flip side of that:

3.  Do not ramble. Time is usually very limited for radio and TV interviews, and saying more than you really need to could lead to you saying the wrong thing, or worse yet, boring the audience. 

4.  Be entertaining! Sound like you are happy to be on the program and excited to talk about your book. Make the interview interesting and informative, and you will not only be welcomed back to the program, you will interest the audience in buying your book. 

5.  Help out the interviewer. If possible, send the interviewer a list of suggested questions about a week before the interviewer. Some interviewers will not use suggested questions, but others appreciate it. An interviewer is not always able to read a book before interviewing the author. A list of questions will help them out a great deal and make their job easier. Also, include a short autobiography about you so the radio/TV interviewer has an interesting way of introducing you on the show.

6.  Book giveaways. These can be tricky. You are on the show to sell your book, so is it a good idea to offer books as on-air giveaways? Giveaways can be a good way of generating interest in a book, but make sure that when the host does the giveaway that they also announce where the book is available for sale. It does no good to give away books and not mention where those who did not win a copy can actually go and buy one.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

1.  Thank the interviewer for their time and for having you on their program. There is a lot of competition for time on some shows, and they thought enough of your book to have you on as a guest. A little courtesy goes a long way, and you’ll likely be invited back. 

2.  If doing a TV/Radio interview, ask to have information about your book and where it is available posted on the station’s web site. By doing so, audience members can refer to the web site later for more information and find out where they can buy your book.

3.  Give information about your book to the station’s receptionist. This should include the title of the book, a brief synopsis and where the book is available. People listening to radio interviews in their car don’t have the time to write down information about the book, but they may call the station later for more info. Who is the first person they are going to talk to? The receptionist. 

4.  If doing a newspaper interview, ask to have the paper’s book reviewer do a review of the book as well. Sometimes the reporter interviewing you is not the paper’s book reviewer. This could help you get even more coverage in the paper for doing one interview.

 
Finally, don't forget that simply appearing on one radio or TV show, or getting one newspaper book review won't guarantee your book will become a bestseller, or that you will sell any books at all. It is just part of an overall marketing strategy for your book.   

Coming up:  Day 13 – Consignment book signing events

Day 11: Conducting a Successful Book Signing Event

Every new author has an expectation of their book signing events.  It usually goes something like this:  they will be held in a major bookstore, with huge banners on display and a line of people out the door.  The bookstore will have ordered hundreds of copies of the book and have them on display in the front of the store where they can be seen as soon as customers walk in the front door.

In reality, a new author's first few book signings may be held in a small, local independent bookstore, or maybe even a coffee shop.  They'll bring their own books to resell.  They have to hang their own posters to promote the event, and if they don't promote the event ahead of time they may sell only a handful of books, or none at all. 

The average bookstore signing event results in about six books being sold.  There usually is no line around the block, and customers at the store may be indifferent to the fact a book signing is being held at all.  So why do book signings at all? 

We have a saying in my marketing department:  "Events sell books."  Over the past six years, I have seen it time and time again:  the authors who do the most book signing and author events sell the most books, both at their events and through distribution.  Book signings are a means of reaching out directly to your readers, networking with new readers, and introducing retailers to your book.  The authors who are not very active with events are the authors whose books are not selling well, and they are also the authors that tend to complain about their royalty statements the most.

There are things that authors can do to ensure successful book signing events in which they not only sell all of the books the bookstore ordered, but have to dip into their own supply as well. These tips will presume that the author is doing a regular book signing, as opposed to a consignment sale (which we'll cover later.)

1. Get 'em in the door. Don't just expect the bookstore to advertise your event and bring in throngs of people eagerly awaiting to sign your book. Stack the deck in your favor. Send out invitations to your family, friends, co-workers...anybody you can think of. Don't just assume they won't come to your event. The more people you invite, the better. Bookstores schedule events because they want authors to bring people into their store. When I schedule book signing events for authors, the first question bookstore managers ask me is "how many people can they invite and get into the store?" The bookstore is looking for more customers, and they expect the authors to bring them.

2. Get the word out. Don't just rely on emails. Post a notice on your Facebook wall, web site, blog, at Library Thing, Red Room Good Reads, and on any free events calendar listings in your local area. Send out press releases to the local media. You might get a small two line notice in their events calendar section, or a reporter might event want to interview you prior to your event. Some authors want to purchase ads in the local paper. In my experience, these really aren't very effective and can be very expensive. If they actually worked, your publisher or the bookstore would place the ads themselves. There is a reason why they don't.

3. Work with the bookstore. Ask the bookstore manager where you will be seated in the store (ideally, you'll be near the entrance), if they need posters or bookmarks to promote the event and if they know of any media contacts that have promoted their events in the past.

4. Dress up your table. Don't expect the bookstore to do it for you. At the very least, have a tabletop poster announcing who you are, or have a large one mounted on posterboard at the local office supply store and place it on an easel near your table. If you have props that are applicable to your book, display them. I work with an author who wrote a book about WWII who displays his Army gear at his book signing events. He even wanted to bring his old military rifle to events, but I told him it was probably best that he not bring firearms to the mall. Anything that will attract people to your table is great, but make sure the bookstore manager is fine with it first.

5. Have a pre-written announcement ready for the store to read over their intercom system. Not all stores have these, but the larger ones do. They will appreciate the fact that it is one less thing they have to prepare for the event, and this will let people in the store know who you are and where you are located.

6. Be outgoing. Don't just sit at your table and wait for people to approach you. This is death at a book signing event.  Engage the customers in conversation. Tell them who you are and about the book you have written. Many bookstore customers love to meet authors, but they may not be the first ones to make a move. Sell yourself and the merits of your book (without being pushy, of course). I have heard of authors who have spent the entire 2-3 hours of their signing just sitting at their table hoping people will line up for a book, or worse...reading a magazine or newspaper during their event. Have you ever seen those people handing out free food samples at the supermarket? They talk to everyone that walks by them, with a big smile on their face. They talk about the product, and how great it is. Authors could learn a lot from these people. Remember, you are "on the job" when you are at a book signing event. Treat it like one.

7. Thank the bookstore manager or events coordinator. Let them know you appreciate their support. Send them a thank-you card after the event. They will be more likely to recommend your book, have you back for future events and recommend you to their sister stores, if they have any. A great attitude goes a long way.

Remember, nobody is more passionate or believes in your book more than you!

Coming next:  Day 12 – Getting media attention for your book

Day 10: How To Schedule Book Signing Events

We have already covered the fact that book signings can and should take place in venues other than bookstores, because you are trying to directly reach your book’s target audience.  However, bookstores should be a stop on every author’s book signing schedule, so this chapter will focus on scheduling and conducting successful book signing events at bookstores. 

The first thing to remember is that bookstores don’t have to host any book signing events at all, and many don’t.  Right now, many bookstores…particularly local, independent bookstores…are struggling.  Hosting a book signing event requires an investment of time, manpower and money that the bookstore may not have to spare.  Even some of the larger bookstore chain stores have either cut back on the number of book signing events they host, only do book signings for well-known, celebrity authors, or have eliminated book signings from their events calendar altogether. 

Bookstores host book signings for one reason, and one reason only:  to get customers in the door to purchase books so they can make money.  It’s not the bookstore’s job to promote an author’s book for them.  That means that A) you have to convince the bookstore you can attract a crowd, and B) you can help the store sell books. 

One of the authors I work with sent me a book signing checklist that she was given by a bookstore.  The bookstore manager expected the author to do certain things leading up to the event to help ensure it would be a success.  I won't mention which bookstore it was, other than to say it is one of the major bookstore chains.  These were the store's expectations:

*  The author needs to start promoting the event at least six weeks in advance.
*  The author and their book should present timely topics of interest to the store's customers.
*  The author must have the ability to attract 25 or more customers.
*  The author must contact and work with the local media for coverage and promotion.
*  The author should post their event dates on websites and social networking sites.
*  The author should send out mailings, email blasts, and other communication to friends, family, businesses, community groups, etc.
*   Last (but not least), the store's checklist mentions that having an event at the store "does not guarantee we will permanently carry your product in the store." 

Now that we know the expectations of bookstore management, we can formulate our approach to contacting them to schedule a book signing event.  Prior to making the call or visiting the store to request a book signing, you should have the following information readily available (much of this info may even be included on your publisher’s sales sheet, also called a “tip sheet”):

Book title (obviously)

Author Name

Book ISBN

Retail Price

Discount (this really only applies if the store plans to buy books director from you or your publisher.  The standard discount is 40 percent, but you may want to double-check with your publisher.  If the store is ordering from the distributor they won’t even ask you this question.  If you are doing a consignment event, you’ll need to agree on a split of the profits with the store.  The traditional split is 60/40, with the author getting 60 percent of the retail price of the book, and the store getting 40 percent for hosting the event). 

Returns policy (this applies to the bookstores that plan to order your book through a distributor, usually one of the larger chain stores.  They will only order books that are returnable, in case all the books don’t sell and they have to return them to the distributor.  The local, independent bookstores may also order from the distributor, but will more than likely ask you to bring books to sell on consignment). 

When you call, ask for the store’s manager or events manager.  Introduce yourself, and let them know you are an author in their local area, looking for a venue that will host a book signing event.  Give them a brief elevator pitch about your book (no longer than 30 seconds. Don’t recite the entire book to them over the phone). 

You will also want to tell them what your plan is to get customers into their store.  Let them know how many people you have on your email list, Facebook list, how many subscribers you have to your web site, etc.  Tell them you will be inviting these people to your book signing event and let them know how many people you expect you can get through the front door. 

If your publisher assists you with publicity and sending out press releases, let the bookstore manager know about this, too.  If not, explain what you will be doing to publicize the book signing event.  For example, if you have a radio interview coming up in the next 3-4 weeks, tell the bookstore manager about this.  Tell them if you can schedule an event within a few days after the interview you will mention your book signing event (and their store!) on the air during your interview.  Bookstores love free publicity. 

Now, let’s assume after giving them this information the bookstore is agreeable, even eager, to host a book signing event for you.  They’ll ask you what date you have in mind for an event, or they’ll give you a range of options for a book signing event.  I recommend scheduling the event at least three weeks out from your phone call.  After all, you want to give yourself, and the store, plenty of time to promote and publicize your book signing event. 

Keep in mind, not all bookstores will roll out the red carpet for you even if they do agree to host an event for you.  Some bookstores go all-out for events.  They’ll have a banner or a poster promoting your event, make in-store announcements to notify their customers in the store about the event  and even bring you coffee from their café while you sign books.   Others will simply give you a table and chair for your event, and that’s about it.  Be sure to work out with the store exactly what they will provide for the event, and what their expectations are of you for the event.  Count on doing most of the heavy lifting yourself when it comes to pulling off a successful event. 

Here is another dirty little secret about book publicity: bookstores don't like to say "no" to authors requesting book signing events, so they will sometimes come up with other reasons why they "can't" host an event for you: the book isn't in their ordering system, they are booked solid for the next six months, they have temporarily stopped doing events or the publisher hasn't done "something" that would allow the author to have a signing. Perhaps these are valid and honest reasons, but often it's just a "no." They may not want to be seen as the "bad guy" who turned down an author for an event, but basically that's what they are doing.

Repeatedly contacting a store after they have declined to host an event for you will not work and might actually affect your ability to get an event at other stores in the area. Bookstore employees and mangers do talk to each other, especially to other stores in their chain, so becoming known as a "difficult" author is not something you want to do. Not every bookstore is going to agree to host you for an event. Bookstore managers will agree to host an event if they think they can sell your book. Some bookstore managers dislike doing book signing events. Rejection is part of the business. I hear "no" from bookstores and other venues every day. It's not personal. If the answer is "no" just move on to another venue until you find one that says "yes."

Coming next:  Day 11 – Conducting a successful book signing event. 

Day 9: Building Your Online Presence

Ten years ago, it probably didn't matter if an author had an online presence. That certainly isn't the case anymore. Think about the number of books sold on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, and you'll quickly realize that if you are an author, you should definitely have some kind of online presence.

What kind of online presence do you have now? To find out, just Google your name, or the name of your book. If you only have 1 or 2 pages of search results which pertain to you or your book (or worse yet, none at all) you don't have enough of an online presence.

Your name is your brand. It is the thing that readers look for when they want more information about an author or their books. If your name or the name of your book isn't the first thing that appears in the search results when you Google them, you've got some work to do.

So how do you build an online presence? Fortunately, the fixes are simple, and in many cases, free.

1. Get a web site. As an author, this should probably be one of the first things you get to build your online presence. It doesn't have to be a huge web site with a bunch of bells and whistles, as long as what you have looks professional. At a minimum, it should have an author biography, information about the author's books, a way of contacting the author, a schedule of author appearances and a way of purchasing the books. If you can't build your own web site, you can hire someone to build one for you, and it doesn't have to be expensive.

2. Get a Facebook page. This is a fast, free and simple way of developing an online presence and staying in touch with your readers. Setting up an account is free, although if you don't know what you're doing there are services which will customize a page for you. The key here is to post to your pages frequently, and to build a list of "friends." You can start with your family and friends, and encourage people to join your page through your web site. The more friends you have connected to your Facebook page, the more effective it will be. Even better, your friends can recommend your page to other people.

3. Get a Twitter account. This is kind of like having a Facebook page, but your updates are limited to 140 characters or less. I use Twitter to pass along marketing tips and links to articles I think authors will find helpful. Authors can use it to notify people about their book signing events and the latest news about their book. Getting a Twitter account is free.

4. Get a blog. If you are reading this, then you already have a pretty good idea of what a blog is. It's like having a web site, but you can update it often...even daily if you want to . Posting to a blog frequently is most effective, and the posts should be concise and informative. If you are working on a new book, tell your blog readers. If you have a book signing event coming up, tell your blog readers. The idea is to build as much traffic to your site as possible, and I'll tell you how to do that in an upcoming post.

5. Comment on posts on other blogs and message boards, and sign them using your name. This is another fast way of building an online presence. The key here is to leave short, informative feedback on other blogs and message boards, and include a link to your blog or web site so people can click on it and connect with your directly. The more incoming traffic you have on your web site or blog, the more your name or the name of your book will come up in search engine results. 

6.  Sign up for Amazon Author Central.  Author central will help you beef up your profile on Amazon.com.  You can add your biography, photos, blog with readers and post your book signing events.  This is a free service, and it helps you make the most of your presence on Amazon.com.

7. Red Room. Red Room is like Facebook, but it's for authors. It's a great way to connect with other writers or with fans of writers. 

8.  Shelfari - This is a social networking site focused on books. You can use this site to build your own bookshelf (including your books, of course) and discussing books with readers.

9.  Library Thing.  You can use LibraryThing in a number of ways, such as entering your book to the list if it isn't already listed, discussing your book, listing your events and finding venues in your community which regularly host book signing events. 

10.  Good Reads.  Good Reads is a book recommendation primarily visited by readers, but authors can use it to connect with readers, too.  Readers list their favorite books, and similar books are recommended to them.  With more than 78 million books listed on Good Reads, you definitely want to make sure your book is listed amongst them.  Like Amazon’s Author Central, authors can add their picture and bio, share their favorite books, blog, publicize upcoming events and post videos.  You can also do book giveaways to help promote your book. 

Of course, you don't want to spend every waking moment of the day managing your online presence, but it only take me about ten minutes to write a blog post and post updates on Facebook and Twitter. These few extra steps will help you build an online presence and spread the word about you and your book. Authors can't afford to be shy. If you aren't connecting with readers, readers will be connecting with another author.

 

Coming up:  Day 10 – How to schedule book signing events

Day 8: What You Need to Know About eBooks

Rarely does a day go buy that I don’t hear that the printed paper book is dead or dying, and that ebooks are “pounding the nail into the coffin of the printed book.”   Sadly, authors are buying into this as well, causing them to focus large amounts of time and effort into promoting their ebooks and marketing their print books as an afterthought. 

Is this thinking justified?  Are ebooks replacing the printed book?  In a word, “no”…at least not yet. 

As of this writing, ebook sales represent about 14 percent of the total book sales market.   Yes, more ebooks are being sold.  Amazon states that for every 100 paperback and hardcover books that are sold, they sell 105 ebooks, but even Amazon makes more money off the sales of printed books than ebooks. 

The main reason for this is ebooks don’t retail for as much money as printed books.  In fact, most ebooks on Amazon are $9.99 or less, with many ebooks being sold for as little as 99 cents.  Selling ebooks for 99 cents might seem like a sound strategy if the author is selling thousands of ebooks, but few do.  Forget the ebooks that promise to show you how to sell a million ebooks on Amazon and get rich.  At last count, only 16 authors had managed that feat, and most of them were well-known, established authors, and their ebooks sell for much more than 99 cents. 

Yes, there are authors like Amanda Hocking who have sold a lot of ebooks and have gotten rich, but they are the exception.  Even Hocking has abandoned the self-publishing ebook route and has signed on with a traditional publisher for the access to new markets and the distribution that will provide. 

Despite the major increase in sales of devices like Kindle and Nook, and the surging sales of ebooks, printed books aren't ever going to go away completely, unless for some reason all the trees die and we can no longer make paper.  Many people still prefer to read a printed book.  I have had people tell me they will NEVER buy an ereader or purchase an ebook.  They like to handle printed pages and be able to collect the hard copy volumes and keep them on a bookshelf in their home. 

Did you know that about 30 percent of all Americans don't use the Internet, Facebook, download music, etc.?  Some people just aren't into gadgets.  Instead of buying MP3 players, they still listen to vinyl albums, and new vinyl albums are still being made, by the way.  Some people will always prefer to read books on paper.  Paper books may not be the main way people get their books ten years from now, but they'll still be there.

And who uses ebooks the most?  You would think that it would be a technology used most by young people, but studies have shown most ebooks are purchased by middle-age people in their 40's and 50's.   Another survey indicates that most college students prefer their printed textbooks over ebook versions.   Printed paper books will still be with us for some time. 

I mention these facts and figures to make this point:  ebooks give you another way of selling your book.  They are another product for you to sell.  They make your book available in a format other than the printed page.  What it is not is a sure-fire way of selling books.  Making a book available as ebook does not guarantee more sales,  even though the ebook version is cheaper.  It also does not mean that the book does not have to be marketed, or that it is easier to promote.  It is, however, easier, cheaper and faster to produce, distribute and deliver ebooks.  It’s that instant gratification that has helped make ebooks the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry.  We’ll get into the specifics of marketing and promoting your ebook as we get further into this series. 

As I mentioned earlier, printed books still comprise 86 percent of total book sales dollars.  Yes, you’ll want to have your book available as an ebook, but printed books are still where the money is, at least for now.   

Coming Up:  Day 9 - Building Your Online Presence

Day 7: What You Need to Know About Bookstores

When an author first publishes their book, they have visions of walking into a bookstore on their book's release date...any bookstore...and immediately spotting their book on the shelf, right there at the front of the store. There may even be a stack of their books in a point-of-purchase display or in the window of one of the major book-selling chain stores. However, unless they are already a best-selling author, a celebrity or infamous, this is highly unlikely.

“But why?”  you might be thinking. My book is great! Everybody who reads it tells me how great it is! This may be true, but believe it or not, the decision to stock your book on the shelf has less to do with the merits of your book and more to do with mathematics.

In 2011, there were 1.5 million new titles published in the U.S.   Most of this growth has occurred in self-published or short-run titles. However, despite the number of titles, bookstore sales are actually declining. Taking into account the number of titles available and the number of actual books sold, the average U.S. book is selling less than 250 copies a year, no matter who publishes it.   

When a new title is released, it isn't just competing for shelf space at bookstores with 1.5 million other titles, it is also competing with the millions of other titles that have been published in previous years. For every spot available on a bookstore shelf, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other titles competing for that one spot. 

I’m sure you have seen those prime point-of-purchase displays at the front of a bookstore.  Publishers pay for that space, and that real estate isn't cheap. The major chain stores don't just put the books at the front of the store because they like them.  They are making money off that space. 

This information may seem a bit depressing for authors, but only for those that completely depend upon the major chain stores to sell their books. It isn't the fault of the bookstores. With so much at stake, the bookstore buyers must stock books that they feel will have a good chance of selling and making money for the store. A book by a new, unknown author is a gamble, and a big one, for stores that must turn millions of dollars in profit each year just to make payroll and stay in business.  That means stocking a lot of titles by famous celebrity authors, or titles that already have a good track record of sales.

Pretend for a moment that you own a video store. Which movie titles are you most likely to stock? Blockbusters like "Twilight," or an independent film featuring unfamiliar actors? This is the same decision bookstores must make, and there are far more book titles released each year than movies.

If you are heavily dependent upon bookstores to sell all of your books for you, you are missing prime promotional and marketing opportunities.  Most book sales don't occur at bookstores. Most books are sold through other channels, such as retailers other than bookstores (supermarkets, pharmacies, gift shops, coffee shops), book clubs, online booksellers like Amazon, churches (many have their own bookstores now), and niche marketing venues such as museums, speaking engagements and specialty markets. 

Let's take a look at the two kinds of bookstores and explore how the decision is made to stock the titles they do have on the shelf.

Corporate chain stores: These are the major chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Family Christian Stores, etc.  . The decision to stock books in these stores is not made at the store level. It is made by a buyer who works in the corporate offices of these bookstore chains (they only deal with the publisher. Authors should not contact them directly). Each company may have several buyers, and each buyer may have a particular genre of book they buy (such as Children's books, Christian books, etc.). Buyers take several things into consideration when deciding whether to add a title to their stores' stock: Has the author published before? What kind of sales did their previous titles have? How have similar books sold at their stores? Are they already overstocked on books with a similar theme? Books by previous bestselling authors and celebrity authors go to the front of the line. Does the store already have 49 different titles about gardening? They probably don't need a 50th.  

Store managers have very little say about the books stocked in their store. They can order books for book signing events and they may even stock a few select titles for their "local interest" section, but that's about it. It won't do an author any good to call their local corporate chain store to ask them to stock their title. Authors can call and ask to participate in a book signing event at the store, and if the event goes very well and customers continue to request the title, the store manager may locally stock the book in their "local interest" section. If the buyer at the corporate level notices growing customer demand for a particular title, they may eventually pull the trigger and decide to stock the book in their stores. Books handled by a distributor have the edge over books which are only available directly from the publisher. Buyers want books at a discount, and they want books that are returnable. This usually disqualifies self-published titles.

A word of warning: in the past, some authors have asked 300 of their closest friends to call their local Barnes & Noble or Borders stores and order a copy of their book. The problem with this is the friends don't go to the store to purchase the book when it arrives. Many authors mistakenly think the stores will then stock the book on their shelves. They won't. The books will be sent back to the distributor as returns. Now, not only has the author cost themselves money, but the corporate offices of these bookstore consider these to be "fraudulent" orders. What are the chances that this title will ever be stocked at these stores in the future (or that the author will get another book signing event)? Probably never.

Local, independent stores: I call these stores the "mom and pop" bookstores. They are locally owned and locally operated. The people who make the decision to stock a title work right there in the store. The decision might be made by the store's owner or manager (often this is the same person) or with feedback from all of the store's employees. These stores also stock the "hot" bestselling titles, but they also often stock titles by local authors. Authors can often get in touch with the managers of these stores, show them their books, and if the manager thinks the book will sell, they'll stock it. They may order the book from a distributor, or they may have the author leave a few copies and sell them on a consignment basis. If the book sells well, the store may reorder copies of the book. No, this won't get a book stocked in a major bookstore chain nationally, but it does make the book available in a retail outlet. In this case, it may very well pay off for an author to contact the store and ask them to stock their book (a step you may want to approach in person or via email, along with a photo of the book cover and a good description of the book.

Look at it this way: when any other product first comes out, no matter what kind of product it is, it isn't automatically stocked in every store across the country. There has to be demand for the product. If the Shamwow didn't have a stellar track record of sales, you would not see it in Walmart or Walgreens or any other retail outlet. The buyers for those stores stocked it because they had a reasonable expectation that it would sell. Bookstores operate the same way.

Of course, publishers do want their books to be stocked and sold through bookstores. Bookstores do, in fact, sell books. However, this shouldn't be the only marketing channel used by publishers and authors. Focus on the book's niche market, figure out who the audience is for a particular title, and where that audience can readily be found, and you'll have identified your niche market.  Effectively reaching your niche market will help drive demand for your title, and it is demand that determines the available supply of your book, not the other way around. 

Simply sending hundreds or thousands of books to the distributor (which a publisher can't do unless the distributor orders them) will not result in book sales. The same goes for trying to put thousands of books on bookstore shelves across the country (which only the stores can do. It's not up to the publisher, unless they are paying for shelf space). If there is no demand for a title, it's not going to sell no matter how many retailers may have it available, or how many books are on hand at the distributor. Only one thing guarantees large stocks of a title at a distributor or in retailers across the country: demand.

With no demand, there is no, or little supply. Bookstores use demand to determine which books they will carry. Distributors use demand to determine how many copies of a title they should have on hand for stores and booksellers to order. The greater the demand, the more books they offer. If there is low demand, you will only see a few copies being stocked by the distributor and only a few venues offering if for sale (if any).

Of course, it is up to the publisher and the author to create that demand through marketing and promotion. If that demand doesn't exist, there will be few copies floating around in distribution or in bookstores. This is the reason why authors need to work to do events, interviews, get book reviews and create "buzz" around their title. It's all about creating demand, and creating that demand is a job that never ends.

Coming up:  Day 8 - What You Need to Know About eBooks