Why Writers Dont Do a Book Signing -

Home
>
Book Marketing
>
Why Writers Dont Do a Book Signing

Why Writers Dont Do a Book Signing

Whenever someone suggests you do a book signing and you do not want to, here are five reasons you can give them:

1) It's not worth the time; there's not enough money in it.

2) Speaking is where the money is.

3) You have more important things to do.

4) When you do a book-signing, maybe nobody will show up and you'll feel foolish sitting there all alone.

5) There are other ways to sell books.

Then,again, there are five good reasons why all authors should do a book signing and a book-signing tour.

By conducting a book-signing you will:

1. Gain recognition. When you do a book signing in a bookstore, you will be interacting with the people who sell your books to the general public. It's an opportunity to develop a rapport with them, tell them about the book, and convince them that you are an expert on the subject. Then when someone asks for a book on your topic, they are likely to recommend yours. Don't settle for bookstores. Look for places where readers of your book are likely to gather and schedule an event there. That place might be a store, craft shop, pro shop, spa, festival, or health care center. Do some brainstorming with your staff and friends.

2. Gather input from readers. When you step into the book-signing arena, you have an opportunity to interact with readers. You are the center of attraction, since you are the author/expert. By providing a mini-seminar or discussion, you give a sneak preview of your book and your expertise. Add a question and answer segment and you will learn what interests the readers most. It may be the beginning of a sequel.

3. Have an event that is newsworthy and gather clippings for your scrapbook and poster board. Book signings provide an event that is newsworthy. This is especially valuable if you are not yet a celebrity. Celebrities do book signings for primarily the same reasons emerging authors do, an opportunity to be noticed and quoted and appear in the media. Gather comments of those who have already read your book and can post them, with permission, until you get print media coverage to add to your display. People are very interested in knowing what other people think of your work. Create a foam board for publicity. Place on it reviews, readers' comments, excerpts from your book, and your photo. Stand the board on the autograph table on an easel so that passersby can see it prior to your signing.

4. Conduct media interviews. The most successful book signings have the most publicity. Since your schedule is generally set up at least six weeks in advance, you have time to approach radio talk show hosts and producers, television stations, and newspapers to let them know that you will be in their city. A well-thought out Media Release is a must. It should contain information about the book, the author, and the event.

5. Expand your contact list. Book signings are a great way to expand your mailing list. Use a sheet of paper on the autograph table with column headings like: Name, Email address, Phone number. Usually, the less information you request, the more names you will collect. You can get more information as you develop a relationship with these individuals. It is a good idea to provide something free, such as a bookmark, with a quote from the book and your contact information on it.

Add the adventure of book signing and book-signing tours to your marketing list to create memorable moments that far exceed routine marketing methods.

Jo Condrill has conducted book signings acrodd the US, including one in the Barnes and Noble store in Rockefeller Center, New York. Her longest book signing tour covered twelve cities. She is the coauthor of two books: "From Book Signing to Best Seller: An Insider's Guide to Conducting a Successful Low-Cost Book Signing Tour" and "101 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills Instantly." She also wrote "Take Charge of Your Life: Dare to Pursue Your Dreams." You can listen to a book signing interview with Jo at http://www.jackstreet.com/jackstreet/rr. condrill.cfm For more information visit her website at http://www.publishandprosper.com http://www.publishandprosper.com

In The News:

The new world of book marketing
Christian Science Monitor, MA - Jul 7, 2008
By Marjorie Kehe | July 7, 2008 edition If you’re looking for evidence that there’s now than one way to sell a book, look no further than today’s piece in ...

Is ‘Bush-Bashing Fatigue’ Keeping Bugliosi Off the Air?
findingDulcinea, New York - Jul 7, 2008
... book is selling well thanks to talk-radio interviews and the Internet, according to the Associated Press—evidence, perhaps, that traditional marketing ...

New York Times
Ex-Prosecutor’s Book Accuses Bush of Murder
New York Times, United States - Jul 7, 2008
“You should never underestimate the power of a brand name author to circumvent the normal publicity and marketing channels,” Ms. Nelson said. ...

New Book for IT Professionals Features 20 Alternative Careers ...
FOXBusiness - 15 hours ago
A business analyst who guided manufacturing staff in defining their IT requirements could become a technology partner manager for a company marketing ...

Ever wonder why managers don't think deeply?
Ottawa Citizen, Canada - 1 hour ago
He proposed that a new book, Marketing Metaphoria by Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman, held some answers to the difficulty in promoting deep thinking in the ...

Harry Potter conference in Dallas shows books still working their ...
Dallas Morning News, TX - 4 hours ago
By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News Almost a year after publication of the final book in JK Rowling's series, you might think that interest in all ...

According to Doubleday’s Vice President/Director of Marketing
Live-PR.com (Pressemitteilung), Austria - 14 hours ago
... of our marketing campaign. Yes, it takes more work to produce a video trailer for a book than it does to sign off on a newspaper ad. But it’s worth it. ...

Surrounded By Akihabara's Wall-to-Wall Marketing
Wired News - 3 hours ago
Looking at the strategy guide book bin, you can see that anything relating to Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G continues to sell very well, despite its recent ...

Library24x7 Offers Innovative New Approach to Publishing ...
BigNews.biz (press release), MA - Jul 7, 2008
Except for a privileged few, book advances are extremely low, royalties are also small and the responsibility for marketing the book is still in the ...

Southwest Air, WestJet to Create Marketing Alliance (Update3)
Bloomberg - 11 hours ago
Southwest, which only flies in the lower 48 states, would be able to book customers on WestJet flights to Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean and for ski trips ...
Trains, planes and automobiles rally Vancouver Sun
Southwest books deal to Canada Chicago Tribune
Southwest to link up with Canadian carrier Houston Chronicle
CTV.ca - Airwiseall 331 news articles

book marketing - Google News

Why Writers Dont Do a Book Signing

Book Marketing