12 Secrets to Selling More Books at Events

One of the funniest book signing videos popped up recently on YouTube: Parnell Hall singing about signing books in the Walden Books. It's an amusing video but possibly taps into every writer's greatest fears ... will anyone come to the store and will anyone buy my books? Marketing guru Penny Sansevieri offers 12 great secrets to selling more books at events, not just book stores.

So you got a book event, great! Now you want to maximize it, right? You've heard your writing buddies talk (or perhaps read online) about the lack of attendance at signings, so figuring out how to maximize the event, regardless of the numbers might be tricky. While I spend a lot of time addressing online marketing, the offline component is one you shouldn't overlook. If book events are where you want to focus, then bringing in some ideas to help you sell more books is something you should consider.



Some years back when I was promoting The Cliffhanger I ended up at a book signing in the driving rain, I mean it was pouring and the store was all but empty. It was amazing I sold even one book, let alone seven. While not a big number, the copies were all sold to people who were seeking refuge in the store from the rain and not there for my event. This signing taught me a lot about events and connecting with consumers in stores. If you have an event coming up, consider these ideas before you head out:


1. Marketing: First and foremost is the marketing of your event. But I'm not talking about the marketing you do in the media (though that is great too) I'm speaking of in-store marketing; this is what most folks seem to overlook. This is where you supply things to the store to help them market your event. Because the first phase of a successful event is driving people to it. Here are a few thoughts.


a) Do bag stuffers. You can easily do this in your favorite computer program, do two up on a page, meaning that you use one 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper to do two fliers. You'll want to ask the store first if they mind that you provide this, most stores or event venues don't.


b) Bookmarks: while most in the industry see these as passé, people still love them. You can do bookmarks and bag stuffers (or staple them to the flier) or you can do custom bookmarks with the date and time of your event. Nowadays it's pretty easy to get these done cheaply. Keep in mind that if you are having the event in a mall or other type of shopping area, you might be able to drop the bookmarks (or bag stuffers) off at the nearby stores to see if they'll help promote the event.


2. Book signings are boring: Regardless of where you do the event, plan to do a talk instead of a signing. People are drawn into a discussion and are often turned off by an author just sitting at a table. Marketing is about message and movement so stand up and speak. If speaking in public is intimidating to you, go to Toastmasters or some other local networking/speaking group and see what you can learn.

3. Unique places: If you want to get more attention for your event, consider doing events in unique places. We've done them in video stores, electronics stores, gyms, even restaurants (on slow nights); doing outside-the-bookstore events is a great way to gain more interest for your talk. Why? Because you aren't competing with everyone else at the bookstore for your crowd. When you do an event at a locale that doesn't normally do events, you'll attract more people just because it's considered "unique."


4. Show up early and talk it up: OK, so let's say you're in the store and there are a ton of people in there shopping (a book event dream, yes?), I suggest that you take your extra bag stuffers or custom bookmarks and just hand them to the people in the store. Let them know you are doing an event at such and such time and you'd love it if they can sit in. You'll be surprised how many new people you might pull in this way.


5. Customize: Regardless of what your talk is about, poll the audience first to see a) what brought them there, or b) what they hope to learn if your talk is educational. I suggest this because the more you can customize your discussion, the more likely you are to sell a book. If you can solve problems (and this is often done during the Q&A) all the better. You'll look like the answer machine you are and readers love that. If you have the answers, they'll want to buy from you. I promise.

6. Make friends: Get to know the bookstore people, but not just on the day of the event. Go in prior and make friends, tell them who you are and maybe even hand them your flier or bookmark (or a stack if you can). Often stores have Information Centers, see if you can leave some fliers there instead of just at the register. Getting to know the people who are selling the book is a great way to help gather more people into your event. If your event isn't in a bookstore but attached to a shopping area or mall, go around to the stores (and perhaps you did this when you passed out the fliers) and let them know you have an event and ask what you can do to help them promote it. If you can rally the troops to help you market your talk, you could triple the numbers of people at your event. No kidding.


7. Take names: I always, always recommend that you get names and (email) addresses from the folks who attended. Signing them up for your mailing list is a great way to keep in touch with them and stay on your reader's radar screen. If you have a giveaway or drawing, great! This will help you to collect names. If you don't, offer them a freebie or e-book after the event. Often if I'm doing a PowerPoint presentation I will put together a set of them (delivered in PDF) after the event. Attendees need to sign up to get them and then once they do, I include them in our newsletter list, which helps me to stay on their radar screen.


8. Pricing: Make sure your book is easy to buy. If you are doing this outside of a bookstore this is easy to do and will help your sales. I find that a rounded number like $10 or $20 makes for a quick and easy sale. If you can round up or down without adding or losing too much to the price, by all means do it.


9. Book pairing: One way you might be able to round up is by pairing your book with a freebie. When I paired Red Hot Internet Publicity with a second, but smaller, marketing book I took the awkward pricing of $18.95, bumped it up to $20 (so 2 books for $20) and quadrupled my sales after an event. Now the pairing doesn't have to be a book, it can be a special report or even an e-book that you send to them after the event.


10. Product and placement: As you're doing your talk (especially if it's in a non-bookstore venue) make sure that you have a copy of the book propped up in front of you so event visitors see it the entire time you are speaking. Hold up the book when appropriate and use it as an example when you can. This will help to direct the consumer's eye to the book - and making eye contact with the product is a good way to make sure it stays on their radar screen throughout your talk. When I do a speaking gig at an event that allows me to sell books in the room, I will sell four times more than I would if the attendees have to go somewhere else to buy it, so make the buy easy. If you can, make sure your books are for sale in the room.


11. Ease of purchase: Aside from pricing, if you're doing your own checkout make sure that you have many ways consumers can buy your book. I take credit cards at the event, checks and cash. Don't limit yourself as to what you can take or you will limit your sales.


12. Post event wrap-up: So the event is over, what now? Well, if you got attendees to sign up for your newsletter (you did do that, right?) now it's time to send a thank you note for attending and remind them (if they missed the chance at the event) to buy a copy of your book at the "special event price."


Speaking and book events are great ways to build your platform, but if you aren't selling books there's little point in doing them. For many of us, our book is our business card and thus, if we can sell our "business card" we can keep consumers in our funnel. If your book isn't your business card you still want readers, right? The marketing before, during and after an event is crucial to building your readership. While it's easy to say that events sell books, they often don't. I find that if you don't "work it" you often will find your time wasted. Seek the opportunities when they are made available to you - and then maximize them when they are, you'll be glad you did!


Thanks, Penny!

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques.

Better Book Readings For Kids

I recently gave a book reading at a local Montessori school here in Johannesburg for a middle-grade audience eager to find out more about my book. My previous reading at a literacy centre had been great because the teacher organized a fancy dress parade and the kids had worked on some creative writing to read to me. All the children arrived in Egyptian costume with poems and prose for me to hear. There was such fun and excitement that much time was taken up with the judging of the writing and the costumes. I read a chapter, they loved it, and that was that.


This time I wasn’t going to get off so easily. This particular teacher asked if I could chat to the kids about creative writing, plots, characters, and structuring a story of their own. I had recently written a blog post on that very subject, but writing and explaining it out loud to kids are two different things. My task that day was somehow to initiate a discussion on creative writing and to use my book to illustrate my points. I discovered that using simple but effective items to enhance your topics adds interest to the reading and contributes to the fun!

I had already turned to my book and website illustrator Lori Bentley for some ideas on accessories such as bookmarks and postcards to give away. Lori’s ideas were so stunningly effective that I was able to tell the assembled kids the entire story of the book and discuss creating a plot just by using the bookmark. I hope you’ll read Lori’s account of how she came to create her magnificent illustrations.

Some ideas to enhance your author readings for kids at schools, libraries, or bookstores:

• Chat to the teacher, librarian, or organizer in advance and find out if they’d like an educational theme (a school probably will) or an artistic theme such as kids coming in costume, doing their own illustrations of your book’s themes, or even some creative writing to read out aloud.

• Encourage the organizers to put a mention in the local newspaper or community press. Often newspapers will send a photographer along for some local newsworthy events. This will help spread the word about your book. You should also publicize it using your own social media outlets.

• Bookmarks and postcards are a fantastic yet simple and cheap way to promote your book. If your book is illustrated, you can (like Lori did) use thumbnails on the bookmark, with tantalizing hints of the plot outlined next to each picture. Postcards are effective with the book cover image on the front, a brief plot synopsis on the back, and don’t forget to include either your contact details or author website or the book’s website details. Parents will want to know where they can buy your book if your reading is not at a bookstore.

• Posters are also cheap and effective to promote your title. If you’re having some kind of contest then a signed poster is a great prize for an excited child. Don’t forget to give one to the venue hosting your book reading. A school or library will definitely put the poster up in the venue. That way your book will linger in their minds long after you have gone.

• Have a pen ready for the unexpected. I was astounded that all the children at the reading wanted to have their bookmarks signed so be prepared for that as well. Remember, to your audience you are an amazing creature – a real live author – and that’s incredibly exciting for them. They’re going to want a little piece of the excitement to take home. This is particularly pertinent if you are reading at a bookstore because parents will more than likely purchase the book right there and the child will want you to sign it.

• A visual impact is important. If your book is set in a different location and you have photographs then take them along. Kids love to know where something ‘really happened’ and images are important. If you have artifacts related to your book, even better. A bit of ‘show and tell’ will fix your book in every child’s mind if there is more to it than just words. (I have some painted papyrus so was able to use those pictures to explain how the ancient Egyptians made paper.)

• Once you’ve had your initial intro, discussion, and answered questions, you can focus on the book reading. Choose the most exciting chapter possible. Kids don’t have to know everything in advance and a brief outline of the story will be enough. Using my bookmark, the kids chose the image of the giant cobra menacing my two heroes for a riveting 20-minute read. (Have your glass of water at hand – you’ll need it!)

• During your reading make sure you interrupt yourself to ask the kids questions such as “Where is so-and-so place?” or ask them if they know what particular words mean. My book is set in Egypt so talking about an exotic country was great, and asking them to explain words like ‘sarcophagus’ kept us busy. You’ll find plenty of interesting material in your own work. You can also keep an eye on their level of concentration.

• Don’t forget to thank the organizers for inviting you to read and give them your business card so they never forget you. After all, you’ll be reading your next book there, won’t you?

A captivating book reading is an excellent way to create interest in your book, the kind of interest that remains unforgettable because it is both innovative and fun. Come up with creative ideas of your own based on your book’s themes and what resources you have available.