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The Truth About Book Signings
Your book is published. You're finally a published author and you have your first book signing scheduled. You're already envisioning lines out the door and thousands of adoring fans and a really big royalty check in the future.
Then you show up and reality sets in. When I was preparing for my first book signing, author friends warned me the average number of books sold, excluding your mother and friends, is three. I asked why authors did book signings then, and they said the real reason was to make friends with the staff so they'd recommend your book to customers and so they'd give it good placement, such as putting it at the front of the store or placing it face forward. It's an author's marketing tool to the book store.
So off I went to a homeschool conference, followed by two book signings in a state where I had no friends. I sold a few at the conference, after being on several panals and teaching a few classes, but people knew they could buy my book anywhere. They were after the things you can't buy on Amazon.com.
Are there any added benefits to book signings?
The book signings...I was already worn out from the conference, and the signings were back to back in different cities. When I arrived at the first one, the head of the largest homeschool group came in and said she wanted me to know there was a major homeschool event going on that day and probably no one would come, but she'd take my bookmarks and hand them out there. Homeschoolers are nice that way. She was about the only person who came, but I was very, very nice to the store person in charge of me.
The second one was about the same. They warned me there was a big children's book fair in town and all the homeschoolers were there, but that they'd been displaying my book by the sign all week and had sold ten books. I figured if I counted those ten, I'd beat the average. Happily, a couple of women showed up and we had a nice chat, advising one whose daughter was trying to talk her into homeschooling. She didn't buy a book and we couldn't convince her homeschooling was fun, but the other lady bought a book just because I was there.
Here's a real bonus to signings, though. At both stores, they asked me to sign some books they could sell after I left. A signed book can't be returned, so it's a guarenteed sale. At the conference, a bookseller had shared my table space and she bought six copies of my book to sell. In addition, a year later someone I met at that conference opened her own bookstore and sold lots of copies of my book because she'd met me and promoted it heavily.
So when you're sitting there all alone, be really nice to everyone. Bring something that might draw people to your table--they're afraid to come because it's embarrassing if they don't buy the book. In my case, it could be something for the children to play with, since I write homeschooling books. A cookbook author might have samples. Use your imagination, don't look busy (or they won't interrupt) and try to pretend you don't care one bit.
Here's a video from Parnell Hall, the famous mystery writer, about book signings. Very funny, especially if you've been in his shoes. I've set it to privacy--enhanced mode.