MULTI-AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

            To many, like me, marketing is the worst part of publishing a book. I love every aspect of the process except the marketing. Then again, there are times when the marketing part has its benefits, such as with successful book signing events.

THE MULTI-AUTHOR EVENT

            The multi-author event is just what it sounds like. Instead of being about your book only, you sit in a room with several authors. The way it usually works is that each of you gets a chance to present your book, then the floor may be open to questions, or just go directly to sales.

            It could also be a multi-author book event where you set up and usually share a table with another author. It’s up to you to hawk your book as people walk by.

VARIETY

            The book signing could be all one genre only, but the likelihood is that you may be the only one representing your genre. This can be advantageous or not, depending on the crowd and how the signing was publicized.

            There are likely to be a bunch, if not all the authors where you personally have no interest in their book. It could be the subject matter, or it could be the writing style.

            While I always keep an eye out for local (which is usually the case for me) authors and love to support them if they meet my criteria, I also will not just buy a book to support anyone.

            Variety is great in that your subject may be the one the audience is interested in, yet you could also be the one that nobody is interested in!

THE PRESENTATION

            An example of the presentation is the moderator introduces you, then gives you the floor. This is where you may correct or add onto what that moderator said, but if you sent them the bio, it should be correct unless they misinterpreted it, or you simply forgot to mention something.

            You may talk about yourself, the book and maybe even read a small part.

            Given the limited time, you need to be precise and give the highest impact. In my case, I talk about the how’s and whys of the book then read a short snippet, almost always randomly chosen. Why random? Because every one of my chapters has a beginning, middle and end, plus they tend to be relatively short. I can pick just about any of them but usually go for somewhere in the middle of the book so as not to give away too much, yet illustrate a scene with something compelling.

            If you get up there and drone on and on about something, you’re going to bore the audience.

SPEAK UP!

            More than likely this event will not be miked up, so you have to speak loud. Make sure you’re active and positive and can project to the back row. This may take some effort for many because you’re not used to speaking up to a large (or even small room).

            Even then, don’t be surprised to note those with glazed eyes. It may not be so much you, but they may have no interest in your subject matter. After all, this is a variety group so not everyone will like everything!

THE SALES

            Always make sure to have a specific price for each of your books, whether you bring one novel or an entire series. At most of these things, authors will only charge a nominal fee, usually enough to cover what the book cost them. Older ones can go even cheaper, especially if they don’t move as well. You can go ahead and charge full cover price, but unless you have a huge crowd after your book, it’s good marketing to give a discount.

PERSONALITIES

            You can run across a wide variety of people and reactions to your book. It can range from interest to snide and sarcastic. It can range from a simple smile to “advice” on how you can make your already published book better.

            You never know what you’re going to get, so be prepared to be nice, no matter what!

SUMMARY

            While marketing can be horrible, when you do get out for personal signings, they can be from a dud to a lot of fun. It’s what you make of them.

            To me, one sale is a success. No sale means I got to network with other authors. There’s no “lose” in either scenario.

            Happy writing!