Book Signings Do’s and Don’t’s
Mike Apodaca, High Desert Branch
On April 25, 2023, twelve of us showed up to a terrific ACT II meeting by Michael Raff and Roberta Smith, on doing a booksigning. Their presentation was so inspiring and informative that I decided to create a checklist for myself that I’d like to share with our entire club in case someone else might find it useful.
Book Signing Checklist:
Find a venue that jives with your books. You’ll have better sales.
Avoid swap meets. People don’t generally go to those to find books.
Consider and weigh 1) Distance traveled, 2) Parking, 3) Entrance Fees, 4) Table Fees,
Have more than one book. It shows diversity.
Bring enough books. Order them early. They can take weeks to arrive.
Advertise your event in advance; use social media, have a press release.
Bring your seller’s permit with the State of California.
Bring business cards with your email address on them.
Bring good pens to sign with.
Bring cash for change and your Square to take credit cards.
Use props on your table that accent your books, but not too many.
Have a banner that says you are an author selling books.
Have a display stand for your books.
Have a nice table and tablecloth.
Wear comfortable shoes. Standing draws people in.
For outdoor events, bring an easy-up and sandbags.
Bring food and water from home.
Make sure your book covers draw customers in.
Have a sign showing that you take credit cards.
Have a sign with the price of the books.
Be friendly. Greet people. Talk.
Ask if the customer wants an autographed book, or one with their name.
Keep track of how many you sell of each book.
Have a short pitch for each book.
Take pictures with people, if they want to.
Allow people to start reading your book—a free sample.
Clean up before you leave.
Keep tabs on responses on Amazon.
Send those putting together the event a poster by email so they can put it up.
Plan to be successful by planning well and early.
Thanks again to Mike and Roberta for sharing their wisdom and experience with us. And to Mike for managing our Town’s End Marketplace events, for us. Roberta told us she has learned that we get better at book signings by doing them over time. We are so fortunate to have the Town’s End available for book signings. Hopefully, we will all be selling books by the dozens at many events each year.
This indispensable checklist originally appeared
in the May 2023 Inkslinger, newsletter of the High Desert Branch.