Table or Booth Book Selling

by Linda Thorne

I’ve sold from tables, booths, tents and a Barnes and Noble “meet the authors” event where a group of us shared a couple of tables. I’ve sat on panels at bookstores and writers’ conferences where the panelists move to signing tables after their session. I’m not much of sales person and some of my author friends encourage me to speak out more at these events.

Will I? From my consumer experience, it’s unlikely. At various times spanning most of my life, I've hung out at places where books were sold at manned tables or booths. I’ve always been interested, but I’ve also noticed my reluctance to approach when the author or authors are present.

Why? I’d like to look over the books without feeling pushed. And the “feeling pushed” comes from within me. If I find out someone is manning a booth who has not authored any of the inventory, I feel freedom to peruse, to buy or not to buy. No pressure. But how often is anyone other than one of the authors going to be selling the books?

Rare, but I’ve seen it happen. I did it a few times myself before I became published, manning the local Nashville Writer’s Meetup Group tent at the Southern Festival of Books. Of course, I had a free handout about my own work in progress to give to anyone who’d take it. When folks came by, I’d say something like, “I’m giving the authors of these books a break.” and thought they showed signs of relief. I’ll never be certain whether their relieved looks were real or just my interjection of what my feelings would be if in their shoes.

Books are expensive and open wallets aren’t rambling around the Nashville area waiting to make authors happy. And books take a while to read. Even those who can afford to buy often have an unread stockpile at home pressuring them with guilt.

Yes, the person selling books from a table or booth is normally the author of at least one of them. If they are friends of mine, then I’m torn with buying from one and not the other. I still gut up and go to these places and when I do, I’ll buy from one and not the others. Although this is still awkward for me, it’s the reality of shopping books and they know it too. Sometimes I don't buy any.

If you’re not James Patterson or Lawrence Block, table or booth selling is a tough, slow way to sell your books. Is it worth it?

I think so. You’re marketing yourself and your work and there’s always the chance for something big to happen, and I’ve seen it happen right here in my town. An author friend of mine, was manning the Nashville Writer’s Meetup tent a few years ago at the Southern Festival of Books. A video editor who was at the festival scouting talent stopped by and asked my friend about his only book, his debut novel. The agent bought it and not long afterward, this author was signing an HBO TV movie option for $$$. That may have been the only book he sold, but I’m sure he was glad he showed up. That’s what authors do.

To Appear or Not to Appear

Years ago, I had at least one book event scheduled every month, sometimes in-town, sometimes out-of- town, but it was commonplace for me to get out and about to meet my readers.

In my opinion, things have changed. Before, there was a pretty good budget allocated by my publisher(s) for tours. And what wasn't covered, I took care of, making sure to stay visible. And then budgets lessened, and authors pretty much took over the entire cost of their own tours. There were places to be, book stores ready to schedule authors, festivals to participate in, book club members to meet, and conferences to attend. And over time, a lot of authors found that sometimes, the turnout was not what it had been, yet the expense of traveling, along with the cost of signing tables, book seller splits, etc., remained.

Nowadays, though books cost less and authors are more abundant, I make sure that the appearances I do schedule allow for good opportunity to reach readers, and that the event planner is doing some sort of advertising and promotion, with the understanding that I, as an author, will promote as well. To be able to meet readers and mingle with fellow authors, can be some of the best experiences of an author's career. The feedback and camaraderie are invaluable, not to mention book club meetings, which are intimate and fun, sitting among readers in their homes or chatting over dinner in a restaurant. Priceless!

The big picture involves considering the cost of travel, whether or not the organizer is paying expenses, availability, and the timing factor. All are key. 

It is a fact that I don't book as many events as I did before. I mean things really have changed, mainly involving the popularity of ebooks (events and signings require print books). I understand that I'm not alone in this realization. While some authors do schedule event after event all year long, and some only schedule tours around book release dates (maybe a book launch party), I think the reason some have cut back is because there are so many other ways to reach out to readers. Social media, online radio, blogs, video chats, live posts on Facebook, Instagram, etc., and scheduled book webinar events, all cost little to nothing, and they don't require authors, or readers, to leave the comfort of their homes. And, you can buy inexpensive ads, like Facebook sponsored spots. But I'm not talking about advertising. I'm talking about promoting.

Have you found that you've been down-scaling your scheduled in-person appearances over the past few years? Do you think that getting out and staying visible helps to increase book sales, as opposed to online connections, or are you like a couple of my author friends who say they'd rather spend  that time writing, and so they pump out book after book, because in their opinions, readers would rather read us than meet us, lol. 

Bottom line is, for the rest of this year, and definitely into 2017, I'm going to try my best to schedule more ways to connect one-on-one with my readers. They're worth it, and their energy inspires me to keep writing. So readers, holla at your girl if you see me sitting at a table with a stack of books, pen in hand, reaching out to hand you a bookmark!! 

Oh, the many hats of being a author!

Book Launch Parties -Do They Help?

Today is my birthday and I’m celebrating it with a book launch party.  Yeah, you heard right.  I’m having a party for the launch of my newest book, “Zapped!” Danger in the cell” which was released by Caribbeanreads Publishing on July 17th.  There is a lot of skepticism about the value of a book launch party, but I’m trying it anyway.

So why am I having a launch party for this novel when I never had it for my past titles?  There are multiple reasons.  My first novel debuted five years ago on my birthday.  And I did have a party, it was just not a book launch or book release party… it was just an ordinary birthday party.  At that time, I had no idea what a launch party was until a few days later when one of my relatives asked about a launch party. 

In addition to my naiveté, I was hoping to keep my “writer’s” identity separate from my professional identity.  I had no idea what impact writing fiction especially romance would have on my career as a scientist.  Finally, back then my book was published by a large publishing house with built in distribution.  Of course at the time my approach to writing was as a hobby.  I was one of the lucky ones.  I wrote a book, sent it to a-million-and-one publishers.  After the hundredth rejection, I wrote another and did the same thing.  This one got taken up by Dorchester Publishing and the rest is history.  I was not intimately involved in the publishing.  I submitted, edited, received galleys and poof! … a book was on the shelves of all major bookstores including Walmart.

For this book it is different.  I’m using a small publisher without the major distribution networks of the major publishing houses.  I have been intimately involved with all creative aspects from the writing to illustrations, to the cover art, to formats etc.  And without the distribution of a major publishing house, I know I have to be my primary promoter.  In terms of identity, well, I’m not trying to separate the identities any more.  This being a science adventure novel aimed at educating kids amalgamates all aspects of my professional life as an author, a scientist, and an educator.  And then there is my co-author to consider.  I’m not the sole author on this one; my eleven-year-old daughter who harassed me to write and publish it and now is getting cold feet when I mention promotion, is the co-author on this novel.

Thus when my sister suggested a launch party I immediately researched it.  I noticed authors had differing opinions on the utility of a launch party.  For some, they consider it a money sink – a huge investment for little gains.  For others, there were success stories in getting the books in the hands of readers whether or not there were major sales at the launch.

So I decided on a more intimate launch party, not at a library or book store or some extravagant venue.  I’m doing it tomorrow at my sister’s home.  It’s going to be a casual affair and since the  book is geared at kids, there will be activities for kids.  We’ve invited a targeted audience: people with kids in the target age as well as teachers and administrators of book clubs who can recommend the books for their students and club members.  And of course we invited our friends and family.

Will it work?  That’s left to be seen.  But eliminating the expensive venue has kept cost down.  Integrating it with the celebration of my birthday, means even if it is not a successful launch party, we would have one heck of a birthday party.  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a win-win situation!
I’ll let you know how it went in the comment section.  In the meanwhile, if any of you have had a book launch/book release/book signing party, let me know how it went and what impact it had on your book sales.

Have Them Eating Out of Your Handouts

One of the complaints I often hear from authors is that they can't seem to get their signings and book info into the pubic eye through the local newspapers. I don't have that problem and I have taught several organizations in my area a few ideas on how this is accomplished.

I once was a lowly paid newspaper reporter. I remember days of looking for feature pieces to fill up the pages and make my editor happy. I also remember getting excruciating “press releases” from the public. Sometimes it was more work to rewrite them than to use them.

Now I work with newspapers in 4 counties in my area, as well as TV and radio. I also learned a lot of techniques while doing PR for the local Sisters in Crime group and the library local authors' program. Here's my step-by-step method:

First, make a list of all media outlets in a 40 mile radius of the area where you will be speaking or signing. Call local libraries to find the local papers and use the Internet.

Call each outlet, ask for the name of the Features Editor. Hopefully, they will put you on the line with that person. If not, they usually have an outlet called "Community News." Get a FAX number or email where they would like to receive announcements. If you send a FAX, have letterhead stationary (order it from Vista Print).

When you send a FAX, never let it fall into the hands of whoever goes by the FAX machine. It can wind up in the general file or the trash. ALWAYS put the name of someone on staff so they will receive the paperwork. It may get lost on their desk, but at least it will make it there. Make the effort to change the name on each FAX you send. No generic “Features Editor” in the routing.

Even a small paper will feel good that you even think they HAVE a designated person as a feature editor. Small papers struggle and deserve respect. NEVER make demands or be pushy or overbearing. But, remember, they need to fill their paper and you can make their job easier by knowing how to write an effective Community News release. Here's a sample:

TO: (insert editor's name)

COMMUNITY NEWS

Local author Sunny Frazier will speak on January 15 at the Kings County Library, 401 N. Douty, Hanford. The event begins at 6:30 pm until 8 pm.

Frazier is the author of the astrological mystery, Where Angels Fear. This is a free event. Refreshments will be provided by Friends of the Library. Books will be available for purchase and a book signing with the author will follow.

Offer (but don't insist) that you are available for an interview if they have room for a longer piece. Or, create your own piece (write in 3rd person and try not to be too self-serving). ASK if they have room and would care to run it. Don't push a press packet on them or make them feel like they are there to do PR for you.

Ask about deadlines. I have papers that want info 3 weeks in advance, some only a week. Cozy up to the librarians. Make flyers and FAX or mail them to the library. Ask if they would like you to make an appearance.

Always act as if the media people are doing you a huge favor--because they are. Give the feature editor a copy of your book as a thank-you. I also make sure the local library has a copy. Libraries are often forced to cut back on book buying.

My info always makes it into the newspapers, TV and radio. The news people know my name and my credentials. I keep my contacts current by checking every six months to see if there have been staff changes. I write a nice thank-you note and praise for any article written about me (even if they spell my name wrong). By doing my end of things, and doing it well, they are more than willing to give me publicity for my next project.

Ten Things I Learned at Men of Mystery

On Saturday, November 17, I had the great pleasure of participating in the thirteenth annual Men of Mystery conference in southern California.  As one of the invited “gentlemen of this genre” I, along with fifty other men of mystery (each more talented, more accomplished, wealthier, and better looking than me) spent the day talking with mystery lovers from all walks of life.  I had a blast.  Here is what I learned:

1) I felt honored to be surrounded by best-selling authors, and I felt honored to be surrounded by readers who cared enough to shell out some money and dedicate the better part of their day to their favorite genre.  Without them, we couldn’t do what we do.

2) For reasons I cannot truly fathom, standing in front of a crowd talking about myself is vaguely terrifying.  I am a college professor.  I stand in front of rooms of people all day long, and it doesn’t bother me at all.  But talking about my books made me self-conscious.

3) That being said, I came to celebrate my archaeological mystery American Caliphate, and I was going to do right by my book, my publisher, myself, so I had to work up some nerve.  If you want to know how I did that, see number 4.

4) As I was writing my speech that morning, I had the TV on and I saw a news item about the singer Taylor Swift.  I am not aware of having ever listened to a Taylor Swift song, but she looks to be quite young, somewhere between eleven and nineteen years old.  And there she was on TV as comfortable as could be.  And I thought to myself, if an eleven-to-nineteen year-old girl can stand up and talk without fear, then so can I.  And so I did.

5) Hotel breakfast buffets are overpriced, but you wind up with way more bacon than would otherwise have been likely.

6) Sitting at a table autographing copies of your book feels pretty great.  I am grateful to everyone who stopped by to say hi or to let me sign their copy of my book.  I wanted to hug every one of them, but I think I would have gotten in trouble.

7) Nobody thinks its funny when you offer to autograph a book that someone else has written.  I offered to do just that on several occasions, and I chuckled each time.  But I chuckled alone.

8) Taylor Swift is actually pretty cute.

9) No matter how famous or well-known, or no matter how obscure and unread you are, you have to work it.  Publicity is vital if you want to make it in this line of work.  To that end, if you’d like to learn more about American Caliphate, or my other mysteries, or if you just want to earn frequent flier miles, please visit my website - www.williamdoonan.com

10) I am a man of mystery.  On November 17, I felt like a real writer.  I still do.

The Spoken Word

Oral tradition is a very important part of West African culture. Although their languages have had a written form for generations, one still finds that a lot of importance is placed on story telling and oral communications. You can see this in everyday conversations. People will seldom get straight to the point; a conversation must begin with a detailed greeting to set a friendly tone.

I cane face to face with the impact that oral story telling can have when I had the opportunity to speak to 325 children at an international school here in Accra. I sat with each class in the elementary section, read a story and then answered questions. The kindergarteners were my toughest audience. In the photo on the left, I am reading "Chee Chee in Paradise" to one of the kindergarten classes. The children paid rapt attention. As soon as the last word of my story had escaped my lips, a young lady piped up: "But what about Chee Chee's brother?" It was a great question and an indication that the story had touched and captured her. Their feedback was so useful, so humbling.

I firmly believe that the process of the reading had a significant impact on the way that the children saw the story and it made me feel very protective of my story. I wanted to pull the books off of Amazon and sell them one by one, only to parents who signed a contract to read the story with expression and drama. Don't worry, that madness has since subsided. I am ready once more to trust the words and the images to do the job for me.

Guest author Catherine McNamara: The Countdown Rush

Catherine McNamara moved to Italy after many years in West Africa. Here she translates for a WWI Eco-museum, runs a bed-and-breakfast and skis fanatically. She has great collections of African sculpture and Italian heels. She is originally from Sydney. Among her publications are Nii Kwei’s Day (children’s book published by Frances Lincoln UK, October 2003), The Divorced Lady’s Companion to Living in Italy (to be released on April 16 2012, Indigo Dreams Publishing UK) and Pelt and Other Stories (to be published in 2013, Indigo Dreams Publishing UK)

Just a few more days until the UK release of my debut book and I am uncertain what to feel. I’ve stopped drinking coffee as my nerves already seem alight, although I’ve detected an underlying sense of grace and completion with the approach of this moment. It has been long, as I wrote in a Guest Post here last December, but having read ‘could have been edited more’ in a review of a writer colleague’s debut novel, somehow I am happy my editor and I put in the extra mileage.

Time to celebrate or time to storm the internet with blog posts, interviews and giveaways? Time to place printed bookmarks in strategic places and organise readings? Is there any certainly either one of these – internet or physical promotion – will make a difference to sales?

There are several factors involved in what comes next for me. Primarily: budget. I am working with an independent publisher who though they have printed a beautiful work and sent off review copies to British newspapers, are not present for a book launch or major publicity. That falls into my lap. Which means that any publicity material – bookmarks, extra book copies for blog reviewers or magazines of my choice, a possible book launch in England which is my prime target market for the moment – has to come out of my pocket. Prioritising has become my new catch cry. I’ve tried to target both online and magazine reviewers who have the most followers or independent comments, reviewers who might also cast a kind eye over my genre (thinking lady’s lit) so as to make my investment (author-priced book and postage) worthwhile. Hopefully I may have some positive results. My deepest fear is that of the hundreds of books – both self and traditionally published – released each week in the UK, will mine even reach the desk of a kind reviewer? Column inches are notoriously hard to earn and, not having the clout of a major publisher or having a couple of prizes under my belt, I’m on tenterhooks.

Next, publicity material. I found a cheap local printer and am printing a batch of bookmarks from our cover design. Not a huge expense, but everything does add up. I’m confident they look good and will be worthwhile. It has been said that people need to see seven references to a product to instil familiarity and trigger the will to buy. Well, there’s my marketing theory in a nutshell.

Onward: the book launch. At first I wasn’t attracted to the idea of a book launch in London. Quite frankly, it seemed too much to organise, way beyond my budget (flights from Venice to London!), and some say the book launch being the ‘christening’ of the novel should be a get-together for the exhausted writer and his or her proud friends and family, and is therefore fairly ineffective in cranking up sales. So I put the idea on a back burner for a while, but it kept niggling. YOU’RE NOT DOING ENOUGH, YOU SHOULD BE DOING THIS.

I’ve organised minor events before when I had an art gallery, and being quite a   party girl I’ve hosted lots of big bashes at my home in the summer, but never anything as personal as my debut book launch. Thinking wider, I realised it was time to push myself out of my comfort zone (and Italy which is not my first target market!) and began to research independent bookshops in London that might host a foreign author. I found one, The Big Green Bookshop, and it proved rather painless to organise. I’ve sent invites to friends in London and close by, will haul along one older son and his cousin to serve drinks and photograph, have even managed to send off local (cheaper) prosecco to London for the bash.

Lastly but crucially there is the cost-free but time-consuming promotion that one can and must do online. There is no budget involved except the time you spend away from your job, your home responsibilities, your family, piano practice and pets, and I’m going with the advice of one major site editor whose interview with me will go up next week – online promotion is ‘well worth it’ (Elle Symonds-Trashionista). Like most authors I’ve organised the Blog Tour with various stops along the way. I’ll be up on chick lit, mature women’s, expat, mother sites and booklovers galore – in an effort to expand the appeal of the book which, while escapist and romantic, also addresses the more draining issues of teens and ex-husbands and sees my faded character blossom anew in an Italian world of espresso, alluring sex and unashamed architectural delights.

I realise my book will not appeal to everyone but I imagine all authors must reach this giddy moment. Do I dare to feel satisfied? Will I topple over in my heels at my book launch? Will anyone read my book besides my mother and aunt?

Catherine's blog: http://thedivorcedladyscompaniontoitaly.blogspot.com/

Buying link: http://www.indigodreamsbookshop.com/#/catherine-mcnamara/4561751985

Guest author Joanne C. Hillhouse: Got an author reading? Don't sweat it

Photo by Emile Hill

Antiguan and Barbudan author Joanne C. Hillhouse is the author of Oh Gad! – a novel scheduled for publication by Simon and Schuster in 2012. Her previous books are The Boy from Willow Bend and Dancing Nude in the Moonlight. She’s published in various literary journals, and her literary prizes include a UNESCO Honour Award, the Michael and Marilee Fairbanks international fellowship to participate in the Breadloaf Writers Conference, and the David Hough Literary Prize from the Caribbean Writer. Her activities include youth writing programme the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize.


I don’t sweat.

Well, okay, I do sweat; quite a bit, actually. I’m talking the kind of dampness that has people (okay, one person, one time) approaching me in the supermarket, concern wrinkling her brow: “Miss, you okay?”

But I don’t sweat when I’m nervous, like I invariably am, right before a reading. No, the signs are subtler: For only I can hear my heart trying to sledgehammer its way out of my chest, and the way everything gets dark and tight until passing out is a real possibility. And only I, once at the lectern, can feel the way one leg locks, firm, while the other trembles – not shaking like it does when idle, but trembling like an earthquake; And only I can sense the weird standing beside myself thing that happens.

One self chastises, “your leg is shaking, stop it, stop it”, worrying that the leg will give out and leave me sprawled on the floor; while the other keeps reading, initially stumbling over familiar words before catching her stride. This self is, by definition and inclination, a writer not a reader nor entertainer – which people seem to expect writers to be. But her motto is ‘feel the fear but do it anyway’, and so she does. She’s impressive really, this second self. On good days, she will begin to feel herself vibesin’ with the audience – encouraged by their laughter and murmurs. She’ll assert herself, as she tunes in to the story and her audience tunes in to her and the story she’s telling, the two of them hitting the same frequency. And just like that, they’ll merge. And soon she is one with them, the audience, herself, and Sexy Sadie (or whichever character happens to be commanding their attention).

I am no authority on readings. But since publishing my first book, I’ve survived (yes, you read that right: survived) more than a few readings – at this writing, I just completed one at the University of Toronto which included the first ever previews of my forthcoming book Oh Gad! alongside previously anthologized poetry. It went amazingly well.

I’m not sure how the next one will go, of course, but while I’m in the zone, here are some of my tried and true tricks, which you might find useful too.

1. Breathe. Cliché but true. I suck it in and hold it, counting down, trying to slow my heart beat. And it works. Deep breaths keep me from passing out – because like all humans, I need oxygen to live – and they slow things down. They remind me to trust the work; it’s ready…and with another deep breath, I’ll be ready too.

2. Distract Yourself/Be Present. Now, this sounds like a contradiction but it really isn’t. I try not to obsess about what I’m about to read. As I prepared for tonight’s reading, I ironed, watched music videos, surfed the web, tried to work (couldn’t settle down enough for that), tried on my outfit, took it off …all before leaving the hotel room.

At the event, I listen to the other speakers. I clap. I laugh. I am there. Beats sitting and worrying (read: obsessing) about all the things that could go wrong.

On this particular night, my debut reading from Oh Gad! nothing did. And isn’t that usually the case?

3. Prepare. Of course, distracting yourself only works if you’ve prepared; you know, like you can only sleep the night before the big test, instead of being up all night cramming, if you’ve actually been keeping up with your reading throughout the term. So, I prep and practice (when you’re not a natural, you have to) then, like they say in those Italian mobster movies, fuhgeddaboutit. Which is not to say that during early performances of my rare acting turns (in local productions of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues and Antigua & Barbudan equivalent When a Woman Moans) you may not have found me prowling back stage running lines trying to get into the right emotional head space; I’m not Meryl Streep, after all.

4. Take it in. This is a big one, and one I still have to work on. I’ve been known to treat readings like I did those big tests in that, I do not want to discuss or think about it after it’s done. I was not the girl to stand around discussing what answer I put for question six, when it was past the time that I could do anything about it. Move on, that’s been my mantra. But, this approach doesn’t work with readings where it’s advised that you hang around and discuss the book, make small talk, socialize. Me, I fled my Breadloaf reading as soon as it was done; turns out, several people actually found me in the days that followed to congratulate me on the reading, would have been better if I had hung around to hear it. In Toronto, I stayed put and survived (no, I can actually say that I enjoyed) the small talk, and embraced the response from the audience that, as I subsequently told a friend, felt like love.

So, my final bit of advice to you – and me – be in the moment. After all, it’s your moment.

5. Oh, and, go to the bathroom before leaving your room, or sweating may be the least of your worries.

So, what are your tips for giving your best reading?