As an author, author events is one of the most important actions you can take to promote yourself and your work, interact with your audience, and sell copies of your book . There are different types of events you can hold, including readings, book talks , questions and answers, signings or a combination of the above.
What is reading?
For these types of events, you read a portion of your book to your audience to give them firsthand experience about the content of your book, your writing style and the tone of the book. If the event is based on a particular theme, then read excerpts from your book based on the theme not the entire portion of your book.
What is a book talk?
During the felicitation of my award, there was a press release of my anthology, Kolkata Diaries, I remember many co-authors were called on stage to talk about the stories and poetries written in the anthology. They also read excerpts from their stories and poetries too along with sharing their experiences of writing them. Little did I know what it is except a boring talk by authors? I was baffled internally by the people were dying to be on the stage, to be honest, I did too. I listened to them well out of respect for their passion like mine. I respect them, no offense.
Today, I learn about what exactly is book-signing session. Here it is, a book talk is a 10-30 minutes talk/presentation about a topic related directly or indirectly to your book.
It is often followed by Question and answer sessions , possibly a reading and then signing at the end and then a signing in the end when you sell your book.
What is Q and A?
Q and A stands for question and answer session normally follow a reading and book talk. If the event has a moderator or is being hosted by someone, they will likely begin this section by asking you prepared questions. Then they will open the discussion to the room allowing members of the audience to ask you questions. This allows the audience to connect with the author, ask them questions and discuss those aspects of the book that are not discussed by the author.
What is signing?
For these events, you just sign a copy of your book. The books were placed on a table, the audience either purchased the book at the event or brings their own copy, the authors sign them. The audience gets a chance to discuss face-to-face with the author, interact and ask them questions.
I remember my first book signing session. I was pretty excited about it but as I entered the venue , my excitement took a downward spiral. No one came to sign my anthology to me. it felt like as if I am the one unprepared, there were so many authors who came with their book. All of them placed their book beautifully so that it catches the eyes of the audience. It was so stupid off me to forget to bring my own pen. There was an author, who brought an entire stall with magical cloak, ancient flags and ancient bookstand to keep his books. It was amazing as I enter the stall and have an ancient vibe. He gifted me a copy of his book since I did mine. Along with the book, I got an ancient coffee colored scroll with a stamp on it along with some chocolates inside the bag. I loved it. Almost everyone there talk about their books, interacted with their audience and an effective way to promote their book.
I wish I did too but I was demotivated, I just wanted to hang out and have fun with the friends who came to visit me. I do not want as an author for these same mistakes to be a part of yours as they were mine. I feel grateful to be able to be exposed to the variations and learn from people of various backgrounds especially who have experience of publishing their book over years.
In this article, I will discuss about my observations and researches that can make your book signing session a massive success only when they are done right.
ADVANTAGES OF BOOK SIGNING
Being amongst the crowd can be irksome to some not all , so why do we have a book signing session when we can interact with the fans on social media platform, here are some of the reasons that may hopefully answer your questions:
· Added value: your fans will cherish their personalized interaction with you with your shared message plus a signed book increases in value for collectors.
· Engagement: you build a strong bond with your readers and introduce your book to new audiences . this solidifies your position as an author.
· Sell, Sell, Sell : when you plan right, you will pull your readers to buy your books or sell a bundle of books at an attractive price.
· Fan interaction: you get to meet your fans face to face, they get a chance to know you , to bond with you and increase your personal connection. It is rewarding to hear from your fans to hear about your work and praise you personally.
Share the publicity: as I shared with all of you about my book signing session, I must have forgotten to tell you that Ukiyoto Publishing at Jodhpur Park organized it. The location gets the publicity along with the company including the authors, co-authors and all.
DISADVANTAGES OF BOOK SIGNING
Besides the anxieties that you may feel about the event, there are certain logical reasons to keep in mind that will prepare you in advance and progress as I am choosing to do after the blunder I created. They are as follows:
· Expenses and logistics: If you are a self-published author, the cost of the representation, merchandise, equipment and planning falls on you. If you as an author work with some publishing company, the work becomes easier.
· Effort: be well prepared to let the world know about your book signing in advance and make sure that you plan everything from A-Z including the setup, equipments, merchandise and so on.
If you as an author have build up a strong brand and platform for yourself, you can easily garner the fans for your book signing session. I know you must be wondering how, so the answer lies in the upcoming section:
PROMOTING THE BOOK SIGNING
I always mention in each of my articles that if you as an author, you have to let the world know about you and your work so that you can build your brand and a strong platform for yourself. It takes a lot of time and effort but if you do it right, there is no turning back.
Similarly, in book signing sessions too, you have to let the world know about you and your work as well as the event so that you attend the event. I remember once I went to the Storyteller Bookstore in Kolkata, there I was interacting with the shop owner who told me about an author named Karuna Ezara Parikh and her book signing session at her store. Through her, I came across the author’s book named Where Stories Gather. It was interesting because at that time I was a co-author in anthologies.
Let us look at some of the things I have come across from various sources for promoting the book signing session.
· Website: Your author website is your online home for people who are interested in your work. Make sure that you post about the book-signing event and its necessary details. You can also post through blogs to let them know about it in advance.
· Invite buddies: A handwritten invitation to your family, close friends and your author friends to attend the book-signing event can make the event even more comfortable. As your supporter, they will do some free promotion about your event too.
· Local Promo: contact the local newspaper, radio stations, and magazines and provide a promotional copy of your book, offer to do the interviews, and invite those people to the book signing sessions too.
· Social media: it is the easiest and the most effective way of promoting about the book signing session. I do not remember the article exactly where I read but I remember the main tactic used by the author in the article. Imagine your book signing session is in November, then you should start promoting your work via social media 3-4 months prior. Instead of letting the audience know about the book signing session, the author kept posting about topics related to his/her book with a picture and a few paragraphs written on it everywhere she can to build buzz. By the time, the book-signing event came nearer; the audiences were excited to attend it.
You can either share posts or post promotional video on social media and your website.
Announcement: Write a few announcement for the venue to be used , since they circulate the details a few times a day.
PLAN FOR THE BOOK SIGNING DAY
Now, let us check at some of the things we can do in order to ensure that the book signing session is done right successfully.
As I was sharing with you, some of the details about my book signing session . I would like to add some more things to it. I have shared about the themed stall. It’s time to share about the simple things that were done by others. Next to me is the author Ananya Anurag Anand who was organizing her books in a way that grabs the attention of the audience.
There was an author with whom I did not interact much, but I was amazed by her hard work. She was organizing her books with the help of her friend. They brought with them the following things: bookmarks with quotes from her book, posters of her books and her business card. If you want, you can add candies and customized gifts for your audience too.
When it comes to decorating your area, bring banners and posters to make it super obvious what the event is all about and attract people to your table. You can use Upwork or Fiverr.
This is the most important thing that I may forget to mention, don’t forget that how you represent yourself to the audience is what compels them to buy your book. Your behavior and attitude and how well are you able to build connection with your audience is what decides whether they will buy your book or not including your subsequent books.
BOOK SIGNING IDEAS
When signing a book, you need to be consistent and quick. It needs to look interesting but easy to share too. Another tip includes using a sticky notepad to write the names of the readers in order to avoid crisscross in your signed book , but I know what you are wondering is what to write in your book and where should you write.
· Personalized message: I prefer these personalized messages more than others . During my book signing session too, I ensured that I provide some sort of message that I feel to be the right one for the readers to build up a genuine connection.
· Catchphrase: I had one of the books signed by the author, remember the stall about the pre-historic times I mentioned you earlier, he gave me a signed book with his signature and catchphrase: Thanks for supporting. Enjoy the Quest.
· Details of the event : if you want , you can also add the date and venue of the event to remind your fans of that special moment.
Don’t forget to use pens that doesn’t smudge easily and use a good quality of pen.
WHERE TO SIGN THE BOOK
The most common place for signing a book will be the blank page in the title. But in truth it can be anywhere as long as it doesn’t interrupt the writing itself should be fine.
If you want to sign a huge message, then pick out a space you know will fit that text well.
BOOK SIGNING TIPS
· Dress comfortably: This is one of the most important things to keep in mind. Till date, I am grateful for wearing a cotton co-ord for my first book signing session in a humid and hot weather of Kolkata. Remember comfort over style.
· Do not sit: This is something I learned from the other authors, they never sit, instead they go around and chat and exchange ideas with other authors too.
· Arrive early, leave late: I never knew about it because I did the opposite but it has a logical reason behind it. The more time you spend, the more you are able to nourish and learn through experiences and interact with your fellow readers.
· Bring along some snacks: Sometimes, it will be difficult to leave your bookstall to buy some snacks. Therefore, it is important that you bring along yours along with some bottles of water.
· Prepare your speech: This is serious how you summarize your book and explain it to the readers do play a pivotal role in sales of your book.
· Rest : In between the intervals, do take some rest so as to be effective and productive in your book signing session.
Hope this article helps you to embark on one more step of becoming an accomplished author. You can also read my blogs at Ukiyoto Publishing's website for more tips on my journey as an author so far.
Comments