Book Signing Advice

You've been asked to do a book signing. Now what?

Well, first of all, don't panic! I'm one of the world's shyest people, so if I can do it, you can do it!

Your next step is to communicate with the people at the venue. Find out several things from them:
Who takes care of publicity? (Usually both of you will contribute to this.)
Where will you be located? (Don't let them stick you in the back. Near the front door is best.)
Will they provide a table? Chair? Book stand(s)? Pen(s)? (I always bring my own pens, just in case.)
Will people purchase the book from you or the store? (The store is better because they can take care of the sales tax.)
What is your share? (I wouldn't worry too much about this because you're really concerned more about publicity than money, but you don't want to get cheated either. If your books are on consignment there, you'll already know this.)

Make sure you tell everyone you know about the upcoming event. Post it everywhere you can online and put up posters wherever you might find book lovers (the library is a great place). Usually the venue will also want you to put up a poster. Make sure it looks good and gives the date, time and location. It should also feature your book(s) and give a teaser so people will want to come learn more about it/them.

As the day approaches, consider what you want to wear. Make it appropriate for the location and your genre. If you're a writer of children's books, I wouldn't recommend fishnet stockings! Don't be too formal because you want people to think you're approachable.

You should also consider how many of your books to bring with you. Often the venue can give advice on this, but you'll also have some idea of what to expect. If you're J.K. Rowling, you'll bring a few more books than if you're Diane McCallum. (I usually take five or ten copies.)

You should get there early so you can set things up the way you like. Arrange your books in a way that catches attention. Spread out any business cards, bookmarks or other materials you have. It's a good idea to have something that people can take with them, even if they don't buy anything. You never know if they might decide later that your book sounds good after all. (I have separate bookmarks for each of my novels.)

Have in mind what you're going to write when you sign the book, but beware: some people only want you to sign it, so ask first! I always get their name (and ask them to spell it, even if it's Jim) and ask who to make it out to, because sometimes the book is a gift. Think about what else you'd like to include to make it more personal. If there isn't a big line waiting, chat with the person to get some ideas. If there's a line (which has never happened to me), then have a fallback phrase that you can sign ("thanks for your support," "thanks for coming to the signing," something like that).

Here's the most important advice, though: make eye contact and smile! And have fun! If you're in a good mood and seem approachable, people will be more likely to step forward to meet you, even if they don't plan to buy a book. Sometimes you can convince them that they want to support you because you're such a nice, outgoing person ... and they'll buy a book. You never know.

With a little preparation, your first book signing will be an enjoyable experience. Even if you don't sell a single copy, you've made yourself available and received some valuable publicity.

Congratulations! This is one step in the process of getting your books discovered. Make the most of it.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope you'll be able to spend the day with someone you love.
"I love you" never goes out of style.

In the Shadows is now available for Kindle on amazon.com. Be sure to note that if you buy the paperback, you can get the Kindle version for only 99 cents!

I have the bookmarks, too. There was a bit of a misunderstanding, which meant that the printers called to let me know my order was ready ... before I could look at a proof! Fortunately, when I went to look at them, I decided they weren't bad. The green was a little darker than I'd expected, but I think it works with the green that's in the cover image, so I'm happy with them.

I just registered for copyright protection today. You can find more about how I did this here.

Here's the poster I created to put up at work:

I've had some good responses so far. I want to thank my loyal readers, who get excited every time I release a new novel. You make a huge difference and I really appreciate you!

Let's keep spreading the word, okay?

Bookmarks & Spacesuits

I know that seems a rather unlikely combination, but I have news about both so that's the common denominator.

First of all, I have new bookmarks for Another Shot! The people who made the bookmarks for Outsider did such an excellent job that I went back to them ... and they didn't disappoint. They didn't need to change the design very much, but the color is royal purple instead of dark blue. I chose that because there's a tiny bit of purple in the cover image and the purple background really brings it out. I think it works. Unlike the first bookmarks, these include my blog address and Facebook page, so people can find me if they want to do that. (By the way, I tried to scan a bookmark so I could show part of it to you, but the scanner doesn't like it and keeps distorting the color.) I'll be handing out the bookmarks at various events and I'll probably donate some to the local library. What better place to find people who might use a bookmark?

I discovered the other news today on cnn.com: you can now vote for the design of the next NASA spacesuit! That's right: there are three potential designs and they want you to vote for one. However, when I read more carefully at the site, I learned that these suits will only be used for testing here on Earth, not in space. (So why call them spacesuits? Hmmmm... These will lead to the next design, which could be used in space, I guess.) Anyway, if you want to check out the three designs, they're here: http://jscfeatures.jsc.nasa.gov/z2/  (If you have trouble seeing the designs, refresh the page.) I'm leaning toward the Technology design, but I haven't voted yet. Feel free to leave a comment about which one you like or dislike the most. By the way, you can only vote until April 15, so vote soon!

Thanks again for your support.