What you need? What you take? What will make your day go smoothly?
The Shameless Book Club Smut Fairies and Tessa Bailey have some ideas to share with you!
At Your Table
Books to Sell
Books published by a traditional publisher will be available for purchase by attendees at the event. It’s common for the bookseller to ask for input on which books to stock, but many times the decision is done by the bookseller. We can accept requests to pass along to the bookseller, but they cannot always be honored.
If you are an indie author, you will be responsible for selling your own books at your table. How many to bring is subjective and totally up to you.
Take into consideration:
How many attendees the event is planning to accommodate
How many you can bring yourself
How many you want to ship to the event via drayage
Drayage: for a fee, exhibit handlers accept your shipment then deliver to your table at the signing
Tessa Bailey recommends 25-30 books for Showcase authors
Swag
Most book signing attendees will want to take something home with them that reminds them of who they met and who they may want to read.
Rather than simple paper handouts like flyers or postcards*, we recommend swag that has something of value to the reader. We’ve found that readers respond most to the following low-cost items:
Graphics quality is KEY; if you’re unfamiliar with graphic design, hire someone to do it for you. This is well-spent money, and make sure you give them lead-time to design.
From Tessa Bailey:“A six-foot tall banner will help readers find you in a crowded room(over everyone’s heads). Banner should include your name, tagline, social media handles(optional, but recommended) and an eye-catching graphic. One hack is using cover art from one of your books and adding text.” Tessa recommends Vistaprint
Advertise Yo’Self
Though we don’t consider postcards *swag, they are a great option for handing out and having available on your table to let readers take with them to get to know more about your books.
Again, high-quality graphics work is key to a memorable take-home ad.
A Helpful Guide For 1st-Time Signing Authors
At Your Table
ASK