5 Ways to Make a Splash and More Cash at Your Next Book Signing

How did you do at your last book signing?

If you’re like many authors, you sold three or fewer books.

If you expect to do better than this grim statistic, you’ve got to gear up before your next book signing.

No one can guarantee what your results will be, but here are five ways to increase your chances of making a splash and more cash.

1. Promote your book signing with a blast, not a whisper

It’s great to get booked to do a book signing at a bookstore or other venue. It’s likely they will promote your book signing on their websites, newsletters or signs, but plan to your own promotion as well. Many authors are introverts, but this is no time to be shy.

Send out your own press releases to local newspapers, preferably directing them to the reporter who handles such events.
Send out announcements to your friends, family, email list, your clubs and church, as well as social media fans inviting them to attend your event.
Create a blog post or article about your upcoming event.
Create flyers and post them at coffee shops and restaurants that allow announcements on their community boards.
Create short videos on your homepage, pin to the top of your Twitter feed, or create Facebook Lives, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn videos.

2. Make it a festive event

You may not have control over where your table or booth will be located at the venue, so make it as eye-catching as possible. If you are one of many authors at a fair or festival, you want attendees to spot your display as soon as they walk through the door. It’s tough to sell books to people who never stop by your table.

Here are a few ways to make your display festive.

Set up a cluster or two of helium balloons that color-coordinate with your book cover.
Display your books in a three tier unit rather than lay them flat on the table.
Put out a dish of wrapped mints or chocolates for people that pass by.
Invest in a tabletop or retractable floor banner.
Display relevant posters or items. If your book is about the best places to visit in Paris, be sure to display Paris-themed items/posters.
One author of children’s books had life-size figures created in the likeness of her main characters.

3. Use your talents or relevant tools to engage visitors.

Set up a short video or book trailer on your computer and let it run throughout the event.
Be prepared to pitch your book to people who stop by and ask “What is your book about?” It may be clear to me that my book Color Your Life Happy: Create Your Unique Path and Claim the Joy You Deserve, offers tips and advice on creating a happy life, it is not that clear to everyone. Some people see the word”color” and think it’s an art book. Even though there’s a description on the back of the book, many can’t absorb it in a few seconds. Most of all, people want to know how can this book help me? Be ready to answer that.
If possible, take someone with you who can mingle with the crowd and direct them to your table to get a freebie you’re offering or chance to win something.
Do you have a special talent such as playing an instrument, making balloon animals, doing magic tricks, juggling? If so, delight visitors to your table a quick demo. Be sure it ties into your book theme, of course.
Wear a t-shirt with your book title or get one that encourages people to ask about your book.

4. Make it your goal to connect, not sell

Warmly greet each person who slows down at your table. Yes, you hope they’ll buy your book, but if they don’t buy at the event, you want them to remember you and possibly buy your book later.
I like to stand in front of the table, hand the visitor a copy of my book and ask them to open to any page and read the first thing their eyes land on. Then I ask them to tell me if what they read was relevant to their lives. I want to emphasize that while my book can be read from beginning to end, it also has nuggets of wisdom and encouragement no matter what page you open.
Be prepared to pitch your book to those who ask, “What is your book about?”
Ask visitors to sign up to be added to your email list if they want updates on your work.
Take photos with attendees and post on your website and social media after the event.

5. Give away something memorable

Make your giveaways standouts, not just handouts. A regular bookmark is ok, but one with tips related to your topic is better. The visitor may refer to your bookmark later and share it with friends.
Give away a consumable with your contact information on the wrapper. One of my favorite handouts is a customized cover wrapped around a packet of microwaveable popcorn. I give one to every person who stops by my table and inquires about my book, whether they buy a book or not. The wrapper has my contact information and of course the URL to the book. You can customize a chocolate bar or other item in the same way. You will get loads of ideas from Pinterest and Etsy.
I put each purchased book in a gift bag or book bag personalized with my book title.
People hesitate to throw away bags they believe they can use again.
If the event holds a raffle, enter not just your book, but a gift basket or bag with your book as the centerpiece. Attach your business card as the gift tag. The lady who won my gift basket on the right sent me a heartwarming thank you note, citing every gift item that was enclosed. Do think she’ll remember me?

When you use these tips at your next book signing, you can expect to rake in more cash, and definitely make a splash.

What is the Top Way to Sell More Books?

Image of Flora Morris Brown and David Woghan at Publishers and Writers of Orange County meeting

Flora Morris Brown greets David Woghan at Publishers and Writers of Orange County meeting.

Consult any list of book marketing tips for ways to sell more books and getting book reviews will be near the top of list.

Think about yourself. Do you read reviews to help you decide on buying a book or any other product for that matter?

Avoid offering incentives for book reviews.

Contain your eagerness for getting reviews for a minute. There is a right way and a very wrong way to do it.

Asking buyers to leave an honest review is acceptable, but please don’t promise them a gift, reward, discount, or incentive of any kind. Amazon and other book distributors not only don’t like it, but will ding you if they suspect you of incentivizing.

As I was assembling my collection of 52 weekly book marketing tips, I was eager to tell authors about ethical ways to find reviewers. For that reason, I recommended The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages as a great tool for helping you find reviewers. You can imagine my delight when I discovered that David Woghan, author of this book, was going to be the guest speaker at a local meeting for publishers and writers.

Do you get a little giddy when you meet a celebrity or one of your favorite people of influence?

That’s the way I felt recently when I met David Woghan, author of The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, at the Publishers and Writers of Orange County meeting. I featured his book in one of the tips in my 52 Weekly Book Marketing Tips subscription program.

Like any fan, I couldn’t resist asking him to pose with me. He graciously agreed.

At the meeting, he shared how he became the new author of The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. He wrote a critical review of the 2009 edition, pointing out ways the author could improve the book. The original author appreciated his suggestions and stayed in touch with Woghan. When she was ready to step down, she remembered his enthusiastic concern for the contents and layout of the book and asked him if he wanted to take over updating and publishing the book.

Talk about the power of writing a review!

Follow ethical ways to get book reviews

Some authors think they can just ask fellow authors to exchange glowing reviews and they blame book distributors such as Amazon when reviews are taken down or not accepted. While you may disagree with the way Amazon judges a review you posted, it’s the Federal Trade Commission that is behind this practice across the board.

Endorsements (such a positive reviews and high ratings) are an important tool for advertisers and they can be persuasive to consumers,” FTC’s website states. “But the law says they also have to be truthful and not misleading. If there is a connection between the endorser and the marketer of a product that would affect how people evaluate the endorsement, it should be disclosed.

Based on reader feedback, Woghan has completely redesigned the 9th edition loaded with key tips on ethical ways to get book reviews. He lists reviewers and services who are actively seeking books to review, for either free or fee.

Find readers and services seeking books to review

There are many book bloggers and legitimate services seeking books to review. Some of them offer free reviews and others charge a fee. Finding them on your own, however, would take a disproportionate amount of time and effort.
Woghan’s Yellow Pages makes it so much easier.

Discover appropriate ways to approach reviewers

Once you find reviewers in your genre who are open to reviews, you must follow their instructions for submissions. Failure to follow their preferred procedure may mean you won’t even get a response.

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is organized into four sections followed by seven indexes to help you find bloggers by key attributes.

1. Book Bloggers

This alphabetical listing of 200 book bloggers makes it easy for you to spot the bloggers who review books in your genre, along with their contact information and turnaround time.

2. Blog Tour Organizers

These 40 services pre-arrange virtual tours of book blogs where you give interviews, giveaways, and other events to promote your book.

3. Review Businesses

This is a new section listing 32 services that give reviews for a fee.

4. Resources

In this section you’ll find four valuable tools:

The “Reviewer Outreach Checklist”
Alex Foster’s “Handling Negative Reviews”
Understanding Amazon’s Terms of Services
Teri Rider’s article, “Impress Readers with a Professional-Looking Book”

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is an example of the high-quality tips you’ll get when you invest in 52 Weekly Book Marketing Tips Collection.

Invest in 52 Weekly Book Marketing Tips Collection to save your time and energy so you can get back to writing and planning your projects while earning you much-deserved profits.

You see, the purpose of this very affordable program priced at an “Of course I want it!” price, is to help you sell more books. These tips have worked for many authors. Let them work for you too.

What has your experience been with getting reviews for your book? Do you read reviews before you buy books or other products? Tell us in Speak Your Mind below.