Now that the dust has settled from my first book signing, I decided to share all I learned. I will start by saying the week before we were scheduled to be in Spokane, I went out to the garage where my husband was working and told him I changed my mind, we were not going.
I was terrified. I didn’t know what to expect and I truly believed if anyone came at all they would throw rotten fruit at me before leaving, mostly because I was not a New York Times bestselling author with a movie deal, and who did I think I was, and so on…
I was terrified. I didn’t know what to expect and I truly believed if anyone came at all they would throw rotten fruit at me before leaving, mostly because I was not a New York Times bestselling author with a movie deal, and who did I think I was, and so on…
In the end, it was amazing. I had so much fun and met so many wonderful people. And although there was not a line around the block to see me, my husband pointed out that the first one was done and out of the way. The next one will be easier. There WILL be more to come.
The only thing that kept me sane through my minor freak-outs was a check list I had compiled after reading many, far too many 'how to's'. Every time I began to panic, I just referred to my list. So, I thought I’d share it with you. Below is a printable check list for you to use.
A couple noteworthy points:
Look for other venues near the book signing as well to make your trip doubly worthwhile. I found an oddities shop a few blocks from the signing and they took some books to sell as well.
The larger chain stores won't host a small press author due to the rule that they only work with publishers who will buy back unsold copies of the book. Try your smaller independant bookstores. They are looking to the future of publishing and have found ways around that rule.
