If you are a new
author looking for booksigning spots like bookstores and other places that offer
this opportunity, beware those called book festivals and check certain
information BEFORE you commit. They charge a fee for your spot, that often
costs more than you will make in sales. Be sure this is where you want to spend
your promo dollars. These same festivals also are selling used books from a
local library. You must ask about this first, because if they are selling used
books from any source, your sales will suffer--if you sell any books at all.
Visitors are looking for bargains and a used book sale offers a chance to get
more for their dollar so they will buy four or more used books instead of one
new one from an unknown author. They may not even visit the authors' tables.
Also find out what genre they are pushing. I went to a festival as a mystery
writer and found out they were aimed at children's books. A last word on these
festivals is the seating arrangements. Ask how they are set up. Too often the
well known authors will have spots well placed for visitors to visit while the
unknown authors are seated at inner tables that are difficult to reach as
visitors are funnelled past known authors to the used book sale. Those festivals
that do this are interested only in having warm bodies at their tables and often
arrange seating so the new authors are isolated from the visitors stream. And
should you attend one, beware the fishwife--this is another author who will
shout her wares over ordinary conversation. She often draws a crowd that will
stand in front of you and talk to each other and not buy books. If this
happens, tell her to tone it down or else outshout her and ask the blabby
visitors to move on. After alll, your purpose on being at the festival is to
meet people yourself and sell a few books.
A word also about
children, if you offer foodstuffs to them, they will be back many times and they
don't buy books, nor do their parents who are letting them fill up at your
expense. Don't offer tham anything they could choke on, and don't offer them
pencils or anything they might fall on and get hurt. Don't give them plastic
bags as often they'll pull them over their heads. Not all parents keep tabs on
all kids.
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Anne K. Edwards has authored and coauthored books in several different genres. She loves to read and always has a book at hand when she travels or knows she will be waiting in the vet’s office when one of her cats must go in for a shot. She reviews some books for online press authors, writes occasional articles and short stories, enjoys meeting people. In writing a book, she says it is like following a road never traveled before, from the outset meeting new people and sharing some part of their lives as they try to resolve a problem. She loves ideas that offer something different in experience to the author as well as the reader. Currently, Anne is working on a new mystery novel, second in the “Death” series, to follow Death on Delivery.
Visit her website at www.annekedwards.com
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