Event Prep

Good morning and welcome to wwwblogs. Today, we’re discussing a very important topic – how you, the author, must appear for public events.
You have your books all ordered. They’re going to arrive weeks before the event. Good for you. You thought about timing before you were worried the most important item wasn’t there on event day. Bookmarks and postcards have already come. The table banner has been inspected and deemed ready to go. There’s nothing else you need to make a great impression… or is there something missing?
Where is your bling?
“Bling?” you ask. “Why do I need bling? Better yet, what is bling?”
First of all, bling is a giveaway item. You put it in a basket for potential buyers to grab and take, a gift to your readers.
“Uh…” You stare at the screen in shocked disbelief. “You want me to giveaway stuff?”
Sure. Give your fans a gift, a memory of the event they attended. Let them know how important they are to you. That is important. Yes, they can grab the bookmarks and postcards. No, that’s not enough to give them.
What kind of bling are you talking about?
The type of bling you use depends on what type of books you write. Some authors provide goodies such as cupcakes or cookies. There are websites where you can order edible transfers of your book cover to put on them and bakeries that will assist you in making up a professional product for a small cost. This works especially well for children’s books.
Another type of bling, very popular with teens and college students, are wristbands and temporary tattoos. Both are available at 24 Hour Wristbands: https://24hourwristbands.com/. Talk about attracting attention. The formerly surly teen dragged to this book event by their parents is suddenly digging through your basket of bling, searching for the cover or title they want. They’re smiling and asking their parent to buy the book for them. You’ve accomplished two goals – interested a teenager in reading and made their parents happy.
But you write for adults. What kind of bling do you use for them?
Oh, there are tons and tons of promotional giveaway bling items on VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com). You merely have to decide on what. A few of the things they offer are magnets, USBs, key chains, pens, and key lights. Those are the inexpensive items. For a few dollars more per item, you can even get drink cups or coffee cups. It all depends on how much you want to spend.
Other websites offer t-shirts and hoodies. The possibilities are endless.  Investing in these products can be a bit expensive initially but the return could be your books selling much faster, especially if you offer a t-shirt or hoodie, or even a coffee cup or drink bottle with a purchase.
Book events are great for authors but we need to be aware that we’ll have to show up with more than our books, a price list, a smile on our face, and a way for the buyers to pay via debit card on our phones. We have to have giveaway items no one else has. We have to attract buyers to our table not just with our cheery attitude, but also the ability to have a take away the buyer will enjoy.
Be the author these people will remember and return to in future events. Be the person whose smile never wavered when some people walked away with free goodies but didn’t buy a book. Be the author who comes back despite poor sales and rocks their next event, because you remembered the bling!


About K.C. Sprayberry
Living a dream she’s had since she first discovered the magic of books. K.C. Sprayberry traveled the U.S. and Europe before finally settling in the mountains of Northwest Georgia. She’s been married to her soulmate for nearly a quarter of a century and they enjoy spoiling their grandchildren along with many other activities.
A multi-genre author, K.C. Sprayberry is always on the hunt for new stories. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times and drives her to grab notebook and pen to jot down her ideas. Those close to her swear nothing or no one is safe if she’s smiling gently in a corner and watching those in the same room interact. Her observations have often  her ideas for her next story, set not only in the South but wherever the characters demand they settle.

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