First Book Signing: Results and Lessons Learned

I spent five hours at Hastings on Fairview in Boise signing books. I had quite a few meetings with passersbys as I sat at the entrance and my books were exposed to probably a couple hundred people who had never seen them before. My on the spot results were the sale of four Copies of Tales of the Dim Knight and Four Copies of Fly Another Day. Given that I sold five copies to people I didn't know, I have to consider that a pretty solid result first time out.

Here are some thoughts and lessons:

It's Not Easy:

Book signings, particularly in book stores are a challenge. First of all, people are coming through with their own idea of what to buy and a store like Hastings is also not just a book store but a multimedia entertainment store selling Books, CDs, Video Games, DVDs, and Blu Rays. Many shoppers stride in on a mission to their appointed section.

The folks at Hastings gave me a good seat right near one of the entrances, meaning that about 50 percent of customers would have to by my table. Though, since they were entering, it'd be my job to attract them.

They also only put a few books out to start with, so everything wouldn't be cluttered which was another nice touch by the staff.

Say Hi

What I read online about how to do book signings made me nervous. One lady wrote how she would call passerbys over.

To me this seemed like the most scary idea I could imagine. In fact, given the choice between tackling a suicide bomber and shouting for people to come over to look at my books, I'd take the suicide bomber.

I'm an introvert and the idea seemed like I was barking at a stadium. "Popcorn, peanuts, superhero novels!"

However, I found a solution that worked. I smiled and looked and everyone who entered the store and said, "Hello," "Hi," "Good Afternoon," or "Good Evening." That was a lot more comfortable and if they were not on a mission, they'd usually stop by and take a look. Greeting strangers is okay in Idaho, and it didn't feel uncomfortable or forced. It took some energy but was worth it.

The Book Covers are Cool

I always thought the covers looked good, but online you never really know. But I saw enough people coming by to see that the covers did catch the eye. Whether it was a lack of cash or back cover copy issues, no one didn't opt not to buy the books based on the covers.

Be More Prepared

The biggest takeaway is that next time I do a book signing, I really need to be more prepared in a couple of ways.

First, water is a must. I didn't feel thirsty at all during the book signing, but the day afterwards I woke up feeling pretty dehydrated. It was the adrenaline that kept me from noticing. Yeah, adrenaline from during a book signing.

The second point is that while I would have thought that it was obvious I was doing a book signing, there were some people who thought the guy in the Superman shirt and kilt sitting at the book table worked at Hastings. I got at least three people who thought I worked there, though I wasn't wearing Hasting's trademark green uniform shirt.

At the very least, I need to bring something that indicates that I'm doing a book signing next time. Of course, there are all kinds of extras and goodies that many authors buy and never actually get rid of or get a serious return on their money. So, I want to avoid stocking up on useless stuff. Still, I think I went a little too minimalist this time and I'll look to add a few touches at the next book signing.

People Want the First Book:

Officially, the book signing was for, Powerhouse: Hard Pressed, yet you'll note that I didn't mention selling any copies of it and that's because I didn't.

Tales of the Dim Knight as the first book that featured Dave Johnson and Powerhouse was an obvious choice and Fly Another Day worked as well because it's the first in the current Adventures of Powerhouse series. This left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was grateful to sell copies of the other books. On the other hand, I really love Powerhouse: Hard Pressed. It's my newest baby and I want people to tell me how cute it is. :)

But I understand where the readers are coming from. There's a reason why series are so popular. People like to know that the story's going somewhere. They don't want to get emotionally invested and interested in a character only to find he or she is done after one book, and then they have to find another character. The existence of Powerhouse: Hard Pressed seems to make people more likely to try the first two but they have to love those books before they buy Powerhouse: Hard Pressed.

I have to admit I wouldn't buy an entire series based on meeting the author in the bookstore, but I'd buy the first book. Though, I will say that I do try to write the books so that you can get the idea of what's going on without necessarily having to buy the previous ones. But if the first one's there, people will buy it.

And for those of us who are little known Independent authors, it may be a good idea to always have plenty of the first one available for that purpose.