Happy Fall. We’re almost with my series Conference Prep.
I have done quite a few pop ups and sales events in addition to book signings and I’ve learned a few things about Event Design.
I come from an event planning and boutique owner background. I realize I am at a slight advantage because design is part of my day-to-day. But what I’m suggesting anyone can do.
When I do an event, if possible I get as much information in advance as possible about my space. Currently, I’m an unknown author. By that I mean, at present there aren’t a lot of readers actively seeking me out at events. Some day soon that will change, but my event design mindset won’t.
Here’s how I prepare my table or space for book signings. It’s very important I stay on brand. In my other business, fuchsia, black and white are my brand colors. I carried those colors over to my author world. I like flowers especially pink peonies, pink roses, hydrangea and Casablanca lilies. A staple to my table is a huge arrangement of assorted pink silk flowers. The vase with the flowers is about 3’ tall. This is an attention getter and events. Most women like flowers so when they see the flowers, readers are quick to come see if they’re real. Once they get to my table, it allows me to introduce them to my author world.
I research design ideas and once I settle on a look, I test it out. I want to see how long it will take me to set it up and tear it down. When I set up my table, I’m arranging everything so I can see how it looks to the reader walking by or stopping to purchase. I want to see if they can reach for something without knocking anything down. I utilize every inch of the tabletop for display.
I handle my sales and book signing at a small collapsible table I hide behind my sign.
I use small signs with trope cards, series order, prices, newsletter sign up and any other information I need posted. I scatter loose swag on the table and use glass bowls for saleable swag. Stacks of postcards are placed near their respective books. I also use a plain tablecloth in one of my signature colors.
My design For Steamy Lit, was beautiful if I say so myself. However, I wouldn’t have done this design if I had to fly to an event because there were a lot of elements. A tall vase with flowers, gigantic pink and cream flowers attached to the front of the tablecloth, risers, a small table and my retractable sign. The flowers on the tablecloth looked like they had fallen from the vase of flowers. This was an elaborate design which required a couple of hours to assemble.
This design can be modified for a travel event by eliminating the flowers on the front of the tablecloth and the small table. Instead of silk flowers, I recommend purchasing fresh flower and later use as a giveaway or thank you to the event host. I could pack the silk flowers and trick up a vase, but I would prefer to use an extra suitcase for books to sell, plus the ones I bought.
Funny story. At Steamy Lit, I had broken down all my empty boxes and put them next to my table. The cleaning people thought they were trash and took them. Thank God, I’d sold books so I didn’t need those boxes.
There are exceptions to every rule. Now if your signing space is limited, I suggest you stay as close to your brand as possible. Maybe instead of a tall vase of flowers, get a small one and a floral garland. Use a tabletop retractable sign and possibly a table banner. Print a price list and had it to readers or put it in a frame. Still stumped for a design idea…visit Pinterest. Set up a board with looks you like and when the time comes, you’ll be set to shine and hopefully, gain new readers and sales.
To sum up. Make your signing space representative of your brand.
0 0 Read moreHappy Fall. Let’s get right into it. I am enjoying sharing with you what I learned about preparing for a book signing.
Picking up where I left off last month.
I got a sign.
I have been putting this off for quite a while. Side note, I had no idea how expensive signage could be. I really like my sign. Shout out to Office Depot. They hooked me up. It took approximately a week to get my retractable banner. Here again, I had questions. Should I use a book cover or an image that represented my brand. I chose the latter option.
Let me explain why I chose a generic image. Change. I like to change my covers every couple of years. If I’d gone with a cover, the sign would have a limited lifetime.
Back to the cost. There are a lot of banner/sign companies. However, I chose an Office Depot. They aren’t necessarily known for making signs. But they were my source for one reason…money. I had approximately $40 Office Depot rewards, plus I took advantage of a 25% sale. When I finished, my sign was less than than $40. It also included the stand, carrying case and free shopping. Advice, give Office Depot a try for some of your marketing materials.
Marketing Materials.
This is one of those areas where I was a little confused. There are so many paper options…bookmarks, postcards, stickers, business cards, etc. I like digital products, but, I love paper products more. I’m that person who still sends greeting cards, notes, uses a paper planner and makes paper lists. I also keep birthday cards. I look at paper products as part of my history. It brings a smile to my face when I come across a card or letter from a loved one. And I like to display artistic postcards from a brands I like.
When it came to my paper products I wanted to give the reader something they would want to keep. For me the only company to help me achieve my goal was Moo.com. I have been using Moo for quite a while. Their products and customer service are phenomenal.
Over the years, I’ve learned how to create items from their categories that work for me. In my lingerie business I offer a bra fitting guide which I printed on rack cards. The front has my logo and a bra graphic. The back are the instructions on how to find your bra size. I saw on their IG page how someone used a post card as a branded notecard. I copied that idea using some of my book covers.
Another reason I love Moo.com is Printfinity. Printfinity is the ability to load up to 50 different images on one side and another for the back. If you aren’t using Moo.com, Printfinity is reason enough to do so. Here’s what I did. I selected seven cover images and one with my tagline, for the front and my information on the back. Then I order 250 post cards. So here’s another cool thing about Moo…they give you paper options. For my postcards, I used the original paper, which for some printers is considered premium. Since I’ve been working with them for a while, I understand they are known for offering special pricing. I was under a time crunch, and took a chance hoping for a sale or special discount. I gave myself a deadline to place my order, sure enough a 25% discount popped up in my email. I jumped on it.
I also ordered a larger postcard and turned it into a church fan with some sticks from Amazon.
When it was said and done, I ordered all of my paper products from Moo.com. You may ask why didn’t I get traditional bookmarks? Simple…I wanted to stand out. I gave readers a card with all of my books. It also works as a shopping list.
FYI: Moo.com is good about replacing defective items without an additional cost to you.
I ordered swag that worked for my brand.
There are a sea of options when it comes to swag. I also know, the longer you shop the more confused you are likely to get. I ordered swag that was multi-purposeful for me. I know that sounds selfish, but I’m still looking at buttons that are five years old. And don’t get me started on paper swag vs. tchotchke. That debate alone will give you a headache.
When you attend a huge signing one of the goals is to stand out and gain the attention of the reader who doesn’t know you. When selecting swag I tried to stay within my brand. In the past, I tried buttons, stickers, magnets, bookmarks, free downloads and lip balm. Some were winners and some fell flat. There’s nothing wrong with those items, but some of them weren’t right for my brand. I used SLC to rid myself of a few sag items.
So what did I give away? In addition to the reading list card, I sprinkled the table with the left over buttons. (FYI, even after the signing, I still have buttons.) I ordered stickers and coasters from StickerMule.com. Of course I caught a sale. StickerMule.com is another source for great marketing products. I got 50 3” round stickers and round coasters for $19 each. Plus, I got 50 large poly mailers, which I used as shopping bags for $29.
Purchasing tip: Every Tuesday, StickerMule.com features a product at some insane price. And sometimes they run a surprise weekend deal.
The other thing I gave away, was an exclusive sampler. This sampler is only available at signings or when you order signed books direct from me. (I also gave away the ebook version to my mailing list.) I weighed the cost of the various swag options and this was cheaper. It also acts as an introduction to my library. How much was this freebie, using KDP $2.30. The look of delight on reader’s faces when they realized it was free with each purchase, confirmed I made the right choice.
I’m stopping here. I told you this was a long series of posts. I’ve included a 25% discount link for Moo.com if you want to try them (https://refer.moo.com/s/pinkduchess8).
Next month, I’ll share a few more tips on what I did and how you can prepare for your next book signings.
Happy September. It really feels like time is zipping by on a bullet train. It seems like August was jam packed for me. I was blessed with a mini holiday. In the midst of prepping for my trip, I forgot to post on my scheduled day. Have you ever tried to send an email or post something in that brief pre-flight window before they kill the wi-fi? Trust me, that’s not a good move.
I don’t know what happened to my original post. During all the chaos of prepping for a much needed break, I had written a couple of posts. I wanted to share my thoughts on something I was prepping for, but I ended up posting about something else. Which turns out to be okay, because my schedule has been a little sidetracked due to some emergency dental work.
So here’s the first part of a series on prepping for a mega book conference and signing. Excuse the tense. This was written in future and now it’s the past.
____________________________________________________________
In case I hadn’t mentioned it, I’m excited to be signing at the inaugural Steamy Lit Con later this month (August). This is my first mega signing and I was surprised at the amount of prep it required.
I had a lot of questions. At the top of the list,how many books to take? Followed by what kind of swag to take and how much?…What titles to take so I could set up a preorder?…Table decor…what to wear?…Can I bring an assistant?
It seemed like the list of questions was endless. Then I started noticing in the author group there was a lot of conversation about exclusives. My mind was buzzing. I didn’t have an exclusive book or product.
I was growing overwhelmed with each post I read. I finally reached out to couple of veteran mega book signing authors for clarity because the answers I was getting were all over the place.
Check out some of the questions and answers.
How many books to take?
50 – 100 copies per title
200 per title
Don’t take every title, but take about 20 – 40 per of the ones you bring
If it’s a series, bring 20+/- of book one
What Swag to bring?
Postcards
Buttons
Bookmarks for sure
Pens, Stickers and bag clips
Magnets
Signage…
You definitely need a sign
I only do table top signs
I hate those retractable banners
I use a custom table cloth or drape
Forms of payment…do you charge tax?
PayPal
Cash
Venmo
CashApp
Square
Get a QR code
My website
Bring a lot of change
Yes, charge tax
Figure tax into the price
Do you discount your books?
Yes
No
I’m not exaggerating when I say it took me about a month to come up with a plan. Originally, based on some early information, I thought I was going to need A LOT of books. I was basing this on what I’d seen on various social media posts. If I’d stuck with that plan, I was going to order a few books every month so I wouldn’t have to do large orders. Well that never happened.
So here’s what I did.
Created a show inventory
I have a few titles and knew I didn’t want to bring everything. I knew I wanted to take my most popular series, The Good Girl and The Alex Chronicles. I also wanted to take my duet, A Southern Gentleman. I hadn’t intended to take my other series Generational Curse, but it’s going…I’ll explain why later. Plus I wanted to take my stand-alone.
Let me explain. If this weren’t a local event and if it weren’t the first time I’d be meeting these readers, I’d have take fewer titles. My two main series have five books each. When you add in the duet and stand-alones, it begins to look like a book store.
I did a preorder.
I did this because it would help with figuring out what to order. I was hoping for a lot of preorders. I received three…technically it was four. My mom/show assistant was generous to place a preorder. This was two more than the last time I did an event with a preorder. I understand the low number is because I’m a relative unknown…I’m working to change that.
Two of the preorders came from books I was on the fence about taking. I figured if I got preorders on them, I’d take them. That’s how I ended up taking the Generational Curse series and the anthology I was in earlier this year. For the record, I always intended to purchase a few copies of the anthology. I just hadn’t gotten around to doing so. The other reason I wasn’t too eager to bring Generational Curse, is because I’m working on a series update.
How many books did I order?
I took the advice of the veteran authors and focused on the first book in the series. No matter how much I want people who have never read me to buy the entire series, I couldn’t order based on that. Instead, I ordered 20 of the first two books in each series and the first in the duet. Then five of everything else. This was a game changer. I write big books and if I’d gone with the other advice, it would have cost me a few thousand dollars.
I’ll stop here, otherwise this post will begin to resemble a novella. I hope this helps as you prepare for your next book signing.
Tracy
Happy August. It really feels like time is zipping by on a bullet train.
Let’s get down to it. In case I hadn’t mentioned it, I’m excite to be signing at the inaugural Steamy Lit Con later this month. This is my first mega signing and I was surprised at the amount of prep it required.
I had a lot of questions. At the top of the list,how many books to take? Followed by what kind of swag to take and how much?…What titles to take so I could set up a preorder?…Table decor…what to wear?…Can I bring an assistant?
It seemed like the list of questions was endless. Then I started noticing in the author group people were talking about exclusives. My mind was buzzing. I didn’t have an exclusive book or product.
I was growing overwhelmed with each post I read. I finally reached out to couple of veteran mega book signing authors for clarity because the answers I was getting were all over the place.
Check out some of the questions and answers.
How many books to take?
50 – 100 copies per title
200 per title
Don’t take every title, but take about 20 – 40 per of the ones you bring
What Swag to bring?
Postcards
Buttons
Bookmarks for sure
Pens, Stickers and bag clips
Magnets
Signage…
You definitely need a sign
I only do table top signs
I hate those retractable banners
I use a custom table cloth or drape
Forms of payment…do you charge tax?
PayPal
Cash
Venmo
CashApp
Square
Get a QR code
My website
Bring a lot of change
Yes, charge tax
Figure tax into the price
Do you discount your books?
Yes
No
I’m not exaggerating when I say it took me about a month to come up with a plan. Originally, based on some early information, I thought I was going to need A LOT of books. I was basing this on what I’d seen on various social media posts. If I’d stuck with that plan, I was going to order a few books every month so I wouldn’t have to do large orders. Well that never happened.
So here’s what I did.
Selected a show inventory.
I have a few titles and knew I didn’t want to bring everything. I knew I wanted to take my most popular series, The Good Girl and The Alex Chronicles. I also wanted to take my duet, A Southern Gentleman. I hadn’t intended to take my other series Generational Curse, but it’s going…I’ll explain why later. Plus I wanted to take my stand alone.
Let me explain. If this weren’t a local event and if it weren’t the first time I’d be meeting these readers, I’d have take fewer titles. My two main series have five books each. When you add in the duet and stand alones, it begins to look like a book store.
I did a preorder.
I did this because it would help with figuring out what to order. I was hoping for a lot of preorders. I received three…technically it was four. My mom/show assistant was generous to place a preorder. This was two more than the last time I did an event with a preorder. I understand the low number is because I’m a relative unknown…I’m working to change that.
Two of the preorders came from books I was on the fence about taking. I figured if I got preorders on them, I’d take them. That’s how I ended up taking the Generational Curse series and the anthology I was in earlier this year. For the record, I always intended to purchase a few copies of the anthology. I just hadn’t gotten around to doing so. The other reason I wasn’t too eager to bring Generational Curse, is because I’m going to do an update. But that changed.
How many books did I order?
I took the advice of the veteran authors and focused on the first book in the series. No matter how much I want people who have never read me to buy the entire series, I couldn’t order based on that. Instead, I ordered 20 of the first two books in each series and the first in the duet, five of everything else. This was a game changer. I write big books and if I’d gone with the other advice, it would have cost me a few thousand dollars.
I’ll stop here, otherwise this post will begin to resemble a novella. I hope this helps as you prepare for your next book signing.
Tracy
I was stumped for something to write this month. I skimmed my computer for inspiration. I stumbled upon the blog tour for my first published book. I forgot about this tour. Side note, next December will mark ten years of indie publishing for me.
I found an interesting blog post I wanted to share.
How To Create an Inspiring Work Area…this is something I’ve been dealing with for a quite a while. I have attempted to set up my work area and each time I start, I get distracted. It’s not like I have a huge space. I converted a nook in my house. But there are few things I consider necessities to creating an inspiring space.
Here’s my list of Inspiring Work Space Necessities:
A good scented candle – Surround yourself in a nice calm, relaxing scent. It will clear your mind and free up the path for ideas.
Non-traditional office or desk accessories – use old candle holders for pens, paper and binder clips and rubber bands. Cover cardboard boxes in luxe wallpaper. Use small gift boxes for post it notes and scratch paper.
Colorful notebooks and binders – I buy generic notebooks and binders and then cover them in luxe wrapping paper or fabric swatches. I want everything to be coordinated and pretty.
Encouraging Quotes and Verses – Simply print out quotes or verses that are motivational to you and post them to the wall next to your computer. This way, when you feel a little overwhelmed, you can repeat your motivating words.
Water bottle or glass – This is crucial. I’m guilty of not drinking enough water. In an attempt to drink more, I bought a cool “BKr” water bottle. It’s glass and comes with a colorful rubber sleeve. Mine is the pink 16oz size. I keep it next to my computer. Sometimes, I’ll set the timer for every hour, reminding me to drink. You can do the same thing with a pretty glass.
Fancy coffee or tea cup – Like most writers, I start my day with coffee or tea. Whatever your preference, treat yourself to a fancy cup and saucer and place it on your desk. Drinking out of a fancy cup and saucer, makes reading your email a lot less painful. Not to mention, a great cup of coffee or tea is good for clearing out the mind clutter.
Music, Music, Music – I make playlists for my books. When I’m stuck, I head over to iTunes and hit a one of my playlists or I search for new artists that inspire or relax me.
Flowers – I have yet to incorporate this, but it’s on my list for this year. I want to pretty up my desk to the next level with my favorite fresh flowers.
In my new work space, I have a small bookcase with copies of my books, a few business books, fun accessories and a vintage desk chair. To make the space more relaxing to the eye, I covered the wall in black and white stripe wallpaper. I still need an over head.
I think once I get my work space completely decorated, I’ll be even more productive.
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