As some of you may know, I work with a program that helps authors get opportunities to sell their books in stores. The author gets a venue to hit the market in person and introduce people to their books, the stores get a cut of the sales price. It’s a nice deal.

With that said, there are a number of guidelines that people should follow whenever holding a book signing, especially if they’re in a store that’s offered them a venue to get their book out there.

 

Rule #1: You are a Guest in Their House

  • When a store offers you a place to sell, you are their guest. Be polite.
  • You are a representative of yourself as an author, the store that gave you the venue, and any third-party organization that got you into the store. Act appropriately.
  • If the store places you near the entrance way, serve them as a greeter as well as an author. This will make the store happy to have you, welcome you back for another signing in the future, and feeds in to rule #2.

 

Rule #2: Smile

  • The only way people are going to want to come up to your table and buy a book is if you make your table seem approachable. That means YOU must approachable.
  • Remember: you’ve just published a novel and are out selling it in public. You have every reason to be happy when you’re doing a book signing.
  • Always ask yourself, would you buy a book from you?

 

Rule #3: You Never Know Who Will Buy a Book

  • My target audience is high school, college, and post-college students. So, what do I do when I see someone walk near my table who doesn’t fit into those categories? I ask them if they’d be interested in my book anyway.
  • No matter what someone looks like, it’s impossible to judge who would like to give your book a chance. All you have to do is give them a chance, first.
  • Remember: people are not always buying books for themselves. Especially as the holidays are approaching, they may want to buy a book for someone else.

 

Rule #4: Always Take the High Road

  • The best way to work with people is to be as polite as possible, while still signaling to other people that you have a book to offer.
  • Do not engage in negative or heckling conversations. Just move on.
  • Sometimes you’re going to get a customer who isn’t interested in buying a book, but won’t leave your table and drives off customers. Sometimes they simply get too close to your setup and prevent you from asking potential customers if they’d be interested in your book.
  • The best way to deal with these people is to be as polite as possible, while still signaling to other people that you have a book to offer. The customer will usually take the hint and move on.
  • The key here is that you must keep your professionalism. Don’t forget Rule #1, and the organizations you’re trying to represent. That includes your business as an author.

 

Rule #5: Count the Wins

  • When you’re in a grocery store, don’t worry about how many people say “no” to your books, or how many books you have left to sell. Remember: every book you don’t sell today is a book you can always sell next time. You won’t have to order more author’s copies if you end the sale with a full stack of books left.
  • Instead, count each book sold as its own separate “win.”
  • Hand out a business card to someone? That’s another win.
  • Told someone about your book and where to find it on Amazon? That’s a win.
  • Made someone’s day brighter by greeting them politely in the store, so that the store will gladly have you back again someday? Another win.
  • Represent whichever program you’re working with as best you can. This is a win as you never know what new opportunity may come your way.
  • One win in a single sale = you’ve won!

 

These are the basics I wanted to get across. I know there are people who also have advice for how you can setup your table, or experts who will go through the ways to make your setup flashier and more appealing. These aren’t really about that; I just wanted to list rules that I’ve noticed no one else it talking about.