Blow Us Away

Frequently, I’ll quote some words or opinions from “JB” Howick, Jr. It seems like I know him personally, but we’ve never met except through a publishing list and my reviewing his book, Blow Us Away! Publishers’ Secrets for Successful Manuscripts, which is an accurate description of what publishers are up against. In general, I usually agree with most of his points and they are said succinctly.

His comments on what his firm has experienced with book signings, I personally believe applies to most publishers. He also has some creative thoughts on e-books at the end.

Our own experience with signings is that there is a great deal of science to the art of author signing events.  In our experience…

1. The bigger the city, the easier it is to draw people.
2. The bigger the bookstore, the easier it is to draw people.
3. Trade bookstores (stores that sell just about anything) are not as useful as niche bookstores (stores that cater to a specific crowd) so long as your product fits the niche well.
4. Well-established independent bookstores often draw more people than any other bookstore.
5. Unknown fiction authors should expect few people until their notoriety grows.
6. Narrative non-fiction (e.g., history books) that aren’t scheduled alongside a supporting event (e.g. veteran’s day for military history or a local historical celebration) should not expect many people.
7. All other things being equal, problem-solving non-fiction (how-to, self-help, educational, etc.) usually draw the biggest crowds. This isn’t to say a fiction author can’t draw a bigger crowd, but the author would likely need considerable fame to make it happen.
8. Authors that just want to sign books and meet consumers should expect to be bored.  Signings work best when accompanied by an activity.  (Not all bookstores allow activities.)
9. Authors and publishers should be willing to contact every newspaper, magazine, TV station, radio station, club, association, reader circle, and interested community organizations, non-profits, governmental agencies, retail outlets … heck, even other bookstores (neener, neener), in an effort to maximize the opportunity for exposure.  We once had a signing for the author of a biography about a terminal cancer patient.  We sent press releases to hospitals and some actually posted the event announcement in their oncology wards — some people even came based on those postings!
10. Authors and publishers should care about who else is signing during the previous and following week, no matter where.  A romance author scheduled at the local B&N while the borders across the street is hosting Jackie Collins shouldn’t expect much.  Authors and publishers should also care about what major events are happening.  We’ve had several signings that took place during major sporting events with quite a negative impact.
11. Success is measured by the total increase in book sales in the area, not just the number of books sold at the event.
12. Except for the host store, which really only cares about sales of your book through it.  A bookstore will be willing to host you again if they experience good sales during the event or during the following week, but won’t if they don’t.

Planning a good signing is almost as complex as the general marketing plan.  Unfortunately, most new authors believe that signings are magic.  If I schedule them at their local B&N people will be lined up at the door to meet them.  Setting good initial expectations helps, a willingness to work with a publisher to fine tune the signing process (e.g., the supporting activity, the announcement message, etc) also helps.  In the end, you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

… And, after all that, you might only sell three books.  Consumers are capricious.

Finally, it may seem obvious that ebooks don’t lend well to book signings, but what may not be obvious is how they affect the concept of book signings.  We’re starting to experiment with an ebook-first-print-second model in an effort to expand our catalog.  That doesn’t mean signings are dead until fame is achieved (justifying the print book) … it just means the nature of signings changes.  Signings might be replaced, for example, with webinars … and the promotional rules change with the venue.  If people really are interested in collecting autographs, maybe send an 8×10 of the book cover with the author’s signature as a thank-you for buying the ebook!  Ebook trading cards, anyone?
Cheers,
-JB–

E. Keith “JB” Howick, Jr.
President, WindRiver Publishing, Inc.

Maralyn D. Hill, President
International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association
Books By Hills Success With Writing Where & What in the World
Member: Society of Professional Journalists