Getting Ready: Signs and Posters

Training: Your Signs

Here is what you'll need in terms of signs for your appearance at the Authors' Coalition booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books.

There are two aspects to your signage. What you put on the table with your books and the poster for the booth. Both will be part of the display pack you will be sending to me.

Signs for your portion of the signing table:

There is not much to tell you about these. They should use few words, be bright in color if possible, list any specials you want to offer and you should have some way to make them stand upright. Kinko's has easels that can be adhered to the back of poster board or any other material you choose for your signs. You may have separate easels of your own. You may choose to make them as tent cards. Keep in mind that, as an incentive, our booth provides a free book to customers who buy your books while supplies last. And, yes, we will accept copies of your books for that if you wish to contribute slightly damaged copies or whatever. (-:

Your posters for the booth.

It is time to produce your posters if you should choose to accept the assignment. (-



These posters get hung around the edge of the booth. They are not required. And they are a bit expensive. It is your choice to have one or not, but keep in mind that these will not be returned to you. You can come back to the booth as we are tearing it down to retrieve it, however.

This is how to do it.

~~It should be 14 inches wide and 16 inches long. (Do not reverse this. Your poster should run vertically!

~~It should be an image of your book. You can add a few words like "Award-Winning" but I strong suggest you keep words to a minimum. Let your book cover speak for itself. You want people to be exposed to that image over and over again. If you choose to use words, they should be large. People will be reading the signs from a distance.

~~Your poster must be laminated. Kinko's can do that for you.

~~Your poster must have grommets in the UPPER two corners. These are little holes with metal around them. Like the ones your shoelaces go into. That is how we hang the posters. If your poster does not have grommets, it may not get displayed.

This poster must be sent to me on or about April 1. But, please not before.

Do not send the signs for your table display; bring them with you along with your books to sell. (More about that later.). Your package to me will include:


1. Your poster.

2. A copy of your book.

3. Your bookmarks or business cards.

4. A holder for business cards (very inexpensive at Kinko's)

5. Order forms. These include a way for people who see your book when you're not signing and want to order it from you. It should give them all the details needed to do so including where to mail the order or how to do it on the Web. Use an order form from a catalogue as a sample if you are unsure. Be sure to tell them how you will accept payment. Check, money orders, credit cards? If you prefer orders go to your distributor or publisher? Etc. These should be about 4 x 6 inches--about index card size or a little larger. DO NOT SEND FULL SHEETS. I WILL USE THEM BUT YOUR DISPLAY SPACE WILL NOT LOOK VERY NICE IF YOU HAVE PAGES 81/2 X 11 IN IT.


REMINDER; NONE OF THESE MATERIALS WILL BE RETURNED. They will be donated to a library if you do not pick them up at 5 pm on Sunday.

DON'T OVERDO THE NUMBERS. 100 TO 250 EACH OF ORDER FORMS, BOOKMARKS AND/OR BUSINESS CARDS ARE PLENTY.

This will be posted on our book fairs blog so you can go back and refer to it. Also, if you have suggestions to share with others, please leave them as a comment on the blog. (-:

Reach Bookstore Book Buyers and Cross-Promote in One Fell Swoops

Calling booksellers on the phone can be a futile effort if they have no reason to know you.

Worse, it's impossible to call every book buyer and expensive to send info on your book out to hundreds of them.

And, yes, you need some credibility. The could be some past experience with the bookstores (you were a guest on a panel perhaps?). Or you could be part of a professional organization and that is evident in the first contact you make with them.

Authors' Coalition to the rescue!

Authors' Coalition sends out a catalog under our name. But we also tie it to our booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books. That's Double Credibility!

Participating authors provide the names of the book buyers we send it to, 500 or more. That means that it many cases the bookseller will know at least one author featured in the catalog. That's a another level of credibility, another reason for them to pay attention to that book and the others in the catalog.

And it gives the author a way to follow up with a phone call that will be better received. They simply ask, "Just calling to see if your received the LATimes/UCLA catalog sent by Authors Coaltion. My book, Great Expectations, was featured."

Then, of course, it's a four color catalog. It comes in the mail, a rarity these days. And, did I mention that it's less expensive than going it alone?

Learn more about this and all the Authors' Coalition programs at: http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/fair_booths.htm.

The catalog and others are designed so you don't have to be at the fair or even in LA to benefit.

After you've peeked at the AC page, e-mail me with CATALOG in the subject line. I'll help you pick and choose the programs right for you. HoJoNews@aol.com.