Janet Goliger is back with our booth for her second year. She is a master promoter. Here she shares with her fellow booth participants but also with others who may be signing at a book fair. Here, she says, is what she has done so far "in a nutshell."
Now is the time to promote for the 2009 L.A. Times/UCLA Festival of Books. Press releases need to be submitted to online sites now for search engines to pick them up. Once the search engines get them, they will be available for viewing almost immediately and will also run for a good year. I still find some of my old press releases when I Google my name or book title that were submitted over a year ago.
Many of these online sites are now charging a fee, however, there are still a few like 24-7pressrelease.com/ and http://free-press-release-center.info/ that are free to use.
Another great way to network is to send your fair invitation to everyone you know. In the message, ask them to forward the invitation to their friends and colleagues, post them at their place of business and maybe even make copies to give to others. I sent mine to about 60 people, many of whom are in different fields of work, and within 1 hour I received 12 responses, all positive. The point is, you’re not just letting your friends know about this, but by the time they each send them to their friends, and so on, you have literally sent out over thousands of invitations for free! And who knows? Your invitation just might get into the hands of someone who can do more for you. If you have your own Web site or blog, get it all updated now.
No matter what you do to promote your book and our book fair booth, be sure to include the names of all authors associated with our booth. The more we do this, the more publicity we all get!
Now one more tip. Go to VistaPrint.com. They offer so many FREE promotional materials that by the time your done, you only end up paying a small shipping fee. I do this once a week all the way up to the date I need them. I have already ordered free promotional post cards, door magnets, calendar magnets, posters, pens, hats, t-shirts and more, all for only minimal shipping costs.
Good luck to you all and I’ll see you at the fair!
------
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Learn more at Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Her blogs are also content-laden:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
and a Writer's Digest Top 101 Website:
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
And the New Book Review is at your service: www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com. (Follow the submission guidelines in the left column!)
Showing posts with label la times book fair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label la times book fair. Show all posts
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Early Bird Signing Opportunity for LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books
Please join the HowToDoItFrugally authors as a signing author at at the LA Times Festival of Books on the beautiful UCLA campus now and get a substantial discount!
The fair is the last weekend of April 2009. The book-signing portion of the fair requires that you attend but other value-added promotions do not. You'll hear more about those later.
This is the fifth year this booth has been available at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books to cross promote. We focus on making a humdrum fair into a sizzling success; we make changes every year based on what we learned the year before and the year before that.
Register before September 16 and receive an early bird discount for the signing slots. One hour signing segments (50 minutes to allow set up) cost $100 for the first and $80 for a second hour. After August 15, the fee will return to its regular $150 for the first and $100 for the second day. The fee includes display of your book, your order forms and your bookmark or business card and a poster for the full two days.
Last year we had our booth televised on the Internet. Rey Ybarra from Best Selling Author Television was there to cover the event. He conducted short three-minute interviews with the participating authors. The program proved to be a great success. Rey will be there with his crew again this year. (To see the 2008 video made by Rey Ybarra, go to Best Selling Author Television site at : http://www.veoh.com/channels/BSATV
For benefits offered by this booth please visit www.howtodoitfrugally.com or e-mail Christine Alexanians at chalexwrite@yahoo.com.
------
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
Learn more at Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Her blogs are also content-laden:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
and a Writer's Digest Top 101 Website:
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
And the New Book Review is at your service: www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com. (Follow the submission guidelines in the left column!)
The fair is the last weekend of April 2009. The book-signing portion of the fair requires that you attend but other value-added promotions do not. You'll hear more about those later.
This is the fifth year this booth has been available at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books to cross promote. We focus on making a humdrum fair into a sizzling success; we make changes every year based on what we learned the year before and the year before that.
Register before September 16 and receive an early bird discount for the signing slots. One hour signing segments (50 minutes to allow set up) cost $100 for the first and $80 for a second hour. After August 15, the fee will return to its regular $150 for the first and $100 for the second day. The fee includes display of your book, your order forms and your bookmark or business card and a poster for the full two days.
Last year we had our booth televised on the Internet. Rey Ybarra from Best Selling Author Television was there to cover the event. He conducted short three-minute interviews with the participating authors. The program proved to be a great success. Rey will be there with his crew again this year. (To see the 2008 video made by Rey Ybarra, go to Best Selling Author Television site at : http://www.veoh.com/channels/BSATV
For benefits offered by this booth please visit www.howtodoitfrugally.com or e-mail Christine Alexanians at chalexwrite@yahoo.com.
------
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
Learn more at Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Her blogs are also content-laden:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
and a Writer's Digest Top 101 Website:
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
And the New Book Review is at your service: www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com. (Follow the submission guidelines in the left column!)
Friday, May 23, 2008
AC Member Pam Kelly Sets Promotion Example for Us All
Authors' Coalition thank yous go to Pam Kelly for putting the Authors' Coalition (and my guest appearance at her class) front and center on her blog. http://www.pkellycom.blogspot.com/.
Her blog is a perfect place to see some shots of fair happenings at our booth (the videos with Rey Ybarra at our booth, shots with Annette Fix, (a fellow Authors' Coalition booth participant) and Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC) leader, Irwin Zucker, plus notes on the way she used a drawing (and promoted it!) during her signing time and, of course, the beautiful set-up for her table during her signing time. Her passion shows through, of course, (She wrote Speak with Passion! Speak with Power!) but her promotion details set an example for us all.
Just a quick note on the Authors' Coalition catalog that goes out to booksellers, too. Mindy Laurence is sending copies to bookstore buyers. Both in her hometown and that of her PR client, Dr. Dan Skelton.
----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Her blog is a perfect place to see some shots of fair happenings at our booth (the videos with Rey Ybarra at our booth, shots with Annette Fix, (a fellow Authors' Coalition booth participant) and Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC) leader, Irwin Zucker, plus notes on the way she used a drawing (and promoted it!) during her signing time and, of course, the beautiful set-up for her table during her signing time. Her passion shows through, of course, (She wrote Speak with Passion! Speak with Power!) but her promotion details set an example for us all.
Just a quick note on the Authors' Coalition catalog that goes out to booksellers, too. Mindy Laurence is sending copies to bookstore buyers. Both in her hometown and that of her PR client, Dr. Dan Skelton.
----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Q&A a la Ann Landers: Is a Book Fair Booth Signing Worth It?
Below you'll find a question from one of our booth participants that turned into my annual report of book fair booth do's, don't's, pro's, con's and marketing secrets:
Question: It would appear, from my short stop at the tent [at the LA Times Festival of Books], that no one made enough sales to break even. If that is true, an analysis would determine if it is worthwhile.
Answer: Thank you. This is a perfect way for me to focus that fair report that I promised those who participated in our booth. Questions and answers are always better than a plain old report. (-:
I can't remember exactly when you came onto the scene in our little book fair process. I say over and over again (in my newsletter, on my website, even in my book and on this blog that fairs are NOT about book sales but about exposure. The chance to send out invitations, releases, etc. and align oneself with the name of a fair as prestigious as the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books. It is prestigious not only because of its size and its own association with names like the Times and UCLA but also because the general reader assumes that if you're signing at the fair in any capacity, that's a big deal.
I. E. book fairs are about opportunity, not sales. That is why all our AC booth participants receive e-mails from me over and over again. They include templates for releases, for fliers, for invitations and tons of stuff on the basics of marketing in general and marketing book fair appearances in particular.
Having said that, I can't think of one book promotion in the ten years I've been doing it that "pays for itself." For one thing, except for a book fair, it's rare if we know exactly how many book sales to assign to a particular effort. Even a fair can't really be measured this way. Did people go home and buy a book online, as an example? Did they do it Monday? Will they do it Wednesday after the fair? Will they do it when they see you or your title again in the newspapers or on the WEB next week?
Marketing is cumulative. Marketing is about "Persistency over time" and "frequency." Those words are my marketing mantras.
A fair is also about networking. As are many speaking engagements (where one also may sell quite a few books and sometimes, may not).
So, I think the question to be asking ourselves here is not if anyone sold enough to cover their expenses (if you count my time billed out at minimum wage, I certainly didn't and haven't for the last six years!) But instead each person who signs at a fair should ask themselves:
1. How much did you learn?
2. What would you do differently next time?
3. Did you participate in any of the value-added promotions offered by your booth planners or produce any of your own? Did you do your basic marketing? Those releases and invitations?
4. Are you using what I'm sending you after the fair for follow-up publicity. And are you assigning a value to that (not in book sales--again, that's too hard to trace -- but in what you would pay for advertising space equivalent to what you got either on the Web or in your hometown newspaper?)
5. Did you make an important contact for your future career at the fair. A publisher? Editor? Bookstore buyer? A writing club? Editor? etc.
6. Did you collect names for your contact list? That's important so that the next time you will have more people to invite.
7. Did you use your participation as a featured author in your other promotion? Your website? Your blog? Your newsletter? (It is not too late!)
In other words, did you play this fair (or any other fair or book signing or event) for all it can do for you?
For those of you who participated in the catalog only, the principles I've mentioned apply to that kind of promotion, too. Did you supply book buyers' names as asked? Are you following up with that list to talk to booksellers about the catalog? Are you sending them another catalog or media kit or sell sheet now that the catalog has been delivered? Perhaps with a handwritten note attached pointing your book out as one written by a local author.
By the way, did you know that big marketers think any campaign is HUGE if they get 7% of results. That means if they send out 100 postcards, they feel very fortunate to get responses (even nonbuying responses) on seven of them.)
So, to answer this question. Those of you who prefer to evaluate your book fair may certainly find that it didn't pay for itself. Of course, much depends on your royalty/profit margin on your books. Much will also depend on the kind of book you have. Generally, as an example, nonfiction books sell better than fiction. It's the nature of the game. That is true across the board in the world of publishing.
I saw people in our booth sell from two books to about 12 in an hour (the higher number is a guess because I obviously can't count everyone's sales when I'm busy.) And I would welcome figures from you all. I also saw many visitors ask authors for their signatures on posters, ask to pose for photos, etc., and I believe that those with signs that made passers-by immediately aware they were authors, saw more of this kind of action than others. That may not seem like a calculable benefit to some, but I sure think it adds to the fun. And those pictures can end up on Facebook, blogs and more. Especially if you had good signs and/or remembered to grab a copy of your book and hold it face out for the camera!
If enough of you volunteer to give out your sales, I will be happy to post that. I'd also like you to briefly enumerate what you did to promote your appearance before the fair.
Here are just a couple of additional items to report. We had three volunteers who handed out fliers and bookmarks and many authors brought their own volunteers who were generous about handing out materials for authors other than the author they came with. Yes, I often asked them to do that. Ha! Our books were on display individually (something few booths do) and well lighted, also a book fair booth rarity.
If any of you have anything to add to this, suggestions for next year or things I missed, please use the comment butt on this blog.
What have you found effective in the book fairs you've participated in? Please share here by using the comment link below!
----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Question: It would appear, from my short stop at the tent [at the LA Times Festival of Books], that no one made enough sales to break even. If that is true, an analysis would determine if it is worthwhile.
Answer: Thank you. This is a perfect way for me to focus that fair report that I promised those who participated in our booth. Questions and answers are always better than a plain old report. (-:
I can't remember exactly when you came onto the scene in our little book fair process. I say over and over again (in my newsletter, on my website, even in my book and on this blog that fairs are NOT about book sales but about exposure. The chance to send out invitations, releases, etc. and align oneself with the name of a fair as prestigious as the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books. It is prestigious not only because of its size and its own association with names like the Times and UCLA but also because the general reader assumes that if you're signing at the fair in any capacity, that's a big deal.
I. E. book fairs are about opportunity, not sales. That is why all our AC booth participants receive e-mails from me over and over again. They include templates for releases, for fliers, for invitations and tons of stuff on the basics of marketing in general and marketing book fair appearances in particular.
Having said that, I can't think of one book promotion in the ten years I've been doing it that "pays for itself." For one thing, except for a book fair, it's rare if we know exactly how many book sales to assign to a particular effort. Even a fair can't really be measured this way. Did people go home and buy a book online, as an example? Did they do it Monday? Will they do it Wednesday after the fair? Will they do it when they see you or your title again in the newspapers or on the WEB next week?
Marketing is cumulative. Marketing is about "Persistency over time" and "frequency." Those words are my marketing mantras.
A fair is also about networking. As are many speaking engagements (where one also may sell quite a few books and sometimes, may not).
So, I think the question to be asking ourselves here is not if anyone sold enough to cover their expenses (if you count my time billed out at minimum wage, I certainly didn't and haven't for the last six years!) But instead each person who signs at a fair should ask themselves:
1. How much did you learn?
2. What would you do differently next time?
3. Did you participate in any of the value-added promotions offered by your booth planners or produce any of your own? Did you do your basic marketing? Those releases and invitations?
4. Are you using what I'm sending you after the fair for follow-up publicity. And are you assigning a value to that (not in book sales--again, that's too hard to trace -- but in what you would pay for advertising space equivalent to what you got either on the Web or in your hometown newspaper?)
5. Did you make an important contact for your future career at the fair. A publisher? Editor? Bookstore buyer? A writing club? Editor? etc.
6. Did you collect names for your contact list? That's important so that the next time you will have more people to invite.
7. Did you use your participation as a featured author in your other promotion? Your website? Your blog? Your newsletter? (It is not too late!)
In other words, did you play this fair (or any other fair or book signing or event) for all it can do for you?
For those of you who participated in the catalog only, the principles I've mentioned apply to that kind of promotion, too. Did you supply book buyers' names as asked? Are you following up with that list to talk to booksellers about the catalog? Are you sending them another catalog or media kit or sell sheet now that the catalog has been delivered? Perhaps with a handwritten note attached pointing your book out as one written by a local author.
By the way, did you know that big marketers think any campaign is HUGE if they get 7% of results. That means if they send out 100 postcards, they feel very fortunate to get responses (even nonbuying responses) on seven of them.)
So, to answer this question. Those of you who prefer to evaluate your book fair may certainly find that it didn't pay for itself. Of course, much depends on your royalty/profit margin on your books. Much will also depend on the kind of book you have. Generally, as an example, nonfiction books sell better than fiction. It's the nature of the game. That is true across the board in the world of publishing.
I saw people in our booth sell from two books to about 12 in an hour (the higher number is a guess because I obviously can't count everyone's sales when I'm busy.) And I would welcome figures from you all. I also saw many visitors ask authors for their signatures on posters, ask to pose for photos, etc., and I believe that those with signs that made passers-by immediately aware they were authors, saw more of this kind of action than others. That may not seem like a calculable benefit to some, but I sure think it adds to the fun. And those pictures can end up on Facebook, blogs and more. Especially if you had good signs and/or remembered to grab a copy of your book and hold it face out for the camera!
If enough of you volunteer to give out your sales, I will be happy to post that. I'd also like you to briefly enumerate what you did to promote your appearance before the fair.
Here are just a couple of additional items to report. We had three volunteers who handed out fliers and bookmarks and many authors brought their own volunteers who were generous about handing out materials for authors other than the author they came with. Yes, I often asked them to do that. Ha! Our books were on display individually (something few booths do) and well lighted, also a book fair booth rarity.
If any of you have anything to add to this, suggestions for next year or things I missed, please use the comment butt on this blog.
What have you found effective in the book fairs you've participated in? Please share here by using the comment link below!
----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Booth Participant Sends Valued Suggestion
This suggestions was offered from one of the authors signing at this year's Authors' Coalition booth. I have long encouraged authors to bring help but usually to run errands, help take money, etc. Maybe we need two helpers. Here is the suggestions from David H. Jones:
Hi Carolyn,
Dian and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Authors' Coalition booth on both days at the LA Times Festival of Books.
It was a delight meeting you and all of the other good folks involved
with Authors' Coalition. Thank you for having us.
One thing that was very apparent to me during my two stints at book
signing was the importance of having an assistant out front of the
booth handing out bookmarks for my book, Two Brothers: One North, One South. Dian was able to steer a number of people to the table. Almost all of them bought a book and
had it autographed.
Visitors to the Book Fair become so visually overloaded as they walk
past a multitude of interesting booths that many who would otherwise
stop, simply go by without taking notice of our presence or signage.
I highly recommend that author's bring someone to fulfill that
function during a crowded event . . . it makes all the difference in
the world.
Cordially,
David
David H. Jones
Author of Two Brothers: One North, One South
www.davidhjones.net
http://davidhjones.net/blog/
----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Hi Carolyn,
Dian and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Authors' Coalition booth on both days at the LA Times Festival of Books.
It was a delight meeting you and all of the other good folks involved
with Authors' Coalition. Thank you for having us.
One thing that was very apparent to me during my two stints at book
signing was the importance of having an assistant out front of the
booth handing out bookmarks for my book, Two Brothers: One North, One South. Dian was able to steer a number of people to the table. Almost all of them bought a book and
had it autographed.
Visitors to the Book Fair become so visually overloaded as they walk
past a multitude of interesting booths that many who would otherwise
stop, simply go by without taking notice of our presence or signage.
I highly recommend that author's bring someone to fulfill that
function during a crowded event . . . it makes all the difference in
the world.
Cordially,
David
David H. Jones
Author of Two Brothers: One North, One South
www.davidhjones.net
http://davidhjones.net/blog/
----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Stuff to Know Before the Book Fair...
...or Preparations Before the Fair.
Here is what you'll need and a few directions and helps:
Those who are signing at our booth, please take the time to read this all the way through. There is lots here that can make a difference to you. If you still have questions after reading through, highlighting, and absorbing, please ask questions on this blog by using the comment feature. That way we can ALL benefit from them. Also, everyone feel free to chime in with a comment, to exchange ideas and to give help according to your expertise. (-:
To park go to the LA Times Festival of Books website (www.latimes.com) and look at the campus map. Park in the #3 structure, near Sunset and Hilgaard. You will find people there who will help direct you to our booths, #610and 611. Parking is $8. Follow parking directions to the letter. Tickets are expensive.
Bring your books for sale and be prepared to take extras back to the car if you have more left than what you can carry. We can't store backstock of books for everyone. There is just not enough room and we try to keep a tidy booth.
If your poster does not arrive in the mail on Friday before the fair, it most likely will not get posted. These posters go up at 6 am on Saturday morning--or before.
It is best to use something that rolls to bring your books and display material for your table.
You will need:
-Change for cash sales.
-A Visa machine set up if you take credit cards (not necessary)
-A resale license (it can be temporary). You probably won't need it but you should have one anyway.
-Decide whether you want to take checks. I do. I don't take credit cards, though. That's because I don't sell many books myself but go through wholesalers and distributors.
-A box for your money/checks, etc. I use my pockets. Not too classy but very fast.
-The signs you put out on the table for special offers, the price of your books, if you have an award and want it to be evident, etc. We provide the signs that say our customers get a free book with a purchase of a book, while supplies last.
-Stands for your books and/or other display aids like inexpensive card holders. Try Michael's or Staples.
-You may want to pack a lunch, depending on your schedule.
-Wear warm shoes in case it is cold or rains. The booths are on the grass and feet can get cold.
-Dress professionally or in a way that will market your title or brand yourself. Color works well if you want to attract the visual media. Also, you will be filmed by Rey Ybarra for Authors' Coalition videos.
-Arrive at least 15 minutes before your allotted time. There is some trade-time between authors.
-Make your reservations for your personal video with Rey Ybarra if you wish. To reserve your own special time ($99.) e-mail him at rybarra106@aol.com.
-Plan to be at the booth each day at 4 pm for some video footage that Rey will shoot for Authors' Coalition. These videos will be available to everyone who is participating to use for promotion. You will want to be on them!
~A guest book if you wish. Keep collecting names for your contact list.
~A good signing pen. Several others for backup.
I can't be specific about how many books you will need. It depends on your title, how old the title is, how you promoted your signing beforehand, how well you relate to the crowds walking by the booth and the people who come into the booth, how expensive your book is. The free book with purchase offer will help you close a sale. Beyond that, I have seen a book priced at $50 sell two books. I have seen authors sell as many as 40 books in an hour. Bring what you think you can sell. Stow extras in your car (always a good idea). Bring a friend to help you run to the car if you need to and help in other ways. And, in the meantime, promote, promote, promote! Keep in mind,though, that this fair is HUGE. It attracts 135,000 visitors including Hollywood types.
You may also wish to take advantage of the great free seminars offered by the fair. There are dozens and some are presented by famous authors. Others are valuable panels.
You may sell your books before and after your allotted time but we do ask that you step outside of the booth to do so. Those who are signing will want to be seen and if you crowd around you will limit visiblity. You may also want to discreetly pass out fliers before your signing time and/or post them in lavatories, etc. Note the word discreetly. If you are asked to desist, do so politely.
Please plan to send out invitations if you have not already done so and e-mail reminders one or two days before your signing date. Don't forget your media releases to your local press/TV/radio. You could even call your local reporters and invite them. Even send personal invitations to them.
If you haven't heard from me, that means I do not have your materials for display. Display means the bookshelves that show your books when you are not signing. That is where we put your order forms, books, and bookmarks. You may have some of those materials on your table when you sign, of course!!
Give yourself time and a small budget to browse and to buy the books of others. If authors don't buy books, how can we expect others to buy ours?
Note that Rey and Randy (TV host and cameraman) will be in and out of the booth filming. This will attract traffic. It is up to YOU to utilize it well. I. E., strike up conversations with those standing about looking.
Also note this is a cross-promotional effort. When you have sold a book (say to someone you have invited to the fair), introduce them to your table mate and/or suggest one of the other books in the booth. When you first sit down, take a minute to learn something about your table partner. Early in the day, browse the other books on display.
Use the booth and the entire fair to network. You will be evaluating your experience not on sales but on many intangibles. Leads. Contacts. Opportunity to contact those who can help you in the future (editors, publishers, readers, etc.). Learning new promotion techniques from your fellows. I. E. fairs are opportunities for you get more exposure and to build relationships. Also keep in mind, many who don't buy your book will go straight home and buy at a discount on Amazon. I recommend that you let them. I don't think it is a good idea to sell your own work at a discount. It competes against your bookstores (not really ethical) and it diminishes the value of your work. That is one of the reasons we offer the free book with purchase.
------
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com
Here is what you'll need and a few directions and helps:
Those who are signing at our booth, please take the time to read this all the way through. There is lots here that can make a difference to you. If you still have questions after reading through, highlighting, and absorbing, please ask questions on this blog by using the comment feature. That way we can ALL benefit from them. Also, everyone feel free to chime in with a comment, to exchange ideas and to give help according to your expertise. (-:
To park go to the LA Times Festival of Books website (www.latimes.com) and look at the campus map. Park in the #3 structure, near Sunset and Hilgaard. You will find people there who will help direct you to our booths, #610and 611. Parking is $8. Follow parking directions to the letter. Tickets are expensive.
Bring your books for sale and be prepared to take extras back to the car if you have more left than what you can carry. We can't store backstock of books for everyone. There is just not enough room and we try to keep a tidy booth.
If your poster does not arrive in the mail on Friday before the fair, it most likely will not get posted. These posters go up at 6 am on Saturday morning--or before.
It is best to use something that rolls to bring your books and display material for your table.
You will need:
-Change for cash sales.
-A Visa machine set up if you take credit cards (not necessary)
-A resale license (it can be temporary). You probably won't need it but you should have one anyway.
-Decide whether you want to take checks. I do. I don't take credit cards, though. That's because I don't sell many books myself but go through wholesalers and distributors.
-A box for your money/checks, etc. I use my pockets. Not too classy but very fast.
-The signs you put out on the table for special offers, the price of your books, if you have an award and want it to be evident, etc. We provide the signs that say our customers get a free book with a purchase of a book, while supplies last.
-Stands for your books and/or other display aids like inexpensive card holders. Try Michael's or Staples.
-You may want to pack a lunch, depending on your schedule.
-Wear warm shoes in case it is cold or rains. The booths are on the grass and feet can get cold.
-Dress professionally or in a way that will market your title or brand yourself. Color works well if you want to attract the visual media. Also, you will be filmed by Rey Ybarra for Authors' Coalition videos.
-Arrive at least 15 minutes before your allotted time. There is some trade-time between authors.
-Make your reservations for your personal video with Rey Ybarra if you wish. To reserve your own special time ($99.) e-mail him at rybarra106@aol.com.
-Plan to be at the booth each day at 4 pm for some video footage that Rey will shoot for Authors' Coalition. These videos will be available to everyone who is participating to use for promotion. You will want to be on them!
~A guest book if you wish. Keep collecting names for your contact list.
~A good signing pen. Several others for backup.
I can't be specific about how many books you will need. It depends on your title, how old the title is, how you promoted your signing beforehand, how well you relate to the crowds walking by the booth and the people who come into the booth, how expensive your book is. The free book with purchase offer will help you close a sale. Beyond that, I have seen a book priced at $50 sell two books. I have seen authors sell as many as 40 books in an hour. Bring what you think you can sell. Stow extras in your car (always a good idea). Bring a friend to help you run to the car if you need to and help in other ways. And, in the meantime, promote, promote, promote! Keep in mind,though, that this fair is HUGE. It attracts 135,000 visitors including Hollywood types.
You may also wish to take advantage of the great free seminars offered by the fair. There are dozens and some are presented by famous authors. Others are valuable panels.
You may sell your books before and after your allotted time but we do ask that you step outside of the booth to do so. Those who are signing will want to be seen and if you crowd around you will limit visiblity. You may also want to discreetly pass out fliers before your signing time and/or post them in lavatories, etc. Note the word discreetly. If you are asked to desist, do so politely.
Please plan to send out invitations if you have not already done so and e-mail reminders one or two days before your signing date. Don't forget your media releases to your local press/TV/radio. You could even call your local reporters and invite them. Even send personal invitations to them.
If you haven't heard from me, that means I do not have your materials for display. Display means the bookshelves that show your books when you are not signing. That is where we put your order forms, books, and bookmarks. You may have some of those materials on your table when you sign, of course!!
Give yourself time and a small budget to browse and to buy the books of others. If authors don't buy books, how can we expect others to buy ours?
Note that Rey and Randy (TV host and cameraman) will be in and out of the booth filming. This will attract traffic. It is up to YOU to utilize it well. I. E., strike up conversations with those standing about looking.
Also note this is a cross-promotional effort. When you have sold a book (say to someone you have invited to the fair), introduce them to your table mate and/or suggest one of the other books in the booth. When you first sit down, take a minute to learn something about your table partner. Early in the day, browse the other books on display.
Use the booth and the entire fair to network. You will be evaluating your experience not on sales but on many intangibles. Leads. Contacts. Opportunity to contact those who can help you in the future (editors, publishers, readers, etc.). Learning new promotion techniques from your fellows. I. E. fairs are opportunities for you get more exposure and to build relationships. Also keep in mind, many who don't buy your book will go straight home and buy at a discount on Amazon. I recommend that you let them. I don't think it is a good idea to sell your own work at a discount. It competes against your bookstores (not really ethical) and it diminishes the value of your work. That is one of the reasons we offer the free book with purchase.
------
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Question on Book Fair Book Sales Answered
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks again for all of your helpful emails about the festival. My book, Running From Coyote: A White Family among the Navajo, is receiving some great reviews. You can see Tony Hillerman's comment, as well as the Discovery Kirkus Review on my web site: danaleebuhlerwriter.com
I have a couple of questions.
QUESTION: First, I plan to bring 40 books with me for the signing. In your experience, is that too many, too few? If I need more, I need to order them now from the publisher.
ANSWER: You'll be getting a notice on this soon. But yes, 40 would probably do it. It is a hard thing to know, however, because the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books attracts 135,000 visitors (among them directors, producers, etc) so anything can happen. So much depends on:
1. the title
2. the author (if he/she is recognized by some and if he/she has learned/knows how to relate to people walking by)
3. the amount of promotion the author has done both in general and for the signing
4. the price of the book.
Also, keep in mind that, though we would all like to sell lots of books at this fair, fairs in general are about, yep! exposure and credibility among readers. So, think sales, certainly. But keep in mind that what you are really after is to be associated with this fair (LA Times and UCLA and Authors' Coalition!) and to use it has a vehicle to contact bookstores, contact media, contact libraries, contact readers.
Let the world know that you will be featured author at the AC booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books!
QUESTION: Secondly, I have two laminated 11x17 inch "Meet the Author" posters which I plan to add an 8x11 inch author photo. I will hang these on the booth. Can I use these instead of the requested 14x16 inch poster? I will pick them up by closing on Sunday.
ANSWER: Yes, but you would need to get some grommets in them so we can string wire through them. That's how they get hung. And we do the hanging, around the top of the booth. If you want to keep one to use when you're signing (stand it on the table near your book display, as an example) that would work. One for the permanent display in the booth (hung by wire) and one for your display as you sign. )
QUESTION: I was planning on bringing my own cash box and handle my own sales. Is that how it's done? That's not a problem for me. I have some old fashion candy give-a-ways for my 1950's memoir. I will also bring my 3x4 foot Navajo rug for display on the signing table.
ANSWER: Yes, that's it exactly. Each author is in charge of his/her own little table area, his/her own book sales.
COMMENT: Finally, I will provide ten books for your give-a-way program.
RESPONSE: That the booth offers a f r e e book to people who buy books from any of the authors (while supplies last) obviously makes it possible for people to see your book even when it isn't your turn at signing. Thank you. That's a nice incentive for our readers to buy others' books and so appreciated by all. Thank you, Dana.
I will have the items listed in your last email ready to mail to you around the first of April. I look forward to meeting you.
Danalee Buhler
SUGGESTION: This blog is made available to all authors so they can learn more about planning for fairs. Go back and see what we've done in the past, how they might be applied to any fair or booth you might be planning.
-----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Thanks again for all of your helpful emails about the festival. My book, Running From Coyote: A White Family among the Navajo, is receiving some great reviews. You can see Tony Hillerman's comment, as well as the Discovery Kirkus Review on my web site: danaleebuhlerwriter.com
I have a couple of questions.
QUESTION: First, I plan to bring 40 books with me for the signing. In your experience, is that too many, too few? If I need more, I need to order them now from the publisher.
ANSWER: You'll be getting a notice on this soon. But yes, 40 would probably do it. It is a hard thing to know, however, because the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books attracts 135,000 visitors (among them directors, producers, etc) so anything can happen. So much depends on:
1. the title
2. the author (if he/she is recognized by some and if he/she has learned/knows how to relate to people walking by)
3. the amount of promotion the author has done both in general and for the signing
4. the price of the book.
Also, keep in mind that, though we would all like to sell lots of books at this fair, fairs in general are about, yep! exposure and credibility among readers. So, think sales, certainly. But keep in mind that what you are really after is to be associated with this fair (LA Times and UCLA and Authors' Coalition!) and to use it has a vehicle to contact bookstores, contact media, contact libraries, contact readers.
Let the world know that you will be featured author at the AC booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books!
QUESTION: Secondly, I have two laminated 11x17 inch "Meet the Author" posters which I plan to add an 8x11 inch author photo. I will hang these on the booth. Can I use these instead of the requested 14x16 inch poster? I will pick them up by closing on Sunday.
ANSWER: Yes, but you would need to get some grommets in them so we can string wire through them. That's how they get hung. And we do the hanging, around the top of the booth. If you want to keep one to use when you're signing (stand it on the table near your book display, as an example) that would work. One for the permanent display in the booth (hung by wire) and one for your display as you sign. )
QUESTION: I was planning on bringing my own cash box and handle my own sales. Is that how it's done? That's not a problem for me. I have some old fashion candy give-a-ways for my 1950's memoir. I will also bring my 3x4 foot Navajo rug for display on the signing table.
ANSWER: Yes, that's it exactly. Each author is in charge of his/her own little table area, his/her own book sales.
COMMENT: Finally, I will provide ten books for your give-a-way program.
RESPONSE: That the booth offers a f r e e book to people who buy books from any of the authors (while supplies last) obviously makes it possible for people to see your book even when it isn't your turn at signing. Thank you. That's a nice incentive for our readers to buy others' books and so appreciated by all. Thank you, Dana.
I will have the items listed in your last email ready to mail to you around the first of April. I look forward to meeting you.
Danalee Buhler
SUGGESTION: This blog is made available to all authors so they can learn more about planning for fairs. Go back and see what we've done in the past, how they might be applied to any fair or booth you might be planning.
-----
Blogging by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). Learn more at both the AC site and Carolyn's website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com and her blogs:
www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com
www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Q&A: What If Your Book Won't Be Ready?
Question:
Carolyn:
I thought I'd seek your guidance on this. My next book, Months and Seasons, will be published on June 14, 2008 in a special presentation at the Beverly Hills library. Hence, I won't have books to sell in April. Still, I'll be promoting it at that point. I'll have sent galleys out to reviewers before that date. How might I use what you offer?
Best,
Chris Meeks, author of The Middle-Aged Man and Sea and other books
Answer:
Very good question, Chris.
I would do the catalog that goes out to booksellers and press. You have access to it to print up your own and repeat that later. You benefit from doing it this way because:
1. It is less expensive than sending out a mailing on your own.
2. Your book is associated with an organization rather than looking like only one of the hundreds of thousands of subsidy-published books.
3. The cross promotional aspect of many authors using the catalog afterward (in media kits, to follow-up with the same or other booksellers, to give out at events, etc.) can also be useful if we have an active group participating.
4. Because participants give us the names and addresses of bookstores in their area and bookstores they work with (including contact names and e-mail addresses), this becomes a targeted list. If they follow up with a phone call to the 25 or more bookstores they submit, that gives them a chance to do that frequency thing I always suggest. (-:
I also like both the CD and the slide show for both of the above reasons. If you do the CD, you get the slide show for only $30 more dollars. I don't believe you are a member of AC, but with that fee comes some other perks and associations that can't hurt either. Check out the membership page at www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
Having said that, here's another idea. You could also do a "meet and greet." Send invitations to press and contacts. Promise them excerpts (of course, if you do the CD that would have an excerpt on it, too!) and sign them. We give away books with any sale and we could do the same with people who came by for your white paper/booklet/handout--whatever format you wanted. You would be a test on this. We have nevery done anything like it. But with your contacts at UCLA, etc., I should think it could be very successful.
Carolyn:
I thought I'd seek your guidance on this. My next book, Months and Seasons, will be published on June 14, 2008 in a special presentation at the Beverly Hills library. Hence, I won't have books to sell in April. Still, I'll be promoting it at that point. I'll have sent galleys out to reviewers before that date. How might I use what you offer?
Best,
Chris Meeks, author of The Middle-Aged Man and Sea and other books
Answer:
Very good question, Chris.
I would do the catalog that goes out to booksellers and press. You have access to it to print up your own and repeat that later. You benefit from doing it this way because:
1. It is less expensive than sending out a mailing on your own.
2. Your book is associated with an organization rather than looking like only one of the hundreds of thousands of subsidy-published books.
3. The cross promotional aspect of many authors using the catalog afterward (in media kits, to follow-up with the same or other booksellers, to give out at events, etc.) can also be useful if we have an active group participating.
4. Because participants give us the names and addresses of bookstores in their area and bookstores they work with (including contact names and e-mail addresses), this becomes a targeted list. If they follow up with a phone call to the 25 or more bookstores they submit, that gives them a chance to do that frequency thing I always suggest. (-:
I also like both the CD and the slide show for both of the above reasons. If you do the CD, you get the slide show for only $30 more dollars. I don't believe you are a member of AC, but with that fee comes some other perks and associations that can't hurt either. Check out the membership page at www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
Having said that, here's another idea. You could also do a "meet and greet." Send invitations to press and contacts. Promise them excerpts (of course, if you do the CD that would have an excerpt on it, too!) and sign them. We give away books with any sale and we could do the same with people who came by for your white paper/booklet/handout--whatever format you wanted. You would be a test on this. We have nevery done anything like it. But with your contacts at UCLA, etc., I should think it could be very successful.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Pre-Booth Promotion is Good for You, Good for Your Book!
Be good to your book!
Promote the West Hollywood Book Fair as if sales and good will depend on it. They do!
Here's what need to be done before the fair:
I need a copy of your book and a business card, order form or bookmark (with order information) before the book fair. Now is a good time to send them to me. They go up in a display that is available to the public the entire day. Authors who are signing will only be in the booth during your allotted signing time but their books will keep working on display where each is highlighted in a nook of its own.
Anyone who wants to send a poster of their book cover, laminated, with grommets, 14" wide and 18" to 20" long, feel free. They are a bit expensive and I'm not sure they are worth it unless you can retrieve it at the end of the day. (Some of you who participated in the LA Times/UCLA Fair sent posters and I kept those.(-: )
Disclaimer: Unless you will be there at the end of the day (6 pm ) to take your book and materials back with you, they will be donated to a library system. No books or materials (including poster) will be returned.
Reminder: Have you rewritten the media release (template) I sent to you and sent it to the press, radio and TV contacts and posted it on a free release disseminator? Find a list of those disseminators on my website at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Click on the Resources for Writers tab at the top of the page and scroll down.
Have you sent invitations to local people from Ventura to San Diego to visit you at the booth? These can go out by USPS or by e-mail but they MUST go out for a successful fair. Think about all your lists. Holiday. College. Charity. Parents from your kids schools. Business. The names of readers you've collected from other appearances. You might even ask a few bookish friends to invited their list of local friends to come see you.
Two days before the fair, send a reminder to that list by e-mail. Mention something that is going on at the fair. You, of course, but also perhaps the seminars at the Writers' Pavilion or the children's activity area, etc.
Don't forget that we will give a free book away with each book sold while supplies last. That is an incentive. You might mention that on your invitations. Yes, Authors' Coalition is providing those but donations from you are welcome. (-:
Promote the West Hollywood Book Fair as if sales and good will depend on it. They do!
Here's what need to be done before the fair:
I need a copy of your book and a business card, order form or bookmark (with order information) before the book fair. Now is a good time to send them to me. They go up in a display that is available to the public the entire day. Authors who are signing will only be in the booth during your allotted signing time but their books will keep working on display where each is highlighted in a nook of its own.
Anyone who wants to send a poster of their book cover, laminated, with grommets, 14" wide and 18" to 20" long, feel free. They are a bit expensive and I'm not sure they are worth it unless you can retrieve it at the end of the day. (Some of you who participated in the LA Times/UCLA Fair sent posters and I kept those.(-: )
Disclaimer: Unless you will be there at the end of the day (6 pm ) to take your book and materials back with you, they will be donated to a library system. No books or materials (including poster) will be returned.
Reminder: Have you rewritten the media release (template) I sent to you and sent it to the press, radio and TV contacts and posted it on a free release disseminator? Find a list of those disseminators on my website at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. Click on the Resources for Writers tab at the top of the page and scroll down.
Have you sent invitations to local people from Ventura to San Diego to visit you at the booth? These can go out by USPS or by e-mail but they MUST go out for a successful fair. Think about all your lists. Holiday. College. Charity. Parents from your kids schools. Business. The names of readers you've collected from other appearances. You might even ask a few bookish friends to invited their list of local friends to come see you.
Two days before the fair, send a reminder to that list by e-mail. Mention something that is going on at the fair. You, of course, but also perhaps the seminars at the Writers' Pavilion or the children's activity area, etc.
Don't forget that we will give a free book away with each book sold while supplies last. That is an incentive. You might mention that on your invitations. Yes, Authors' Coalition is providing those but donations from you are welcome. (-:
Monday, July 30, 2007
West Hollywood Book Fair or What You Can Do to Promote Your Appearnce EARLY!
All Authors' Coalition's efforts are cross-proportional. That means we all benefit from the promotion each of the others does. So here is what anyone participating in a book fair can do six to eight weeks out.
1. Ready your media release. Check my HowToDoItFrugally website for a list of media release disseminators. Click on the tab at the top of the page that says "Resources for Writers" and scroll down. You'll even find my super-mini reviews of each site. Also be organizing your local list of contacts. Invite everyone, even those who have already purchased your book. They may need another for a gift, and they'll want to meet your fellow authors.
2. Some sample media releases will soon be coming your way. Jiggle them a bit to accommodate your own needs but do include the names of other participating authors. That helps search engines pick up your releases more frequently and gives your appearance credibility.
3. Janet Goliger, one of our booth signers, has volunteered to let us use her flyer as a template. That, too, will be coming to you.
4. Go to the Authors' Coalition site to pick up your logo. Use it on your website, in your newsletter, on your flyer, on your book's order forms, on your posters, etc. The possibilities are limitless. Please link any logo used on the web to: http://www.atuhorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
5. Begin thinking about your order forms. All those with signing times will have their books shown in the booth on special bookshelves. A bood business card or order form should be available for visitors to pick up.
6. If you have a poster from the last AC Fair we did in Los Angeles, I saved it. If not, you may want to consider making one to specifications. More on that later.
7. Please share your promotion ideas with others. Click on the "Comment" link below. It's also a good place to ask questions.
Anyone who is interested in those last couple spaces available for this Sept. 30th fair can reach me for details at HoJoNews@aol.com.
Very best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.hotodoitfrugally.com
http://www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com
http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com
And my Sharing with Writers and Readers blog
1. Ready your media release. Check my HowToDoItFrugally website for a list of media release disseminators. Click on the tab at the top of the page that says "Resources for Writers" and scroll down. You'll even find my super-mini reviews of each site. Also be organizing your local list of contacts. Invite everyone, even those who have already purchased your book. They may need another for a gift, and they'll want to meet your fellow authors.
2. Some sample media releases will soon be coming your way. Jiggle them a bit to accommodate your own needs but do include the names of other participating authors. That helps search engines pick up your releases more frequently and gives your appearance credibility.
3. Janet Goliger, one of our booth signers, has volunteered to let us use her flyer as a template. That, too, will be coming to you.
4. Go to the Authors' Coalition site to pick up your logo. Use it on your website, in your newsletter, on your flyer, on your book's order forms, on your posters, etc. The possibilities are limitless. Please link any logo used on the web to: http://www.atuhorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
5. Begin thinking about your order forms. All those with signing times will have their books shown in the booth on special bookshelves. A bood business card or order form should be available for visitors to pick up.
6. If you have a poster from the last AC Fair we did in Los Angeles, I saved it. If not, you may want to consider making one to specifications. More on that later.
7. Please share your promotion ideas with others. Click on the "Comment" link below. It's also a good place to ask questions.
Anyone who is interested in those last couple spaces available for this Sept. 30th fair can reach me for details at HoJoNews@aol.com.
Very best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.hotodoitfrugally.com
http://www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com
http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com
And my Sharing with Writers and Readers blog
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