Our bookstore has been open now for nearly six weeks. During that time, it's been a pleasure to meet some of the local authors, and I thought for this post it would be interesting to make some observations about how authors make their introductions to bookstores.
Before I go on, let me state I work in a small independent bookstore, so I wouldn’t take this article as advice, but rather as one person's observations.
I've noticed a multi-fold approach. Type A author calls the store, asks to speak to whomever is in charge of book signings, introduces themselves, and asks for a time to meet with that person.
Type B walks into the store. Depending upon circumstances, they will either walk around and then approach someone to tell them they've written a book, or they'll skip the browsing and go straight to the person.
And then there's a Type C—everybody else. There's no telling how you'll find out they're a local author. Two examples immediately come to mind. The first was a woman we almost missed. She was browsing books but was on her way out the door when the owner stopped to talk to her. He learned she had a book published and frequently is on NPR. The second is my favorite story. Two ladies were browsing through our books and I heard one of them gasp in excitement. A children's book was withdrawn from the shelf and one of them hugged it to her chest. She looked at me and said, "Thank you so much for carrying my book." She was so sincere, that she instantly won me over. I took her information to set up a book signing in the future. She's also the only author who's purchased a book from us thus far. It's amazing how much that simple gesture says.
What's interesting is that 9 times out of 10 the person doesn't have a copy of their book with them. Neither do they have a business card. This includes the authors who set up an appointment. Maybe this isn't unusual, but I find it very strange that they fail to bring a copy of their own book to an appointment.
So far, every author (except one) that I've asked to send me a bio, for my press release to local media, hasn't done it. Neither have they sent me Q&A about their book or themselves, despite their promise that they would.
This surprises me.
Lastly, I applaud the authors who follow up and continue to politely call and e-mail after a tentative agreement for a book signing has been set. I can see where as an author I would grow discouraged if a bookstore never set the date, but from the bookstore's pov, there's so much going on that I can see how unless someone reintroduces the subject, it could keep getting shoved back.
I'm really curious to learn what your experiences with bookstores have been. How do you approach a local bookstore? Would you bring a copy of book with you? How much work do you put into a book signing as the author?
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Thursday, June 21, 2007
From Inside the Bookstore
Personal contact with bookstores is often one of the most overlooked areas in the life of an author. I don't think they realize what it means to a bookstore buyer/staff for them to personally drop in, say hello, bring a copy of their book, if they have copies of the books in the store already-offer to sign them, or even bring in a little gift like chocolates (always welcome). Bookstore drop-ins are one of the easiest (well, maybe not easiest in terms of getting over shyness and approaching the bookstore) ways to connect your face with a store. Let's face it, everyone loves to meet an author! But authors sometimes forget that. If you can drop a precious advanced copy to your local stores, even better! Authors and future authors, you can even do this when you are traveling in another state, doesn't matter where you are! Go get em!
ReplyDeleteInteresting observations. I wonder why authors don't follow up when it seems that authors are always looking for ways to promote their work?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder how one would approach the local store of a national chain. Would it be any different?
You can basically approach all stores the same, now the national chains cannot automatically sell your book because their purchases most likely go through a buyer. But with a Barnes & Noble, for example, you going in may mean that they notice your book or even do a book event. When an author connects with a bookstore, and even says thank you for carrying my book, it really does mean something. Doesn't matter if it is an independent or local store. And usually the independents always like seeing authors. Plus, if you publish more than one book, like most fiction authors do, you are building a great relationship. And booksellers can be a wealth of knowledge as far as what is hot, what the trends are, and what types of things they see selling. If you build a relationship with them, they might end up being one of your best resources!
ReplyDeleteI know we love seeing the authors. I'm amazed at how many people ask me to recommend a book. I could be wrong here, but to have someone at your local book store familiar with you and your work is a huge plus, even if they are a national chain and can't stock it. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if I've hand sold books that our store doesn't (yet)carry. If someone is looking for a certain kind of book and I know what would suit them, I'll tell them about it. I'll always offer to order it for them, but sometimes they just want the title and author so they can go somewhere else or to buy it that day. Even though our bookstore didn't make the sale, I've just become a trusted source for books.
ReplyDelete