Most twenty-first century authors market primarily online. Some say that in-person marketing is a waste of time. If you’ve ever done a signing at a bookstore and watched virtual tumbleweeds blow by, you may agree.
But being at the right kind of event for your brand and optimizing the opportunity can yield not only additional book sales but can also help authors build lasting relationships with readers that lead to organic future sales growth.
Why Live Events Are Great
If you’re an emerging writer, setting up shop at a book festival, Comic Con or other events can be a valuable tool in your marketing arsenal. At a bookstore signing, the store is (mainly) relying on you to bring people in. They may hand out some flyers, but if you’re an emerging author, you likely have a slight to non-existent local fan base to draw in a crowd.
On the other hand, setting up shop at a festival or convention allows you to tap into the group the convention creates. With an eye-catching display, a fine-tuned pitch, and a great story, you can convert the casual passer-by into a reader and possibly uber-fan of your work.
For a lot of readers, the author that they meet and get an autograph from becomes their favorite author. It isn’t enough to just read the book. The fan follows the author on social media, shares what the author posts and makes it a point to buy the author’s new releases.
Does that sound like the kind of reader you’d like more of? Then step out of the writing cave and get thee to an event.
Make the Most of Live Events
Here are some tips to help you make the most of your live event:
1. Scope Out First: Before you purchase space to show your wares, first go as a patron to the event you’re interested in. Pay attention to how authors there display their books and note what catches your eye (and what doesn’t). Talk to them about how it’s going. This will help you to manage expectations.
2. Start Small, Local & Genre Specific: Find a small event nearby for your first foray into the world of in-person book selling. Generally, the larger the show, the more expensive it is. Try out a free or inexpensive venue for your first go-round. Also, try to stay as genre specific as you can. Write romance? Show at a rom-con. If you write science fiction or fantasy? Try a sci-fi or fantasy con. Literary fiction author may have good luck at library events and book festivals.
3. Catching the Eye: In a crowded convention hall or busy festival thoroughfare, it can be difficult to be noticed. How do you draw people in? Think vertical and blow up your most eye-catching cover into a 6 to 8-foot tall banner. Display your books as vertically as you can on your table by purchasing a wire, tabletop book rack (you can find these via a Google search or on Amazon or eBay). Your goal is to get your cover at eye-level or higher.
4. Drawing Readers In: Once your beautiful cover has caught the eye, engage the passer-by. “Would you like a bookmark?” brings people over. The person accepts the gift and asks a question of their own. “So what’s this book about?” That’s your queue to wow them with your 30-second finely tuned pitch. Did I just say 30-second? Yes. If you haven’t already distilled your entire story (or series even) into a one-sentence idea, now’s the time. If it piques their curiosity, then dole out a few more tidbits. If it doesn’t, pitch one of your other books. Converse rather than sell to keep people engaged and interested in learning more about you and your work.
5. Email List: Remember that live events are about more than sales numbers. The primary reason to leave the writing cave is to build an author-to-reader relationship. And once you’ve made a casual passer-by into a fan, you need to keep the good vibes going by interacting with them regularly via email. (For great information on using an email list to sell books, check out the Author Hangout with Tim Grahl).
We’ve come full-circle back to online marketing. Building “real-world” relationships with readers can be satisfying in and of itself, but the people you meet in person will become dedicated readers that help spread the word about your brand and buy your new releases. Adding a few live events that you regularly attend to your marketing strategy can be a fun and satisfying way to augment your online marketing efforts.
Do you meet readers at live events? What tips do you have to get the most out of it?
Natalie Wright is the author of the award-winning sci-fi series H.A.L.F. When not writing or hanging out on social media, she meets readers at comic cons and book festivals throughout the western U.S. She has more tips and is happy to help other authors make the best use of their book events, so if you have questions you can email her at: NatalieWrightAuthor [at] gmail [dot] com.
