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Book Signings?

I wonder where you guys are keeping all those books "under your belts". I normally keep mine on the bookshelf. :-) Even those I wrote myself. ;-)

My sense of this is that in deciding about book signings, you have to understand that writing is a business. One part of that business is the marketing and sales function. Too many people in business confuse the two and I suspect that is happening here as well. They are quite distinct functions. In the shortest definition:
"marketing" is about creating customers
"sales" is about the financial transaction that occurs

Do not confuse the two when you are looking at book signings even though there is some overlap.

If you measure your attendance at a book signing by the number of books you sell, then your time might indeed be wasted on an hourly salary measure. Particularly if all you're getting is the royalty on the book. This is sales.

If you measure your attendance by the number of people you talk to or the number of contacts you make or whatever variable you deem important other than cash transactions, then indeed a book signing might be important. This is marketing.

To be a successful writer in the long run involves making a marketing function part of your daily work. Creating that market for your writing and involving yourself with that market is quite important. The sales function then comes after the marketing. (Remember I note that there is some overlap in these functions)

It does however take a unified approach to marketing/sales to turn a book into a profit centre. It's called a business plan that normally includes a marketing plan and a sales plan and imho, all successful writers have one. It may be imposed on them by the publisher, it may be self-created or a combination of the two. Some plans are formal, some informal but unless you know how you are measuring your success, then you'll never know whether attending book signings is valuable for you or not.

On an associated note -and again imho - those in the business of writing books that see themselves as writers tend to look more at marketing. You build on the success of one book with the next and satisfied reader on one book is more inclined to purchase your next one. If you are a gardener first or a one-shot author then sales is your primary goal because there isn't a "next" book.

There's lots of other variables involved - from the publisher's support or promotion money to agents and publicists etc etc. If you're on your own, then you really should read some of the books that are out there on promoting your own books. You'll save a lot of time and frustration by doing some research on marketing and sales before you jump into the process.

Doug
Douglas Green,
Award of Excellence winner - "Gardening Wisdom"
Freelance writer taking assignments and writing your story
http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/clips/clipmaster.htm

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