There is no more effective marketing tool than human connection. Reviews and awards are great, a testament to quality; while advertising and social media give you great exposure—but these techniques pale in comparison to human connection. Think about it: what’s more likely to sell you a book? A great review from Kirkus, or your best friend saying you absolutely have to read this book, you’re going to love it! A book on the Staff Recommendations shelf, or a bookseller’s verbal suggestion with the book in hand? A book by someone you remember from high school, or the book next to it?

If you like someone, you want to support them, so as an author, the best thing you can do to sell you book is to get out there and meet people. One amazing way to do this is by planning author events. These are opportunities to get you out into the world with plenty of copies of your book on hand, to meet people, talk about your book and garner interest, and sell copies.

Types of Author Events:
Your first author event, if in the month or so after pub day, is your launch party. This is most effective in a place where you have deep roots—your hometown, where you currently reside, etc. This event will likely be filled with your friends and family, celebrating that your book has finally been released into the world. It’s a great time to mingle, sell books, sign copies, do a reading, and answer questions. This is your party, so celebrate how you wish.

Most of your other book events will likely be a combination of at least two of the following: a reading, a signing, a Q&A, or an interview.  At a reading, you read an excerpt of your book, and at a signing, you sit at a table and sign copies of your book and chat with the readers. A Q&A allows people to ask you questions about your book in an open forum-type setting, and an interview will likely be moderated by a bookseller or event coordinator.

At all of your events, make sure you have books available for sale. If you do a number of these events, most likely in different cities, this would constitute a book tour.

Once the hype around your book dies down (usually three to four months after pub day, unless it’s a bestseller), interest in your book events will quiet as well. This does not mean that you should stop getting out there and meeting people and selling your book. What it does mean is that you have to reframe what you’re going to do.

Instead of pitching your book, you’re pitching yourself. Start a lecture series about creative or nonfiction writing, on the topic of your book, or even something else you’re an expert in. Create PowerPoint presentations, write articles, establish yourself as an expert. Where you can, tie in your book—but the book is no longer the main focus. Authors have created a second (or third, or fourth) career out of giving these presentations. It also really helps if you’re planning on writing multiple books, because you stay on the public conscious.

Things to Consider:

Venue
Bookstores are a great place to host author events. First, they attract book lovers, so you may pick up some of their traffic as well. They also have the capacity to stock and sell your books, so you don’t have to worry about that part. However, many popular bookstores host only a certain number of author events. Make sure to talk to the event coordinator early. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box—some authors have events at libraries, bars, yoga studios, grocery stores. . .  think about your book, what you want your event to be, and who you’re hoping to reach.

City
If you’re going to plan multiple events, you don’t want to do them in the same area. If you have a launch party in your hometown, don’t try to have a reading and signing a week later down the street. Remember: your core audience at these events is going to be people you already know, especially if you’re a debut author, with the hope of picking up a few new people. Even your friends and family are only going to buy the book once, so if the events are too close to one another, your venue (especially if a bookstore) is going to be disappointed that they didn’t sell books. Instead, plan events in different cities where you have connections.

Date
Do not schedule any events to happen before your pub day. There is no guarantee that your books will arrive in time. In fact, if you have your event during your pub week, double-check that your venue has the books at least two weeks in advance, or, if you’re providing the books, check in with your publisher if you haven’t received final copies two weeks ahead of time.

Selling Your Books
If your event is at a bookstore, all you need to do is make sure they’re carrying stock for your event. If your event is somewhere else, things can be a little more complicated. If you don’t work with SparkPress or She Writes Press, talk to your publisher about how to handle direct sales. If you are published by us, you have two options.

Since you own your print run with our hybrid model, your first option is to place a direct fulfillment order. We will send you the books, and all you have to pay for is shipping. You can sell the books at full price or at a discount and pocket all the proceeds. If you choose this option, it may be wise to invest in one a Square that connects to your phone and allows you to process debit and credit cards. You’ll also want to bring a cashbox with change.

Your other option is to talk to the venue about becoming a retailer. As your publisher, we sell them the books at a 55% discount (industry standard), and they can return the books they don’t sell. In this scenario, you’d make your standard royalty rate.

Food
Everyone appreciates something to nibble on at these events. Make sure your venue allows outside food before ordering, or arrange something from the venue to be provided. Feel free to get creative—while cookies are always appreciated, a cake with your cover screen-printed on it or themed cocktails will make the event unique to your book, and are sure to delight.