How to Set Up Your Amazon Author Page

My Amazon Author Page at
amazon.com/author/diannebutts

In my July post I wrote:

"Don't have an Amazon author page?! We're going to talk about that next month." 

That would have been August but July got too busy and I didn't get that post done. So let's revisit that idea this month.

I touched on Amazon author pages in my January 2015 post, "25 Free Ways to Market Your Book." (See #2 in that article.) But this month let's go more in depth in how to set up your Amazon author page.

How to Know If an Author has an Amazon Page

When you are looking at books on Amazon, pay attention to the name of the author. Sometimes it's a link. Sometimes it's not. When it is a link, that indicates the author has an Amazon author page set up. Obviously when you click the link, it takes you to the author's page.

When the author's name is not a link, that author has not set up his or her Amazon author page. (Or it's possible they have but that book is not linked to it. If this is the case for you, add that book to your Amazon author page.)

You Must Have a Book on Amazon

Before you may have an Amazon author page, you must have at least one book for sale on Amazon. If you don't, this would be a great time to write an e-book and upload it. See my series of posts "How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-book on Amazon (for Free)" I posted in February, March, April, and May 2016. (Links are at the bottom of this post.) 

If you have contributed to a compilation book or anthology, such as a Chicken Soup for the Soul book or another independently published compilation, and if it is available on Amazon, that counts and you can create an Author page. (Tweet that!  ) You may need to contact Amazon and ask them how to set up your page from a compilation. Let me just say...

I set up my Amazon author page about 15 years ago so I don't remember the details of how I did it, and no doubt details have changed. But it should be fairly easy for you to figure out from AuthorCentral.com.

Amazon's Author Central

To get started, go to AuthorCentral.com. Or you can go to your book on Amazon (or other books) and find the small down-pointing arrow next to the author's name which indicates a drop-down menu. Hover over that and you'll see where it asks, "Are you an author? Learn about Author Central."

It's going to take you Amazon's Author Central. This is where you will open your Author Central account with an email address and password.

Once you do that you'll find the "Welcome to Author Central" page with instructions and links to more how-tos. Click the "Help" button in the upper right beside your name to get right to the basics.

Also on this page is "Author Central News" where Amazon posts news and updates about it's programs.

Once you're in your Amazon Author Central account, you can click on four options across the top of the page. Your:

• Author Page
• Books
• Sales Info
• Customer Reviews.

Click on "Books" to find the books you've authored and connect them to your Amazon author page. Simply click the yellow "Add more books" button, search for you book, and there you go.

The Sales Info tab has sub-menus for your:

• Sales Rank: Shows each of your books and where they rank on Amazon. This will show green and a rise when you sell a book. That's exciting!
• Author Rank: Your overall ranking on Amazon. Like a golf score, the lower the number the better. I heard a long time ago if you're under 100,000 that's good. If you're just starting out you won't be that low, but as I've published more e-books that sell regularly I've been in that zone consistently...which is really cool.
• Nielsen BookScan: Shows when a hard copy of your book sells and in which geographic location. Not all book sales are recorded here since not all bookstores are connected to the Nielsen BookScan. But it gives you a good idea of where sales are taking place. If you advertise in a certain region or hold an author event in a certain location you may see those sales reflected here.

At the Customer Reviews tab you can see all the reviews on your books on Amazon. You can sort them by title, by most recent, etc. It's an easy way to see if you have any new reviews.

Finally, you can click on Author Page and set up many options on your page.

What to Set Up on Your Amazon Author Page

It's pretty easy to figure out what you can do when you get there, but let's just go over what you can set up on your Amazon author page:

Biography

Of course you've seen author's bios on Amazon. This is where the author was able to enter that information. You probably already have a bio you've written for another project (or the back of your book). If not, write one now. 

I think shorter is better. Only a portion will show on your author page before visitors must click to read more. So put the most important info up front. (Tweet that!) Plan it as if what shows will be all that your readers ever read.

Let your personality shine through. Readers enjoy that.

Whenever you need to update your bio or wish to change it, come back to your Amazon Central account to do so.

Blogs

Are you writing a blog? You can connect it here and your latest posts will automatically show up. Pretty cool huh?

This is a great way to direct your book readers to your blog to read more of what you write. It's also a great way to increase your blog's readership. (Tweet that!) 

Events

Are you planning a booksigning? Putting together a live author event? Attending a writer's conference or book expo? You can enter the location, hours, description of the event, and which book you're featuring here. It's similar to an event on Facebook. (Tweet that!) 

I've used this several times. I have it listed on my "to do" list when setting up an author event. It's hard to gauge whether it brings in a bigger crowd to author events. I wonder how many authors actually use this feature on Amazon ... or even know it's here. If we remember to use this feature perhaps Amazon visitors will become aware of it and check it more often.

Now that I've encouraged you to use this Events feature, I want to also caution you. As authors we should think about our personal security and that of our families and homes before we tell the whole world exactly where we will be and when. (Tweet that!) Of course we want to attract as big a crowd of book buyers as we can. But we need to somehow balance that with not telling burglars we're traveling and our home is empty and waiting for their visit. Women traveling alone may not want to let the world know the details of where they'll be and when. In the current climate in our nation, if your book might be controversial, you might want to be cautious about posting the location and hours of your event.

Have you ever thought about this?

I don't know the answers to this dilemma, but part of the solution might be:

• Don't post that "we" (your whole family) will be traveling to an event. Say "I" will be there and let people think your strong, armed husband / family is at home guarding the house.



Booksignings

• Don't post your travel plans, such as when you're leaving or arriving. 
• Don't Instagram yourself in the airport or post elsewhere photos, videos, and comments until after you get back home. 

If you'd like to set up a live author event in a bookstore but don't know how, have no idea where to start, or simply want to hear my tips, experiences, and suggestions, check out my e-book Booksignings.

Author Page URL

When your Author Page is created, Amazon will give you a URL here. You can suggest a change if you want to. Make it easy to remember.  (Tweet that!) 

Copy and paste this URL into a place where it is easy for you to access, such as in a Word document or, better I think, an Excel document where you keep all your links (for each of you books, blogs, etc.).

Also keep it written and handy when you do radio interviews so you can state it easily. Keep it simple so people can remember it. The few times I've done TV interviews I've been asked for information to put at the bottom of the screen as I talk. Your Amazon author page is a one-stop shop for all your books (assuming they're all on Amazon) so let your audience know how to find it.

If you wish, create an easy-to-remember short URL on bitly.com. 

What will you want to do with this URL? If you need ideas, I'll list some below under "What Can You Do With Your Amazon Author Page?"

Photos

Add your author photo of your smiling face. A book sales expert told me a nice photo creates a "relationship" with the reader. Relationships are key to book sales. (Tweet that!) 

This is the same reason you should have your smiling face on the back cover of every print book you produce and in the back matter of your e-books.

Videos

You cannot put a YouTube video on your Amazon page. Plus, Amazon has a lot of rules for what they do not want you to include in your video. Be sure to review those guidelines before you try putting a video on your site.

To find those guidelines, click "add video." A box will open with basic guidelines including this one:

• For more guidelines, please visit our video content guidelines.

I'm thinking I shouldn't upload my book trailer videos I've made on Animoto.com because the Animoto logo is embedded at the end. Also not allowed are "comments relating to book reviews and content visible on the Author Page and detail pages" on Amazon.

Amazon states:

You can share video interviews, book signing videos, and other videos with readers. Your videos should focus on specific features of your books or your experience as an author. Uploading Videos

I never thought to take a video at an live author event. I may think about staging that (getting permission first) next time I hold one.

Right now I'm thinking we could just talk to our laptop cameras and tell potential readers interesting information about ourselves or our books, why we wrote it, that sort of thing. We could also "stage" an interview: type the question on a slide for the video then look off camera and answer as if we're answering an interviewer.

How to Create a Video for Your Amazon Page

If you want to create such a video, use your laptop camera. Upload the video to YouTube and edit it.

While you cannot upload a YouTube video to your Amazon author page, you can save it in an Amazon-supported format and then upload it! (Tweet that!) To do that go to your Video Manager on YouTube and click the drop down menu arrow next to "Edit." Choose to save your video to your computer as an MP4 file. MP4 is one of the supported files on Amazon so you can then upload your MP4 file from your computer to your Amazon author page.

(Hmm. Now that I've figured all that out, I may have to try it myself and write a whole post on this topic! Wouldn't that be fun?! I'll work on it when I have time.)

What Can You Do With Your Amazon Author Page?

Here are some ways you can use your Amazon author page URL:

• in your email signature, 
• in Tweets, 
• in an occasional Facebook post,
• in all your social media bios (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.).
• Link to it on your blogs and web sites. 
• Be sure to put it at the end of your book trailers.
• Include it on your business cards. 
• Put it in your guest posts on other blogs and... 
• your bio at the end of your magazine articles. 
• Include it in the back matter of every book you write. 

Anywhere you advertise yourself, your books, or your brand, you should include an easy link to your Amazon author page because your page will list all your books that you have available for sale (on Amazon). With one click visitors can go to the detail page of any of your books and purchase it. (Tweet that!)

One More Tip...

If you're writing under a pseudonym, you can also open an Amazon author page for your pseudonym. (Tweet that!) You can do so from your regular author page; you don't need a separate account. But to everyone viewing your pen name page there will be no connection to who you are unless you put it there.

You can manage up to three Author Pages this way, though they will not be associated in any way on Amazon.com.  Managing Your Bibliography

If you haven't yet set up your Amazon author page, or if there are some steps here you haven't yet completed, why not do so today?

Or if your Amazon author page has been set up for a while, why not schedule some time to update your bio, list an upcoming event, add a new photo, connect a new blog, or create a new video?

Tweetable:

Why not open or update your #AmazonAuthorPage today? Here's how.  Tweet that:  

Related Articles:

• How to Make Your Manuscript a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 1: Formatting Your Kindle Document
• How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 2 - Front Matter, Back Matter, and Images
• How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon - Part 3 - Get Your E-Book Covers Here! (Not All Free) 
• How to Make Your Manuscript Into a Kindle E-Book on Amazon (for Free) - Part 4 – Uploading Your Ebook

What To Do at Your In-Store Author Event (AKA "Author Book Signing") and How To Make It a Success - Part 2

Me at my "Author Event" at my church in June 2013.
Want a cookie?

Last month we talked about how to get an in-store author event (also known as an "author book signing") set up in a bookstore, whether it is independently owned or a chain store. Now that we have an event set up with a store, let's talk about what to do when you get there, while you're there, and how to make your author event/book signing a success.

1.) Being ready for anything

When you arrive at the store for your event, view it as an adventure. It's going to be exciting and fun, and truly anything can happen. Again, put on your very best business manners and determine that no matter what happens, you're going to meet the challenge with a smile, patience, abundant grace, and good humor when appropriate.

Be ready for customers to ask you anything, including "Where's the bathroom?" (you should know the answer to this one) or "Do you carry those little thingies I see people clipping to their car's sun visors?" (No kidding. I got that question. Luckily a store employee was nearby, heard the question, and knew exactly what the customer was talking about. Go figure.)

Also be ready for anything while working with the manager and the store staff. Not too long ago I arrived at a store and, when the manager saw me pulling my crate on wheels filled with my books, table decorations, and cookies in the door, she asked if she could help me as if I were a customer. I had stopped in and talked with her a few weeks earlier to make these arrangements. I realized right away she had completely forgotten I was coming. After a few minutes, she recognized me and began to remember. But she apparently had not only forgotten I had scheduled an event, she didn't remember that she was supplying me with a table and that we had discussed a location near the door.

Needless to say there was no table set up ready and waiting for me. I had to exercise patience as I watched customers come in and walk right past me while she got an employee to find a table, bring it to the front, and set it up for me.

2.) Setting up Your Space 

Here are some tips I've learned for setting up your author event space:

Table Location

You need to be near the entrance to the store where people can see you when they come in and where you can greet customers as they enter the store. This usually isn't a problem.

However... Remember that event when the manager forgot I was coming? She had wanted to set up my table at the back of her (very large) store. We had talked about that when I was in and had agreed I could be at the front of the store. But she had forgotten that discussion and again said she would set up the table at the back of the store. I immediately said, "I need to be at the front of the store or else no one will know I'm here."

Remember when I said you need to be ready for anything? This manager actually got a little testy and sarcastic. She asked if I really expected her to move an entire display to make room for me? I was actually surprised. And I could have responded with equal testiness and sarcasm, but since I had put on my very best business manners before I came in the store, I simply and softly said, "No ma'am. I don't expect you to move one of your displays to make room for me." And then I kept my mouth shut.

After a long moment, she softened and said, "What about over there?" The spot was in the center aisle behind a tall display (so no one coming in the door could see the table, or even me standing up) and was squished between the back of another display and a large post support post. I said okay (because I knew what I could do with that spot near the front of the store).

Do you think I stayed behind that display? After I set up my table, with cookies, I took one of my books to the front entrance of the store and endeavored to greet every single customer that came in that door for the rest of the day--and it was a very busy day. I ended up selling more than twenty books and I impressed the manager. At the end of the day, she said so. What could have been a disaster turned into a great event and sales day.

If you're ever put at the back of the store, you don't have to stay at your table. (Don't leave any valuables on it unattended.) Honestly, if she had put the table at the back of the store, I still would have been standing with my book at the front of the store. (Regardless of where you are, you need to walk around the store and talk to people.) For me, that just would have meant more walking back and forth to get another book from the table. Be polite. Don't go against what the manager tells you that you may do in her store. Don't burn any bridges. But do what you need to do to make your event a success.

Create an eye-appealing display

Bring a pretty table cloth and a table, but leave them in your car until you know if you need them.

You can bring decorations, like a vase of flowers (I use fake ones to eliminate an accidental spilling of vase water on my books, ruining them) or a bouquet of balloons. You can get a stand-up acrylic flyer holder to display a poster showing the award(s) your book has won. If you're artistic, you might get a small chalk board with colored chalks to give a message such as "Meet the Author" or which book you're featuring that day. To create an eye-appealing display, think of height as well as color that compliment your book.

Display your book(s)

Bring one or more book easels for your book(s). People see a book better and more are likely to buy when it is sitting up and visible rather than laying flat on the table. Don't lean your display book on a stack of books. And definitely don't display a book on top of a stack of books because it make it hard for someone to pick one up to look at it.

More you can put on your table

A plate of cookies, a bowl of chocolates, or some other goodie attracts people to your table.

You might want to offer your business cards, especially if you're a speaker or have another ministry where you would like people to contact you.

Offer small fliers or bookmarks with information on your other books. Tuck one into each book you sell. I often make these myself, four across on regular sized paper turn out about the size of a bookmark. Use both sides to list your book titles, web sites, blogs, Twitter, or a helpful list or informative quote from your book. Make two-sided copies on colorful paper at an office supply store and use their paper cutter to cut them. In your fliers and bookmarks be careful not to mention that customers can purchase your books at the store's biggest competitor, Amazon.com, or that your books are available on e-readers such as Kindle or Nook (unless you're at a Barnes & Noble store). In other words don't advertise for the store's competition while you're a guest in this store.

Also be careful not to make your table too full or busy-looking. As we discussed last month about "choice fatigue," too many different books can be overwhelming to customers. You don't want too many titles competing against each other. As mentioned before, it's better to hold more events featuring different books at each than to have your titles competing against each other.

3.) What to do now that your Author Event has begun... 

What is the first and most important thing do during your author event? Get up! Don't sit on your butt behind a table. Maybe if you're famous and the line for your book is stretching out the door and around the block, you need to sit behind the table and sign. But I don't tend to have that problem.

The days of an author sitting behind a table waiting for people to come are over, if they ever existed anywhere but in the movies or on TV, are over and long gone.

You must get up, get out from behind that table, and go greet your guests.

Most people will not approach you. Some are shy and intimidated. Most are busy and come in with a list of what they need and no time to spare.

A table between you and the store's guests creates a barrier. This barrier subconsciously communicates that you are unapproachable. If you sit behind a table, don't expect anyone to come up to you except possibly the kids who only really want a cookie.

Listen to me: you are working. You are like an employee in the store (though you are not an employee). You are serving your guests, your readers and potential readers. In my opinion, it is rude for you to expect them to come to you. They don't know you have that expectation. You need to go to them. For those of you who are Christians, this is like taking the Gospel to the people. You can sit in a church and hope or expect they'll to come to you, but in reality that ain't happenin'. Or you can get off your butt and take it to them. Servants take it to the people. Servants don't expect the people to come to them. Got it?

So what do you do ? How do you "take it to the people"? Answer: you "work the crowd."

4.) Working the crowd

Like it or not,  you must "work the crowd." How? You take a copy of your book and go talk to the people.

You develop your spiel. Have you ever heard about an "elevator pitch," that short pitch authors are told they need to develop to tell agents and publishers about their book in a short time, like on an elevator ride? Do you know how you develop one of those? Don't worry, I'll tell you how right now: You tell someone about your book. The first time you do it, you stumble and talk all around the topic and finally, maybe, get it said. You do that a dozen times and you start figuring out how to get it said. You do that another dozen times and you find it's getting shorter, you're honing it down. After another dozen or so, you've finally got it down to perfection. So get out there and get started!

"Hi! I'm Dianne and we're doing an in-store author event today. We're featuring this book right here: Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus. As I read through the Christmas story in the Bible, I discovered 35 prophecies that were written in the Old Testament and then were fulfilled in every detail in the birth of Jesus. I wrote 35 short chapters, one on each of those 35 prophecies."

At this point, you can tell whether or not they are interested in hearing more...or not. If they are looking past you and still moving, in a hurry, they are not interested. Let them go. Simply say, "Thanks for your time. Please take a cookie before you leave the store." Smile and move your eyes to the next customer coming in the door.

If they stop, look in your eyes waiting for more, or look at your book, maybe take it from your hands to thumb through, they are interested. Give them more. "In each of those 35 chapters," I say, opening the book, "I gave a key verse with the prophecy. Then I tell you where this prophecy was first given in the Bible, who said it, when, and in what context. Then we talk about how it was fulfilled in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. At the end of every chapter there are three application questions, a Final Thought from me, a prayer, and where you can read more in the Bible on similar topics if you want to."

By now they are either taking the book from my hands to look at it or saying "No thank you," and moving on. If they want more, keep going...

"This is a great resource for individual study, family devotions, a small group Bible study, or a book club."

If they're still standing there listening, they want more. So keep going: "One of my favorite chapters in the book is about the Star of Bethlehem. You know, that prophecy that the Magi found that caused them to follow the star to Jesus..."

Your Author Event is not so much about selling books as it is about meeting your readers or potential readers, getting to know them, and helping them get to know you and your books. It's about serving them by showing them you have something that will help them or entertain them or add joy to their busy, tired, troubled life. Remember that principle and you'll do fine.

Also remember that every person you talk to, even those who say they are not interested, have heard about your book and may seek it out later. The seed has been planted. None of your efforts are wasted.

5.) Use a sharpie.

Now guess what? You've made a sale! Someone wants your book. Now what do you do?!

• First, ask if they want the book signed. Most people will. A few will not.
• Then ask if you want it signed to them personally? Some people definitely want their name in the book. If they don't, you can sign it "generically," just putting your cute saying and your signature. Some people want to read the book and then pass it on to a friend, and so they don't want their name in it. A few are buying it for someone else and want you to sign it to that person, so be sure to ask. Also ask for the spelling of the name and get it right. Write it first on a scratch paper if you need to.
• Do not sign with a ball point pen. I'm told they fade. Instead, bring a Sharpie. They come in colors and I like to choose a color that goes well with my book's cover.
• You might like to make up a saying to write before you sign your name, but it's not required. You can say something like, "I'll meet you in the pages" or a statement tied to the message of your book. 
• Sign the Title page. I've noticed a lot of authors these days sign arbitrary pages. Some insist on signing the inside of the cover. Traditionally, the author signs the Title page.
• If the book is a compilation I've contributed to, and if I'm not rushed, I will also sign the page(s) where my contribution appears. I put my cute message and signature on the Title page, then just sign my name on my story in the book.

6.) Expectations of sales and how a store pays

Most of the time it is true that we don't sell many books at a book signing. By using the techniques I've listed above like working the room and developing a spiel, I've increased my sales. But still, don't expect to sell hundreds or even dozens of books unless you're famous. Still, hosting in-store Author Events is valuable for your career, a lot of fun, and a great way to get out of your writing office for a day. So I encourage you to do it. Go out and bless the stores that sell our books.

Most of the time I bring the books. If the store carries my books on their shelves, I sell theirs first (because I've already been paid when the store purchased them). This isn't an issue with my new books, but might be if they still have previous books on their shelves. At my most recent event, I brought my new book and we agreed the owner would pull my other books off her shelves and put them on the table. We sold some of my books that had been on her shelves (one for ten years) and sold all but one of my most recent book (which she had already paid me for). After the event she ended up buying four more of those from me to put back on her shelves, plus her usual half dozen of my newest book. See? You don't lose out by helping them sell what is on their shelves. Always keep track of your inventory--what you bring into the store.

Rarely the store will order the books in advance and then you would get only the usual royalties from your publisher, but you're increasing your sales/royalties and gaining more readers. Some stores will not allow you to bring in books if they already carry it.

Stores pay you in different ways, and you should have discussed what you'll be paid and how you'll be paid before your event. Some of them pay me on the spot at the end of the event. Some stores can tell how many sales there were from their electronic cash registers and they will check your number. You will share the sales with the store--usually a percentage. Some pay me 60% of cover price. Some have me figure the profits, meaning subtracting my cost of the book, and then we split the remaining profits 50/50. Some pay me in cash while others write me a check. Some stores have me fill out a form, figuring what I will be paid. The form is then sent to corporate headquarters and I receive a check in four to six weeks.

A few stores take books on consignment. I've grown reluctant to sell on consignment except for special cases such as stores nearby my home. My reason is that I've seen few sales from consignments, which means my books are sitting on a shelf in a store in another state and I never hear from them again. So I no longer have the books in my inventory and I don't have the money either. I've just decided I need to have either the books or the money.


I hope these two posts on in-store author events have been helpful to you. Make yourself a checklist for your event prep as well as what to take with you for the event. Take some snacks and water. While I told you to get out from behind the table, do take time to sit and rest. Take care of yourself. Some stores have me in for a few hours, some for all day. Either way you'll be tired at the end. But it's a good tired.

Have you held author events? Do you have other tips? Or do you have questions? Post them in the comments section. And let us know about your events when you set them up!


Tweetables:

@DianneEButts How to Make Your In-Store Author Event (AKA "Author Book Signing") a Success - Part 2: http://ow.ly/nvq03   Click to Tweet

@DianneEButts How do I make my Author Book Signing success?! http://ow.ly/nvq03 Click to Tweet

@DianneEButts How do stores pay me for my Author Book Signing? http://ow.ly/nvq03 Click to Tweet

How to Set Up an In-Store Author Event (AKA "Author Book Signing") - Part 1

Dianne with store owner, Ginny, at The Lighthouse, La Junta, CO
Featuring my new Christmas book,
Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus, and other books.

Some authors have asked me how to go about setting up an author's book signing in a bookstore. I've set up many of these--both in independently-owned bookstores and in national chains. I've learned a ton through my personal experiences about the how-tos and the what-to-dos and what-NOT-to-dos. So let me share what I've learned with you.

I have so much information to share that I'm going to spend two posts on this topic--this month's and next month's. This month we'll talk about how to set it up. Next month we'll talk about what to do when you get there for and during your book signing.

By the way, I'm terribly conscious that I've been talking mostly to book writers in this blog lately. That simply reflects where my career is right now. But my e-zine (which turned into this blog) started out talking mostly to article writers. (That reflected where my career was then.) My desire is to write for both and make this blog useful for both. The problem is, when I have my head to into writing books (like I do right now since I have book contracts I'm writing to fulfill), I can't think of article-writing topics or what you article-writers might need to know. So if you are an article writer and have a question or topic you'd like me to address, please put it in a comment to this blog and I'll see it. Plus, I've discovered some new writing opportunities so click on the menu tab above to check those out.

Now, let's talk about how an author can set up an "in-store author event" (also known as an "Author Book Signing"). I've stopped calling my events a "book signing" because that term seems not only to not excite anybody anymore, but actually seems to turn people off--both bookstore managers and potential customers. Think about it. A book signing pictures an author sitting behind a table signing books. It's all sedentary. There's no action. Boooorrrring. Make your signing an Event. Practice calling it that and put it on your posters and fliers, and you'll do much better.

1.) How to approach a store manager

First, make a list of the bookstores in your area. You can add to your list by moving outwardly to nearby towns and cities. Or if you're planning a trip, you might want to see if you can hold an author event in distant cities when you're traveling.

I get far better results if I stop in and talk to the store manager in person than if I call on the phone. But for those stores that are not nearby, you can contact them by phone.

If you're working by phone I strongly suggest you check out the store before you call. I once asked a friend if there was a bookstore in her small town. She said there was one, but she gave me a very skeptical look. She told me where it was. The next time I passed through that town, I checked it out. It was in an old house in the middle of the block. I parked in front and climbed the steps to the front door. I could see shelves of books through the front window. When I stepped inside there was no one in the front room, but a musty smell met me. I could hear voices coming from a back room but no one came. Books were stacked in dusty piles everywhere along with old boxes of magazines. It was awful. I would have been embarrassed to hold an author event there, but I wouldn't have known that if I had only called on the phone and had never seen the place before arriving for my event. I turned and left and as far as I know the owner of that store never knew I was there.

So when you stop by a store (or call), what should you do and say? First, you should be dressed for a business meeting, probably office-casual. (No frumpy t-shirts, ragged blue jeans, or ugly shorts or sandals.) Make a good first impression.

When you arrive, tell a store employee you'd like to ask about hosting an author event and ask who you should talk to. Usually it's the store manager. Sometimes there is an event coordinator.

Take a copy of your book(s) with you. Tell manager you're an author and you'd like to talk to her (or him) about hosting an author event in her store. Ask, "Do you have time to talk now or should I schedule a time to come back?" Be flexible, professional, and respectful of her time. Store managers will drop anything to talk to a customer, but you are not a customer--you are a fellow business person and she is on the clock. If she needs to schedule time later to talk to you, do so. If the store is not close to you and it would be hard for you to wait around or come back, ask if you can call her and have that meeting by phone. She has already seen you, sized you up, and has seen you are a professional, so doing the rest of your business by phone is not a problem.

Whether you have the discussion right then or later, here's what to do...

2.) What to expect and what you need

The first thing you need to know is that, from my experience, the store manager will most likely not be happy that you are approaching her about an in-store author event. Most managers I've met with see author signings as an imposition rather than a way to gain more sales or draw in more customers. No doubt this attitude comes from their past experiences with authors: they've done this before and it did nothing positive for their store. I'm out to change that. I hope you're with me.

When you tell her face to face that you'll like to host an author event, you'll be able to judge her attitude toward author signings in her reaction. Do her eyes light up with excitement? Or...not? She may come out and tell you that author book signings don't sell many books or don't draw in many customers. Many times I've heard, "They don't do any good." Don't let that discourage you.

You can acknowledge her concerns and past experiences. Tell her it is your aim to make your presence in her store as much of a blessing to the store as the event will be to you as an author. Tell her you will take care of everything and it won't cost her anything, other than arranging for her cashiers to be able to sell your book(s) through her check-out system. (This won't be a problem. She'll enter your book's bar code info in her system and you're set.) The one thing you need from her is a location near the front of the store where you can greet customers as they come in. Tell her you can even bring your own table if need be.

Talk with her. Work with her. By the time you finish reading this and next month's posts, you'll know what to plan and what to do, so you can speak to her with confidence that you have a plan to make your event successful.* You can talk with her about the details of what you plan--what you'll have on your table, which book(s) you'll feature, what hours you can be there. Make adjustments if she doesn't like an idea or has a better one. See what you can work out. Put on your very best office/professional manners (but don't be gushy and don't over-promise what you can't or don't want to provide). Be respectful. Remember that you are asking to be a guest in her store.

*You can even discuss what "success" would look like. Maybe it's not selling a lot of books. Maybe "success" that day will be for you to make a few more potential readers aware of your book(s) and, through your pre-event publicity and inviting your friends, draw a few new potential customers into her store. And then if you happen to sell a few books too, that's icing on the cake.

I've approached both independently-owned stores and large chains, and I've received permission to hold an event every time I've asked except for once. (And I decided that one turn-down was probably a good thing after all.)

3.) What about those large chain stores like Barnes & Noble, Mardel, and Family Christian?

Yes, it's possible for you to hold a signing in a large chain. I've heard other authors say that the chain bookstores don't let little-known authors hold author events/book signings. That's not my experience. I have held author events in all the chains listed above as well as Borders before they went out of business. How did I get in? Just like I explained above in #1.

I've never gone through the national headquarters of a chain to set up an event. I've learned most stores have leeway for each manager to make their own decisions about what goes on in a store, to a certain extent. I've even heard statements like, "Well, headquarters doesn't like us to, but I do it anyway."

I will admit that my first time in one of these stores a fellow author got me in the door. More about that next...

4.) Strategic Planning

The adage "a crowd draws a crowd" is true for book signings. If you can draw (or create) a crowd at your book table, other people will come to see what's going on. That's a great reason to ask your friends to come to your signing, and a terrific reason to welcome them even if they don't buy a book. However if you have friends stopping by just to chat, guide them to the side of your table and chat there. Often friends stand right in front of the table and stay there. Other prospective customers will not elbow their way past them to get to your book; they'll crane their neck to see what's up, but then will pass on by. You need to keep the way to your book clear unless there is actually a line. Then people will know to get in line.

Another way to create a crowd is to have an event with multiple authors. I've done several events where multiple authors were in attendance. There are pros and cons. There is a time for group signings. And there are times when you do not want to invite your author friends. Let's talk about it:

When to hold a group event:

• When you've all contributed to the same compilation book. I've held author events with contributors to the same book on several occasions. It's fun to meet other authors and customers usually enjoy meeting them too. Plus you're only marketing one book and the same book. The crowd of authors helps draw a crowd of customers.
• Sometimes special occasion make great opportunities for a group signing. If you have a Father's Day book and so does another local author, you might use that occasion to do an event together.
• Other authors have invited me to join them at a store for a signing. As mentioned above, this has helped me get into a store for the first time and I'm very appreciative to the authors who have done this for me. Since I've now met the manager and shown them I am a professional to work with and do a good job at my author events, I feel confident I can go back ask to have a signing of my own. One signing has also led to another event in another store in the same chain. I have also invited authors to join me in a signing. If you plan to add authors to your event, be sure to make sure this is okay with the store manager! (See below.)  

When NOT to hold a group event:

• When I was scheduling an event for one of my own compilation books, I thought it would be great to invite the local contributors to join me. A crowd draws a crowd, right? I was thinking of the extended reach of each of them inviting their friends and family. I was also thinking it would be a good experience for them, since most of them had never done such an event. But when I ask the store manager if this would be okay, she said, "More than three authors at the same time makes it too crazy." I had more local contributors than that, so I decided I couldn't invite them. I did invite them to come to the signing as customers, however. Make sure you ask the store manager before you extend invitations for other authors to join you as part of your event.
• Earlier I mentioned authors with books on similar themes might get together for a group signing. There are times, however, when I simply don't want the competition. I want the customers' attention focused on my book. Do the math. You have a certain number of customers walking in the door on any given day. A certain percentage of them will buy a book. You can split that number between two or more authors, or not. Doesn't it make more sense to set up your own even, and let the other author set up another event at another time? You're reaching twice the customers and marketing a different book to 100% of the customers who come in that day.
• Another time when I may not want the competition is when I'm selling a seasonal book. Last year when my Christmas book launched, I didn't even put my other books on the table. It was Christmas season and I wanted all the attention on my new Christmas book. I did well with sales. And that's another point...
• Too many books equals too much confusion. I call it "choice fatigue." Have you ever stood at the pickle section or the cereal aisle in the grocery store and just stared because there are so many different kinds you can't figure out which to choose? Too many books (and authors) creates too many choices and too much eye-confusion on your table. Take it down a notch and you'll make more sales. (Schedule another event for other books.)
• Finally, another time I do not invite my author friends to join me is when I'm in a store for the first time. Face it, what other authors do reflects on you. When I don't know a store manager well, I want to do an event by myself. I want to establish myself as a professional and build a relationship with that store manager. I've had some challenges working with managers. I have also had some challenges working with other authors. If I'm setting up the event, anything the other authors do (even unintentionally) reflects on me also. I remember one particular occasion when I had a challenging situation with a manager I was working with for the first time and I was so glad I hadn't invited another author to join me because if they had responded even slightly negatively, even with a facial expression, it would have escalated the situation. By myself, I was able to handle the situation to a satisfactory outcome. The bottom line is, I refuse to put myself in a position where my business reputation might be damaged by someone else. (You should too.) 

5.) How to get the word out about your Author Event

Now that you have an event scheduled at a store, you need to get the word out. How? Here are some ideas:

• Ask the store if you can supply some "bag stuffers," which are small fliers the employees put in each customer's bag in the days and weeks previous to your event. Ask how many you should provide. I usually get these to the store two weeks before the event. Check back a week later to see if the store needs more.
• Ask if the manager will make a poster to put in her store or if she'd like you to do that. A simple poster in MS Word can be printed and delivered or mailed or e-mailed if you've already asked if the manager would be willing to print and hang it. Put your book cover on it and the standard who, what, when, and where information. Save it on your computer as a template and next time you'll just need to change the details and you'll have it  done.
• Of course you can hand fliers to your friends.
• Hang fliers in other business also, with their permission.
• Find out if the store has an events calendar on their web site or Facebook page and make sure you'll get posted there.
• Finally, post the event online. I listed five places you can do that in my January 2013 post "5 Ways to Get the Word Out About Your Author Event."

Now that you have your event set up, next time we'll talk about what to do while you're there and how to make it a success.

If you're anxious to get going on setting up your in-store author event (AKA "author book signing) and are impatient for next month's post, don't worry. I recently learned the hard way (the way I usually learn things) that summer is not the best time to hold an author event. The store is slow! Sales, like customers, are few. Better to wait for a busier sales season, like the fall or Christmas season (starts in October) to schedule your event.

Tweetables:

@DianneEButts How to set up an #author's #book signing in a bookstore. http://ow.ly/nvqF5  Click to Tweet

@DianneEButts How to set up an in-store #author event. http://ow.ly/nvqF5 Click to Tweet

@DianneEButts Tips for making your #author event a success! http://ow.ly/nvqF5 Click to Tweet

@DianneEButts Should you invite your #author friends to join your #book signing? http://ow.ly/nvqF5 Click to Tweet

PS: Don't forget to click on the "Writing Opportunities" menu tab above to check out some new opportunities.

In-Store Author Event in La Junta, Colorado

For those of you in the La Junta, Colorado, area, I will be at The Lighthouse on Friday, July 26, with my newest book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Death & Resurrection of Jesus.

This is the sequel to my first in the series, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus.

I'll be at the store today from 10:00 to 5:00. Please stop by for a snack and to say hello!

The Lighthouse is at 215 Colorado Ave.



Register Now for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference May 15 - 18

Learn to write for the Christian Market at the
Colorado Christian Writers Conference

The Colorado Christian Writers Conference starts one week from today! Hooray! I hope you're as excited about it as I am. If you're not yet registered, it's not too late to make plans to attend.

If you've ever wanted to write books for the Christian market, or write Christian-themed books for the general market, or write for Christian magazines, you can learn what you need to know at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Launch your career, or further your career. Or simply fulfill your ministry on the side of your current career. It's all here.

This year there will be eight awesome continuing sessions on topics from how to get published to writing nonfiction books to publishing your e-books.

In addition to all those, there are stand-alone workshops on many other topics, including this sampling:

• The Battle for Your Mind by Rusty Wright
• The Business Side by Larry Lawton
• Building Your Message Into a Ministry by Linda Evans Shepherd
• Integrating Scripture & Life Experience by Les Stobbe
• Author/Editor Collaboration by Dave Lambert & Bill Myers
• Devotional Boos by Rick Marschall
• Secrets of Successful Humor by Rusty Wright
• Writing Articles by Major Allen Satterlee (Salvation Army)
• Trends by Dave Lambert
• Negotiating Book Contract by Les Stobbe
• Working with Bookstores by Eric Grimm
• Ghostwriting by Les Stobbe
• Writing to Reach Unbelievers by Terry Burns
• How to Writer for Christianity Today by Allison Althoff
• Citizen Writers by Rick Marschall
• Heading Home with a Plan by Karen Whiting
• and many, many more...

I will be teaching two earlybird workshops on Wednesday, May 15. My workshops are:

• Beginning Screenwriting
• How to Shape Your Story for the Screen

I'll be sitting on the Teens Write panel Saturday afternoon to talk about screenwriting. Are you, or do you have, a teenager? Be sure to check out Teens Write, a special segment on Saturday especially for young people.

You can network with other writers and authors, and make appointments with editors and publishers. I will also be representing my publisher Pix-N-Pens and Write Integrity Press, looking for manuscripts for this publisher to consider.

The Colorado Christian Writers Conference is still, in my opinion, the best value for your dollar. So sign up now! Register here.

Your lodging includes your meals. Make your room reservation here.

Please share this with your contacts by using the Share buttons below to Tweet, Facebook, and Google+ this. Thank you! Here are some suggested Tweets and Facebook messages:

• Register now for the Colorado Christian Writers Conference: http://colorado.writehisanswer.com/ #CCWC
• Write for the Christian Market now! http://colorado.writehisanswer.com/ #CCWC #writers #Publish

I hope to see you next week at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. If you come, please be sure to look me up and say hi!

CSPA "Book of the Year" Award and Fundraiser Need

Grandparenting Through Obstacles wins "Book of the Year" in Family/ Relationships category at Christian Small Publishers Association

I'm very pleased to announce that Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) has announced the winners of their 2013 Book of the Year awards and Grandparenting Through Obstacles won in the "Family/Relationships" category!

I thank everyone who took the time to go vote for my book. Obviously, this wouldn't have happened without you!

I'd also like to offer my sincere congratulations and thanks to my co-author, Renee Gray-Wilburn, and our publisher, Tracy Ruckman at Pix-N-Pens Publishing for all she has done and all she is continuing to do to make this book successful. I also wish to thank and congratulate the twenty writers who contributed their stories and to Cavin Harper who wrote the foreword in the book.

Opportunity to promote books at ICRS in St. Louis this summer

In a separate but related story, I have an opportunity to attend the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) again this year, this time as an author for Pix-N-Pens Publishing. ICRS is a trade show where Christian book publishers get together with Christian retailers and bookstore owners. Publishers and authors get to share their books with the retailers so they can work together to get their books into the stores.

Two years ago I went to ICRS as my own publishers of Deliver Me. I was able to go through my membership in the Christian Small Publishers Association. I paid my own way, paid to use CSPA's booth to host my book signing, and supplied 75 of my Deliver Me book for free give-away. I can tell you all that was quite expensive.

Now Pix-N-Pens Publishing is doing the same for five of its authors, including me. But PNP is a small publisher and only opened in 2011. It does not have a big budget for taking its authors to ICRS. So, with publisher Tracy's usual inspirational creativity, she came up with an idea to make it happen. Tracy set up a fundraiser over at www.FaithFunder.com to raise the needed money for the entrance into the trade show, to rent the CSPA booth for the author signings, and to supply the required 60 of each book represented.

I will be representing three books:

• Grandparenting Through Obstacles: Overcoming Family Challenges to Reach Your Grandchildren for Christ
• Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus
• and the just-now releasing Prophecies Fulfilled in the Death & Resurrection of Jesus

Please note each of the authors are paying all their own travel expenses (travel, hotel, meals, etc.). This fundraiser is ONLY for the expenses of attending the trade show and holding our book signing alongside the major publishers.

If you can donate...or even if you can't

Even if you don't wish to donate, please stop by the site and watch the video Tracy made. It runs about 4 minutes and it made me laugh out loud. That's me there-- in the very first picture and in the very last.

If you feel so inclined, we would truly appreciate a donation. You can get all the details here: Going to St. Louis to promote my Pix-N-Pens books. There are only a few days left to donate, so please stop by soon.

There are some great incentives.  You can get a digital copy of any of our books for only $5. You can get a print version of any of our books for only $10. (That means if you want one of my books, you can get it at a bargain right now and save the shipping!) You can get a portion of your manuscript or screenplay critiqued, or  have an author visit your Book Club along with a dozen copies of a book for your club members. You can see all the incentives listed down the side of the Faith Funder page.

If you don't wish to donate to this cause, that's fine and I thank you for allowing me to tell you about this new adventure and our need.

So that's all the news for this mid-month update. Thank you so much letting me tell you about this wonderful new "Book of the Year" award from Christian Small Publishers Association, and about the help we need with expenses to take all my books and the books of the other authors to the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis in June. I appreciate each of you, and I pray the best for you right now in your own writing too.

5 Ways to Get the Word Out About Your Author Event

Ready or not, here we are again at the beginning of another year. Amazing, isn't it?! We could talk New Year's resolutions or annual goals, but that's so... so... last year. So why don't we let everyone else talk about that stuff and we'll just ... not. Instead, I hope you're planning some great events this coming year whether it is finally getting that book written or releasing a new one, or maybe writing for a new magazine, more magazines, or simply breaking into publishing for the first time. Once you have something written, you'll soon discover (if you haven't already) writers face a constant problem: getting the word out about our writing.

Let's face it: most of us who write do so with the intention that someone else will read what we write. (If you write just for the pleasure of it, that's fine. But you're not intending to gain readers...or buyers. Professional writers must gain both readers and buyers or we won't stay in business long enough to write the next thing!) As writers, we can write all the projects we want, but if readers don't somehow know they exist, well...they can't read them. Or buy them. Or learn from them. Or enjoy them. Or be helped by them.

Like it or not, writers have to be marketers.

Now before you go off thinking we shouldn't market or promote our writings, let me assure you I've heard a lot over the years I've been in publishing about how we (especially Christians!) shouldn't promote ourselves. That's meadow muffins. Of course we need to promote ourselves, or at least our products. Every business person needs to promote her/his business or products. As stated above, how can anyone benefit from our work if they don't read it? And how can any read it if they don't know where to find it? How can they find it if they don't know where to look? And, most basically, how can they possibly know to look for it if they don't know it exists?

This is a basic mistake beginning writers make: They think they can write a book, stick it on Amazon, and the copies will begin to go out and the money will begin to come in. Uh...nope. There are more than 8,000,000 books on Amazon. Before you make a single sale on Amazon, somebody has to look for your book, find it, and then be willing to take the steps to get it.

The same goes for your book on BarnesandNoble.com, or even in a brick and mortar store. If your book is in a brick and mortar store, someone might happen to see it there on the shelf, pick it up, read the back cover, flip through it, and possibly even buy it. But in the real world you have two chances of that happening: slim and none. Most of the time you're going to have to do some work to let people know your book (or magazine article, blog, or guest post on someone else's blog) exists. Only then will some of them go find it. Then some of those will buy it.

There are lots of ways to let people know about your writings, but let's talk about Author Events this month.
If you follow my other blog at www.DeliverMe.blogspot.com, you already know I did several In-Store Author Events in December with my new Christmas book.

"Author Event" is what I now call what we used to call "book signings." If you tell someone you're having a book signing, in my experience the reaction you'll get is a yawn if you get any reaction at all. Book signings are so last century. Booooring.

An Author Event, on the other hand, gets a bit more attention. And often I'll call mine an "in-store author event." We could talk a lot about how to set one up ad what to do once you get there, but today let's keep it simple and talk about how to get the word out your Author Event that you've got all set up with the manager of a bookstore.

First, list for your event the who (that's you!), what (your event), when (date and times), where (name of the store or other location, address, city, state, zip, web site), why (why should anyone come? What's happening there?), and how (how to get there, how to get more information, etc.). Then let your friends, acquaintances, business associates, and the community know through these 5 ways to get the word out about your author event:

1.  Facebook On your Facebook, create an "Event." Go to your home page and click on "Update Info." Then click on "About." On the screen that comes up you'll seen another "About" drop down menu next to your name. Drop that menu down and you'll see "Events" on the list. Click on that and other events will show. In the upper right corner is a "Create an Event" box. There are other places on Facebook where you'll see "Create an Event" too. Click it and you can then enter the information for your Event. Once it's created you can send notices out and invite your friends. Your Friends can also share your Event.
2. Goodreads   After you've created your Facebook event, you should hop over to Goodreads and create an event there also. If you're not already a member of Goodreads, yes, you need to be. The advantages to being on Goodreads is enough for another month's discussion! When you log onto Goodreads, click the drop down menu called "Explore." At the bottom you'll see "Events." Click that and in the upper right side you'll have the option to "Add an Event." You can invite friends here, too, and Goodreads will send out a reminder before your event.
3. Blog it and of course add the location. After you've written your blog post about the who, what, when, why, and how of your event, add the "where" by finding your event's location on either the store's web site or on Mapquest.com. Grab the "embed" code. Paste that code into the HTML of your blog post. On Blogspot you do that by clicking the HTML box in the upper left next to "Compose." First, put your cursor where you want your map to appear, then click the HTML box and paste in the code right where your cursor was. Click back to "Compose" and your map should appear.
4. Tweet it. Now that you have it on your blog, be sure to Tweet your blog post regularly. I also set up regular Tweets to go out via Hootsuite.com. If you got my tweets in December that said "I'm here at Mardel signing my new book Prophecies Fulfilled in the Birth of Jesus http://delivermebook.blogspot.com/2012/12/in-store-author-event-mardel-in.html " then you can bet I wasn't at my computer (or phone) sending that out. Days earlier I scheduled that Tweet to go out via Hootsuite.com. I set up at least one Tweet to go out every hour I was at the signing...er, um, I mean in-store author event. (You can also schedule posts on Facebook, too.)
5. Newspapers and Radio.  Write one or two sentences with the who, what, when, where, why, and how  of event. Keep it brief. Then search out the web sites of all the newspapers and radio stations in the area of your event. Look for the "contact" page. Some will give e-mail addresses but most will have web forms. Paste your brief notice into an e-mail or their web form and send them the information. You never know when you might get a mention on radio or in newspapers. While you're at it, search for community calendars in your community. I did and got listed on the Colorado Springs' Gazette's events calendar. You can see my brief two sentences there and model yours after them. When you e-mail, always give your contact information so they can get in touch if they'd like more information or wish to interview you in print or on radio. Don't give your contact info on web forms or it might end up on the internet.

You've put a lot of work into your writing, but your work is not done. In order for your writing to accomplish the purpose for which you created it, for it to help the readers you wrote it for, they have to know it exists. So put a little effort into setting up some author events and then get the word out about where you'll be and when people can meet you. It's great fun. It gets you in touch with your readers. And you may even sell a few books.

What are some other ways you've gotten the word out about your Writer's or Author's Events?

What questions do you have about setting up or hosting an Author Event?