How to Succeed with a Bookstore Event as an Author

Selling your book in a bookstore makes you feel legitimate as an author. A bookstore event can be a great way to make that happen. Plus, seeing your book on the shelf is just one of those moments you can’t describe. And doing an author signing at a bookstore, if you’ve never done one, feels like something you should do as an author. Once you’ve done it, you may change your mind – they aren’t my favorite thing but the first one I did was exciting. And, for some authors, they are a great experience: they sell books and enjoy the connection to the book community.

So if you want to know how to succeed with a bookstore event as an author – well, this guide is for you!

Book Launchers is a full-service self-publishing company helping you write a book that is bookstore-worthy, and surrounding you with a team of marketing experts that will help you land bookstore events, speaking engagements, major media and so much more. That all starts with producing a top quality book that you can use to succeed with a bookstore event as an author!

Now, first, here’s my bias and my own experience.

Bookstore Signings Can Be So Boring

Gillian Goerzen’s Book in Chapters Indigo Bookstore

Yes, I said it. Now, our authors who enjoy it do them in their own community, get friends and family out, and make a party of it. But when I did a book tour and visited stores across Canada, I found myself helping people find the bathroom, Starbucks, and cookbooks. I sold a couple of books, but mostly they were people who heard me on a local radio station or who read my newsletter and wanted to meet me for a signed copy. Most people just bought the book online and were happy. I didn’t get many NEW sales from being there in the store. And it was humbling to have people not even want to talk with you. ISome people would walk with and say, “Are you famous or something?”

I’m also an introvert and would prefer to be at home! I did them because it got my book into the stores. And still, to this day, my book “More than Cashflow” is sold in some Canadian bookstores thanks to the work I did 10-plus years ago.

Planning Your Bookstore Event

If you’re with a publisher, you probably HAVE to do some bookstores as part of your publicity tour. And if you’re self-publishing and WANT to do them, here are some tips for success.

Many bookstores, especially the bigger ones that do a lot of events, book their events out six months in advance. So planning is important.

Focus on the bookstores that are a good fit for your book. Look at bookstores in LA, for example, where some do incredible events with authors. The audience and the type of events they do at The Last Bookstore vs. Skylight Books can be very different.

Make sure you’re booking an event at the right store for what you are going to talk about. How do you know? Look at their website and see what they are promoting. If you can, go to one or two of their events and see what is working and what authors are doing at that particular store.

Planning for these events WELL in advance of when you want to do them is crucial to knowing how to succeed with a bookstore event as an author.

Reaching Out to Bookstores

When you are visiting or calling a bookstore to discuss a potential event, do this when they aren’t busy. Don’t try to talk to the person in charge of events in the middle of an event.

Go on a Wednesday morning, or call on a Wednesday morning.

Be sure you’re ready for the outreach. Make sure your website is ready for the world to see it. Check out this video on author websites to make sure you’ve got one that is ready for outreach:

And make sure your social media is professional and you have a good sales sheet that DOES NOT REFERENCE AMAZON. DO NOT send the bookstore to Amazon to look at your book. If you want to gain the bookseller’s support, include links to Bookshop or independent bookstores, or at the very least use a universal book link on your website for your book so you can look very bookstore friendly. If you reach out to one store and they turn you down – thank them! They are saving you time and energy. It just means you and your book weren’t the right fit to create success for either of you at their store. It’s a good thing when they turn you down. Keep looking for a store that is the right fit. Knowing how to succeed with a bookstore event as an author means finding the perfect match.

Promoting Your Bookstore Event for Success

For the bookstore to agree to hosting your event, you will need a marketing plan. Then, you’ll need to execute on that plan so that you have people coming in for your event.

Are you going to have a local PR push? If you are, you should be able to prove to the store that you’ve already done media. Do you have friends or supportive family members in the city of your event? Are you part of an organization or alumni association that might be willing to promote this? Are you an alum of a nearby school? You might even be able to secure a sponsor for the event. Does your book have a tie-in to a local organization or store? They might put their logo on your posters in exchange for a shout-out on their socials or in their community communications.

Also, it helps to have strong reviews from organizations that the bookstore will deem credible. Not your aunt, but editorial reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Reedsy Discovery, Library Journal, and so on.

Are you familiar with editorial reviews? If not, this is a great video to watch so you know what they are and where to get them:

During the Bookstore Event

1. Bring Your Own Support: Your bookstore host is not there for your needs. If you see an opportunity to make the event more successful for you and them, discuss it with them. But if you need tape, pictures, or someone to man your table while you go to the bathroom, bring some help with you. That is not their job! They are working at the store, not working for you.
2. Capture the Moment: Get photos taken and post them on social media. Even if you don’t have a super successful event, the pictures are gold to the store and can be high-value content for your social media. So get a friend to come by and take a bunch. You only need one person talking to you at the table while you sign a book to have a great photo op!
3. Engage the Audience: Do you do a reading? Probably not. If you can draw a crowd like Linda Magoon does for her readings, read if you’re going to be good at it! But generally speaking, most bookstores will have people trickling in and out and not necessarily coming for a reading or a talk. Again, know your store before you pitch to them. You may prefer a Q&A session (plant the questions with friends in advance to get the conversation started) and be ready to shine, entertain, and engage the audience.
4. Measure Success – But Not Just with Book Sales: Don’t measure the event by sales. You’ll go home in tears if you do that. If you sell 15 books at a bookstore event, you’ve crushed it! If the bookstore brought in books for you, either buy most of them or do a promotional push to your newsletter to get the signed copies off their shelves. Leaving a bookstore with a bunch of stock begs for returns.

But for measurement, remember the big picture of WHY you wanted to do this event. You already knew it wasn’t going to sell hundreds of books. Was it for the bookshelf space, the publicity push, or just to celebrate the fact that you FREAKING DID IT and you’re an author? High five – do celebrate!

Now here are some essential articles to help you with your book marketing to ensure you have a successful bookstore event:

• 8 Things to Skyrocket Your Book Marketing Post Launch
• Content Marketing for Authors
• How to Successfully Land a Book Signing Event