In this instructional video, Julie Broad, founder of Book Launchers, walks nonfiction authors through five essential strategies to maximize the impact of a live book signing. She begins by congratulating authors on completing their book and booking events, then outlines each pro move: (1) create a clean, branded table using a custom tablecloth, tabletop bookshelves, and branded giveaways; (2) add a vertical display or banner to make the table visible from a distance, with design resources from Vistaprint and 99designs; (3) capture leads with both analog (clipboard, sign‑up sheet) and digital (QR code) methods, offering incentives like audiobooks or checklists; (4) practice a concise 30‑second pitch and use ice‑breaker games to engage passersby; and (5) turn a single event into a pipeline of future opportunities by networking with other authors, organizers, and seeking smaller follow‑up events. Throughout, Julie emphasizes professionalism, relationship‑building, and the long‑term value of investing in branding materials, positioning the signing as a platform for building an author empire rather than just a sales transaction.
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Hey author, you're about to do your first book signing. Well, guess what? There's quite a few things to think about, and there's 5 things professional authors do to make the most of every book signing opportunity. So if you wanna know how to set yourself up for success at your first live event book signing, well, this video is for you. Hi, I'm Julie the Book Broad, founder of Book Launchers and your host here at BookLaunchers.tv. Book Launchers is your first choice for all things related to writing, publishing, and promoting nonfiction books. I mean, first, congrats, your book is done and you have booked a few signings for your book. Whether your first signing is at a bookstore, a library, a local business, or a bigger event like Author Nation's big, big book signing event, you probably are thinking, oh my gosh, this is exciting. And then, oh my gosh, what do I do? What do I bring? How do I look like a pro? Well, at a book signing, most of the time people are walking on by scanning really quickly, like in seconds, to decide whether or not they're gonna stop. And if you do a really large event where there's lots of authors, well, a lot of people are just strolling on by. So you want a table that grabs the right people's attention, and then you need to be ready with what you'll say when they do come by. So let's keep it easy and cover 5 pro moves that you can use. So number 1, a clean branded table, not just a pile of books on a table. Now the one thing to know is that you can almost always expect you're just gonna get a plain brown table when you do these events. Like the wood, the raw wood. So at the very least, plan to bring tablecloths. But I do recommend you invest in creating a branded one, 'cause it creates more of a visual experience. So a clean tablecloth, fitted but branded, and then plan your table. There's some great tabletop bookshelves that you can buy that can make all the difference, or even just some simple bookstands like what I've got here. I'll tag a few for your shopping pleasure on this video. My favorite way to get a simple branded tablecloth is to go to Vistaprint, they have sales all the time, by the way, and just choose a 10x10 tablecloth design, and then take those specs over to 99designs, which is owned by Vistaprint. Get a tablecloth and a vertical banner designed. Now, what to ask for? Well, your table should feel like your book, which should have been designed to appeal to your reader. So tie it all in together. And then you may even wanna think about getting a bookmark, a quote card, or some other sort of giveaway designed. But ultimately, you want to give people a reason visually to stop, Then you want to have something on hand to engage with you and so they remember you. Now, I'll put this as number 2, but it's tied to number 1. We recommend you get a vertical display that also will grab the attention, 'cause the tablecloth helps, but you need something else, 'cause it kinda makes it 3D. I have this picture from Author Nation. See Efren's banner behind my table. You can have bookstands, vertical tables, sometimes small easels. All these things just help your book be more visible from a distance so that people can identify it. And if you have a great cover, is gonna go a long way. 'Cause think of your table like a storefront window that attracts people. If they can't see it, they won't stop. So again, I love Vistaprint. They have lots of sales, they print fast, they ship fast, it's good quality. But finding a banner you like, and then take those specs over to 99designs. It is a great approach to getting everything you need designed for your live events. And by the way, I do have a $30 off coupon that you can use over at 99designs. So— So you can go to booklaunchers.com/99designs to get the $30 off. What I typically do is create a contest, but you can also go and choose a designer and hire them directly. They can create your banners, tablecloth designs, quote cards, bookmarks, postcards, whatever it is that you want, and you can then order it easily from Vistaprint. It's the same login for 99designs and Vistaprint. Do this once and then just use them over and over again at all the events that you do. You might be investing $500 on this, maybe $600, but the investment is something you should be able to use for all the years that you're promoting this book. When you meet people at events, you will look like a pro, and when you do, that can uncover speaking opportunities, media opportunities, podcast interviews, authors to do cross-promotions with, and more. Remember, it's never just about selling books. You're building an empire, and you do that with relationships and opportunities, and it's a lot easier to do all of that when you look like a pro. All right, number 3, have a way to capture leads, not just sell books. And in fact, I'm not even gonna talk about the financial systems and like those pieces of selling a book, we can chat about it in the comments below or over on our free community at booklaunchers.com/school. But when you're building an empire, you want to be building a platform. So we're not just focused on selling books, that's great. We wanna build relationships. We should have a clipboard or some sort of a signup sheet with an email, name, what they're signing up for, or a QR code or both. My preference, by the way, is to have both, because the thing with QR codes is a lot of people scan it while they're talking to you, and then they walk away before they're done, and you don't actually end up with as many people signed up as you do with pen and paper. So good old analog still wins. But you can offer a lot of things in exchange for an email address to incentivize them to actually give you your email address. I offer my audiobook a lot, but if you're trying to sell books, you might not want to offer a free version of your book at the same time. But offering a free version of your book will ultimately lower the number of books you're selling. You could offer a free audio version to anybody who purchases the print version as a bonus incentive for purchasing the print version there. But ultimately having some sort of a giveaway and even a physical giveaway in exchange for emails could work really well. So a checklist, a bookmark, it's something to keep you in mind and also something of value. 'Cause not everybody buys on the spot. Some don't wanna carry any more in their luggage. Some are filled up on books, but many will buy later or even just purchase something else from you if you stay connected. So make sure you're getting their email. Number 4, practice your pitch. People are walking by. This is not the time to be shy. Be ready to engage. Even have a few kind of wacky questions to engage people. If you can be on theme with your book, even better. For me, I might be like, "Hey, do you like boring books?" And some would go, "No." Me either. That's why I wrote a book on not writing a boring book. You know, have fun with it. But know that people will come up to you and feel just as awkward as you do, so be ready to be the one be the one to break the ice. Have a little fun game at your table, like a spin the wheel or something else that you can use to ease someone in. And then when somebody's asking about your book, know your pitch, be able to nail it in 30 seconds or less. What is the hook of your book and who is it for? Practice, practice, practice. So you are nailing this when you meet people live. And this is the big one, number 5, turn one event into more. While you're at an event, Start thinking about and working on the next thing. Talk to other authors to see what other events they are doing. Where are they speaking? Where are they selling books? What can you do that they're doing? Can you be where they're being? Talk to the organizers and see about smaller events that they do, especially if there's a big event. People who run big events generally also have smaller events. Or ask if they can introduce you to other people doing similar type events. If you've been a gracious and good to work with author, you'll turn one event into others and find more opportunities to showcase your work and meet people. It should never be one and done. Wanna brainstorm what to do and what else you need, like payment systems, how to sell audiobooks at a live event? Well, let's chat about it in the comments below, or like I said, come on over to our free community on Skool and we'll chat about it at our Author Lab. You don't get read first, you get judged first, and your table is going to tell the people walking by whether you're worth my time or I should keep walking. If you've got an event coming up, ask yourself, if somebody walks by my table, do they stop Or do they keep walking? That answer will tell you everything you need to do, because your book might open the door, but how you show up is what gets people to walk through it and creates the real opportunities that are gonna build your author empire. See you on the next video. [FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
