*** Special Feature - March 2020 ***
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| Check out the Book on Amazon |
Sunny Florida, beautiful beaches, no traffic on A1A... Zombies roaming the dunes in search of the living... Darlene Bobich in a fight to survive, find food, safety and ammo for her Desert Eagle before its too late...
Dying Days are upon us... The Undead Roam the Earth... Searching for the Living... To Eat... To Feast... To Rip Apart... Extreme Violence... Extreme Sexual Situations... Extreme Undead...
Continuing the Darlene Bobich story begun in "Darlene Bobich: Zombie Killer..". And soon to be an independent film!
The Importance of Book Signings
There are two trains of thought about book signings.
If you’re in the negative, you’ll see them as a money-suck. A waste of your day and money. Something you don’t really need as an author. With the cost of the table alone you’ll need to sell x number of books just to break even… and how often does that happen?
If it’s for a convention out of town, you’ll need to factor in the hotel room cost, the food you need to survive (and plenty of coffee, obviously) as well as gas for your car or a plane ticket to successfully fly to the show.
Not to mention having to order books to sell and the shipping costs as well.
Last year, my wife and I spent over five thousand dollars on conventions. $5,000. Five large. Did I recoup that money in book sales? Nope.
Then why do it?
Ahh… the positive stuff.
If you’re looking to make a quick buck, writing and publishing is not for you. You’re better off with scratch-off tickets or trying to win a certain fast food restaurant’s instant win game (which, it turns out, had been rigged for a few years) or getting an actual nine-to-five job and staying home.
I always look at every book signing and convention with my long-term set of eyes.
While I might break even if it’s a busy event and there are actual readers in the room who are interested in grabbing a book or three, I am also cognizant of how many bookmarks I’m handing out to people, how many are asking questions or commenting about my covers, and how many people are paying attention to my table.
I’ve had quite a few book signings over the years where I’ve sold two or three actual books, but gave out dozens of bookmarks and business cards. The result is sometimes felt long-term, when someone will go home feeling no pressure to make a decision at that moment our eyes meet, and buy a book. Maybe they’re only readers of eBooks now, or audiobook listeners.
The point is: never act pushy to a potential reader. Be cordial. Answer their questions. Humor them when they talk about their epic book they’ll someday write. Put your contact information in their hand and just be yourself.
You never know if you’ll see them again at a future signing, and they’ll remember how much fun you were and about your book. I’ve had a couple of people over the years that have talked to me at three or four events before taking a shot and buying a book. They always come back for the next one, too.
Book signings are important because it gets you out there in front of a crowd that otherwise might not know who you are. It is also a great way to get onto social media. Take a picture of you behind your table, smiling and ready to unload some books. People at home will wish they were there to meet you, and I’ve had a few readers tell me they started to follow me more closely when they saw I did actual book signings.
As writers we tend to forget the writing of the book is only the first part, maybe the smallest and easiest part, if you’re looking at this as a career and long-term.
I’ll see you at a book signing! Here… take a bookmark. Yes, I’m on Amazon. Yes, this series is on audio. Yes, I’d love to hear about your epic fantasy series.
If you’re in the negative, you’ll see them as a money-suck. A waste of your day and money. Something you don’t really need as an author. With the cost of the table alone you’ll need to sell x number of books just to break even… and how often does that happen?
If it’s for a convention out of town, you’ll need to factor in the hotel room cost, the food you need to survive (and plenty of coffee, obviously) as well as gas for your car or a plane ticket to successfully fly to the show.
Not to mention having to order books to sell and the shipping costs as well.
Last year, my wife and I spent over five thousand dollars on conventions. $5,000. Five large. Did I recoup that money in book sales? Nope.
Then why do it?
Ahh… the positive stuff.
If you’re looking to make a quick buck, writing and publishing is not for you. You’re better off with scratch-off tickets or trying to win a certain fast food restaurant’s instant win game (which, it turns out, had been rigged for a few years) or getting an actual nine-to-five job and staying home.
I always look at every book signing and convention with my long-term set of eyes.
While I might break even if it’s a busy event and there are actual readers in the room who are interested in grabbing a book or three, I am also cognizant of how many bookmarks I’m handing out to people, how many are asking questions or commenting about my covers, and how many people are paying attention to my table.
I’ve had quite a few book signings over the years where I’ve sold two or three actual books, but gave out dozens of bookmarks and business cards. The result is sometimes felt long-term, when someone will go home feeling no pressure to make a decision at that moment our eyes meet, and buy a book. Maybe they’re only readers of eBooks now, or audiobook listeners.
The point is: never act pushy to a potential reader. Be cordial. Answer their questions. Humor them when they talk about their epic book they’ll someday write. Put your contact information in their hand and just be yourself.
You never know if you’ll see them again at a future signing, and they’ll remember how much fun you were and about your book. I’ve had a couple of people over the years that have talked to me at three or four events before taking a shot and buying a book. They always come back for the next one, too.
Book signings are important because it gets you out there in front of a crowd that otherwise might not know who you are. It is also a great way to get onto social media. Take a picture of you behind your table, smiling and ready to unload some books. People at home will wish they were there to meet you, and I’ve had a few readers tell me they started to follow me more closely when they saw I did actual book signings.
As writers we tend to forget the writing of the book is only the first part, maybe the smallest and easiest part, if you’re looking at this as a career and long-term.
I’ll see you at a book signing! Here… take a bookmark. Yes, I’m on Amazon. Yes, this series is on audio. Yes, I’d love to hear about your epic fantasy series.
About the Author:
Armand Rosamilia writes about zombies but he also writes about crime fiction, contemporary fiction, supernatural thrillers and nonfiction. He hopes readers love his Voice.
He can be reached all over social media, wherever the cool kids are hanging. He’ll be lingering near the back.
https://armandrosamilia.com
https://armandrosamilia.com
Giveaway:
1 Signed copy of Chelsea Avenue 3
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