by Patricia Bradley, @PTBradley1
With book signings becoming more of a “thing” again after the virus-that-shall-not-be-named, I thought I’d pass along what I learned over the years when I do book signings.
- Wear something comfortable, especially shoes if you plan to walk around the store greeting people. I never wear heels—and unless you can wear those things all day and not hurt your feet, opt for comfortable shoes. After all, you don’t want to look like Chester from Gunsmoke.
- Make sure your chair is the right height. I tried a stool first and had to bend over to sign books. Then I tried a chair that was too low and discovered how little kids feel when they are in a grownup chair trying to reach the table. Once, I ended up putting the books in my lap to sign.
- Make eye contact with the customers. And be prepared for some people to look the other way…Did you know there are some customers who never turn their head as they walk by, totally absorbed by a stand of dictionaries to their left?
- And don’t feel bad when customers go way out of their way to the coffee shop by circling behind you even though walking in front of you is a shorter and more direct path.
- Pray for a downpour that lasts at least an hour. Pretty soon, customers get bored and decide to go talk to the author. Some even buy books.
- Always smile. And be sure to tell passing customers you are the author. You would not believe the people who, when you say you are the author, will stop in their tracks and actually look at you and say, “You wrote those?” while pointing to your stack of books. Most of the time, those customers will buy your book.
- This is a great opportunity to network with readers. Walk around, introduce yourself, ask what type of books the person reads, and hand out bookmarks. Most readers are thrilled to meet an author.
- Take tea cakes. Especially take tea cakes. Older readers remember tea cakes from their childhood and younger ones get to try something new. Be sure to check out the recipe below.
And those are my tips for book signings.
Now I’d like to hear from you. When you go to a bookstore and an author is signing books, do you stop and talk?
And authors, do you have any additional tips?
Old Fashioned Tea Cakes
Tea Cakes
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, softened
¼ cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups self-rising flour
I always add a dash of nutmeg. Cinnamon can also be added.
Combine sugar, butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour gradually. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Press out, using a piece of wax paper sprayed with cooking spray and a glass. Bake at 375° until browned.
Icing
(For a book signing, I usually leave the icing off)
Vanilla:
1 box Confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Mix well and add heavy cream (I often used Pet Milk) one tablespoon at a time until smooth and spreading consistency.
Lemon:
1 box Confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
1/3 cup lemon juice, more if needed to thin
Mix well and beat until spreading consistency.
No sooner has Alexis Stone been sworn in as the interim sheriff for Russell County, Tennessee, when a serial killer dubbed the Queen’s Gambit Killer strikes again–this time in her hometown. Pearl Springs is just supposed to be a temporary stop along the way to Alex’s real dream: becoming the first female police chief of Chattanooga. But the killer’s calling card–a white pawn and a note with a chess move printed on it–cannot be ignored.
Pearl Springs chief of police Nathan Landry can’t believe that his high school sweetheart Alexis (he refuses to call her Alex) is back in town, and he can’t help wanting to protect the woman he never stopped loving. But as the danger mounts and the killer closes in, can Nathan come through on the promises he makes to himself to bring a killer to justice before it’s too late.
Patricia Bradley is the author of fifteen Inspirational Romantic Suspense books set in the South. She is the winner of a Selah award, and an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. She’s been the keynote speaker at several conferences where she also teaches workshops on writing fiction.
She and her two rescue kitties call Corinth, Mississippi home, and when she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel to see what comes out.