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A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: About Bookstore Book Signings

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  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's post shares experiences with bookstore book launch book signings. Everyone expects authors to do them. Should they? Why do them? Authors love book signings, and they should. They make a book launch feel real and set the scene for a celebration for friends and fans.  Bookstores also love book signings, and they should. They provide entertainment for customers and bring new customers into the store. What really happens and why are many authors disappointed? Some realism will help stave off what is typically disappointment after book signing events. Bookstores will generally order 25 books, of which fewer than ten typical...

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: How Successful Self-Publishing Authors and Authors of Small Presses Market Their Books

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  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  Today's topic is a never-ending one: how to market books, especially if you are a small press or a self-publishing author. The simple answer to that question is any way and every way you can, in small numbers and in larger quantities, over and over (keeping in mind the magic number of 22 ). Here are some ideas that have worked for MSI Press authors. Larry MacDonald, author of RV Oopsies , sells books nearly every day. He has a niche (travel humor), and nearly every day, his book turns up in the top 100 list of books of travel humor. What is he doing right? He built a following with his "dumb things RVers do" annual competition ...