The Rules of Book Signings and Survival

Ask for my autograph, please!

Malice Domestic XX

Prior to the launch of the anthology, MURDER NEW YORK STYLE, I did not know there were rules about autographing a book. My first experience was enlightening. Full of advice. But I’m not certain the rules I learned are universal. This is what I was told:

1. Except in an anthology, your autograph belongs on the title page. (This is of key import should you get so excited that you forget how to spell your own name. It also helps you remember which pen name belongs on which book.)

2. The industry standard tool for plopping your John Hancock on the page is a fat Sharpie, fine point. (That’s at least true in New York City. My brother-in-law handed me an official signing Sharpie at the anthology’s launch. It’s a prized possession, but it took some practice to handle.)

3. If you don’t want someone else perfecting your legal signature, your autograph should differ from your standard check-signing style. (I omitted my middle name and gave some of my consonants an extra flourish. It’s a chance to embellish your style subliminally.)

4. Successful book signings are addictive, but they can also be dreadful. You must go into them with a winning game plan. That’s when I turned to J. A. Konrath for help.

I met J. A. Konrath at the Backspace Conference in NYC a couple years ago. Konrath authors the Jack Daniels mystery series. He’s a hard boiled writer devoted to helping new authors get their stories straight, get them published, and get them sold. His website http://www.jakonrath.com holds volumes of great TIPS for beginners. His advice is thorough and practical and FREE for the taking. I’m mining his files now, looking for ways to help keep MURDER NEW YORK STYLE's sales healthy. J.A. Konrath makes the whole shebang seem both possible and reasonable. Did I mention fool-proof?

In one TIP on his website, Konrath’s “How to Make a Disastrous Book-Signing Event a Success” is followed by his “Six Keys to a Successful Bookstore Pitch” and finishes off with a checklist for your “Signing Survival Kit.” That’s typical of his advice to new authors: thorough, impressive, and valuable. If you're looking for advice, he's got it ready and waiting.

Closer to home and not to be missed: Terrie Farley Moran and Lina Zeldovich added some extra magic to their book signing event (including a showcase of belly dancing moves), as mentioned in Terrie’s earlier blog, “A Day in the Life of a Writer.” A little work ahead of time turned their book promo into an inexpensive and delightful party. New books and festivities belong together.

Changing a passive book signing into an engaging, interactive event makes sense. It's great to find the paths that others - like J.A. Konrath, Terrie Farley Moran and Lina Zeldovich - have left for you. Hope you'll share your tips, too!