Skip to main content

5 Tips for a Successful Book Reading/Signing


On Thursday, May 10, 2018,I did a reading and book signing of my romantic suspense novel, Gotta Let It Go at the Enoch Pratt Free Library (Waverly Branch) as part of the Meet the Author Writers Live Series. I was super excited and couldn’t wait to introduce my characters to the audience.
In preparing for this event which was secured by my publicist, Cherrie Woods (www.eclecticpr.com), I kept the following 5 tips in mind for a successful book reading/signing.

1.      Advertise the Event. Once the date was secured with the library and flyers were finalized, I started my advertising campaign. I shared the flyer via my social media network on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and via my e-newsletter to my readers.  I even boosted the Facebook post along with the event details. Within two days and even on the day of the event, I continued to advertise the event to garner more interest and thanking those who indicated they would attend.

This is so important because you want your event to be successful. So, it’s great when your friends and others show up to support you.  

2.      Practice. Practice. Practice. After selecting the excerpts (I selected 3 short excerpts but this depends on the time allotted) I was going to read, I started to practice. Yes, practice. Anyone can read the book but as a writer you have to engage your audience by selecting portions of the book that will appeal to your audience.

If you are afraid of public speaking, practice reading aloud in a voice recorder or in front of family and friends. I’m pretty comfortable with public speaking but I still practiced reading in front of a mirror.

3.      Show up. If you are committed to the event you must show up. Even if you have an audience of one or many you must perform and give your best reading. Have fun when you do and be your authentic self. My audience consisted of friends from the Black Writers' Guild (Denise Cuffie, Gilbert Richards,  and Odessa Rose), poets/book lovers (Brenda Bunting and Diane Wilbon Parks), and some new readers including folks from the library. 

4.      Be flexible and prepare for anything. I was packed and allowed myself enough time but things still went a little awry. For starters, it was a raining, traffic was a mess and my GPS decided to go haywire on me. I had to pull over at least twice, reboot my phone, call the PR assistant (who was awesome) to guide me in. When I finally parked and got settled in, the library manager informed me that the location may not be a safe place to park. At that precise moment, I saw a police officer approaching my car and I had to run out and talk myself out of a ticket – whew! That was really close. The bottom line is that you simply have to be flexible and make adjustments because the show must go on. 

5.      Get Photos/Video Clips. Your live book reading should be available for anyone to see. So take lots of photos and videos to share to prove the event did happen.

Overall, I had a great time. I sold some books, made a few new friends and garnered some new 
readers.

Here are some photos and links you can check out from the event. Enjoy!









Comments

  1. Deliah LawrenceMay 30, 2019 at 7:04 PM

    Hello Renuka! Thanks for stopping by and reading this blog post. It's appreciated.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interview with Jacqueline Seewald, Author of THE INHERITANCE

Author’s Bio: Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Sixteen of her books of fiction have previously been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies. What inspired you to write your book? I enjoy writing romantic mystery fiction. The idea for this particular novel just seemed to evolve organically from my imagination. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult? I would have to say reading the Bible was influential. As far as regular books go, I’m a big fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Is this your first book? How long did it take to start and...
20 comments
Read more

It’s A Book Thing Presents: An Interview with Debbie Stokes, author of The Stranger He Knew

Author’s Bio: Debbie Stokes was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She has always had a desire to be a published author of a fiction novel, but fear stopped her. She often shares how her story ideas come to her in her dreams, and how she jumps up to write them down. Finally, one day, she pushed past her fear and allowed her vision to come to past. She is now a published author, and The Stranger He Knew is her first book.  Debbie is a former CEO, blogger, and interviewer for her previous women's empowerment blog called, 3 Women Voices, where she shared empowering stories of how people overcame odds to live their best lives. She is also a former contributing writer for FEMI Magazine, a cultural lifestyle magazine, where she interviewed and shared people’s stories.  When not writing, she enjoys singing, dancing, inspiring others, and spending time with family.  Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you to write your book? Debbie Stokes: That is a funny story. One d...
10 comments
Read more

National Poetry Month’s Feature: Poet Jahi Trotter

Poet’s Bio: Jahi Minkah Trotter was born in Atlanta, GA, and moved to Alabama when he was six years old. He has been writing poetry since he was 11 years old. He has written two poetry books: It Was Already Written (2016) and Adapting To Life: Poems and Quotes by Jahi Minkah Trotter (2020). He developed a love for filmmaking while receiving his bachelor's degree in social science. Jahi decided to continue his quest for filmmaking at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, GA.   During his final two years at SCAD, Jahi was encouraged by his professors to go into acting while continuing to work behind the camera as well. This was a crucial time for Jahi. He lost his father in 2019 a month before taking an elective acting class that lead him into acting. He lost his mother in 2021 and continues to act and create films, including his thesis film "The Last Job," in which he acted and starred in. Jahi graduated with a master's degree in film and television from S...
2 comments
Read more