Book Signing

First Book Signing

Yesterday afternoon I did my first book signing. As you probably already know if you read my blog I was, to say the least, very nervous.

It was OK.

I didn’t cry, I didn’t offend anyone – I think – and I remembered how to spell my name!  So what did I learn.

1. It was not as scary as I expected
2. Cards for people to write their names on helps, There are some very unusual spellings out there.
3. Cakes are necessary and welcome
4. Don’t rely on the bookshop for the publicity, check in advance & do some private marketing yourself
5. Ask/ force/ bribe friends to come. a crowd always draws a bigger crowd

So now I know what to do, what’s my next move? contact lots more bookshops I guess. No one said how difficult it would be to publicise a book. I thought the difficult part was meant to be writing it. No, wait, that’s wrong. It was getting the book published that was meant to be the difficult part, or maybe getting it stocked in bookshops, or maybe …. OK I know, I shouldn’t complain, I’m really lucky to be able to write and I’m even luckier to have a book in the bookshops, but the whole publicity thing has been a bit of a shock. Yeh, yeh, I should have read the contract more carefully, but be honest, who reads to the very end of a contract. Especially if getting the contract is so exciting.

So how will I spend this afternoon? It has to be either plotting out my next book, or emailing every bookshop I that might want to stock my book? I’ll leave you to guess what I actually do.

Sorry must go, I think I can hear the coffee ……