by Jay Hartman
I had the opportunity to attend the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books the weekend of April 26–27, and it was as amazing as when I attended last year. There’s nothing quite like a giant get-together of book lovers. Even pouring rain the first day didn’t deter avid readers from coming out to meet authors, buy books, and soak up literary atmosphere while their shoes and socks soaked up the downpour.
The mood in the Writers & Publishers Network tent was positive. Many of the authors saw success in both sales and meeting new readers. Much like last year, I saw both positive actions by the authors and areas of improvement. Here are my top takeaways from this year that authors should keep in mind for future events.
- Let readers know the author is there to meet them. Some signage had “Meet the Author Today!” which is great for attracting passers-by to stop and ask questions, which often resulted in sales. If you’re missing this information or a photo of the author, your sign only promotes the book and doesn’t let readers know there’s something special happening.
- Do get out from behind your table. As was the case last year, authors who spent all their time behind their tables and waited for readers to come to them sold far fewer copies than those who made a point of mixing with the crowds to lead them to the books.
- Do make a sample of your book to pass out. I was surprised nobody thought to do this. It’s not necessarily easy or possible to do this with illustrated or coffee table books, but authors should make a sample to hand out to people who don’t buy the book on the spot. A bookmark with a QR code or a short description doesn’t have the impact of a chapter or two, given for future reference. These aren’t expensive to produce, more effective than a postcard or bookmark, and easier to carry than a bag of books.
- Don’t bring too many titles. This may seem counterproductive, but unless you’re a publisher whose table is divided by genres, to show up with every single title you’ve ever published causes buyer paralysis. When a customer is faced with too many choices, they will buy nothing at all. Focus on your most recent release and perhaps one title from your backlist. If you’re showing the latest book in the series, be sure to have the first in the series available. It is unlikely a customer will pick up every title. They’ll be likely to pick up the first in a series and maybe the latest because it’s in front of them. They’ll read the first, realize they have the newest book, and then head to their favorite bookstore for the titles that fall in between.
- Do offer a show special to encourage same-day purchase. You’ve managed to get the audience in, but how do you convince them to hand over their hard-earned money? You do this by creating a sense of urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out) by offering a discount or special promotion for people who purchase on the spot rather than later. Offer a discount off the list price or throw in a short story freebie, printed or via a QR code to a page on your website, hidden from the public.
Other suggestions hold true—collect email addresses, offer discounts, encourage people to take selfies with you, post them on social media with hashtags, etc.
Learning new tools to apply during live events will help you become a winner in The Publishing Game.
Be part of the discussion! Send your questions to jhartman@mistimedia.com with TPG in your subject line.
