The older I get, the more I’m convinced we all have a kind of radio receiver built into our brains, tuned to the same virtual station. No, this isn’t a paranoid Deep State or UFO conspiracy theory requiring tinfoil hats. It’s a metaphor. The “station” we’re all tuned-in to has the callsign WII-FM—“What’s In It For Me”—and it summarizes how we tend to evaluate every choice or option presented to us. Even the most selfless people hum along to WII-FM sometimes; otherwise we’d never be able to shop for ourselves.
WII-FM is especially important to keep in mind if you want to do signings and sell some books. If you’re an experienced author, well-known in the region, the following might not apply because you have clout and retailers will covet an event with you. But if you’re like most of us, approaching outlets with proverbial hat in hand, you might benefit from the following advice.
Here’s how many new authors approach the manager of a bookstore or other retail outlet: “I have a new book out and I’d love to do a signing at your store. I look forward to hearing from you.” In most cases, the author won’t receive any kind of reply, let alone a positive one. Why not? Essentially, the writer is saying, “I want access to your customers, and I want efforts made on my behalf so I can make some money. Give these to me.” No attempt at all to transmit a message on the WII-FM wavelength.
Here’s how you might achieve better results:
SUBJECT LINE: Collaboration on Upcoming Book Signing
Hello _,
I’m an author with a new [novel genre/nonfiction type] and would like to collaborate with you on a signing at [store name]. You would not need to order books, stock anything, or deal with returns. I would bring my own copies and advertise this event to my [extensive] mailing list and [thousands of] social media followers.
In return for providing me with a small space for a few hours, you will get a dedicated, motivated individual focused on generating sales for [italicized book title], and you will have no expenses—all revenues will be pure profit for you.
I appreciate your attention to this request. Could you please reply with some potential dates for this signing?
Verbose? Perhaps, but notice the focus is on what you will do for the manager: what’s in it for them and their business. You pledge upfront marketing efforts, hard work during the event, and pure profit for the store while minimizing their commitment (a small space for you). You’re anticipating and addressing the manager’s concerns and objections and drawing their attention to the benefits they will reap. At the end, you honor the manager for reading your request and include a specific call to action, so they don’t have to think about what to do next.
Does this guarantee success? Of course not. Your note might get misfiled as spam/junk by the retailer’s email server or will be another of a thousand unread emails in their inbox. Some managers/owners reading this might think it’s still too pushy—they prefer meeker authors who scrape and grovel and tug their forelocks in obeisance. However, if the right individual does open your request, they will see a message precisely tuned to their WII-FM receiver, so the odds of a reply are much better than the usual “Gimme, gimme, gimme” emails many writers send.
When you do receive an affirmative reply, reinforce your promise to (1) work hard at marketing in advance, (2) show up on time, and (3) make money for their store. Along with the date and start/end times of your signing, be sure to agree on the split of revenues—it’s standard for the bookstore to keep 40%—and confirm how you should send an invoice afterward for 60% of the retail price for your copies sold (some will want an emailed invoice; others will prefer a paper copy).
On the day of your signing, don’t overdress—you don’t want to make customers feel self-conscious—but do look professional out of respect for them. The best placement of your signing table is inside the entrance, on the right (the Enter door is always on the right side and people tend to stay to the right once they come in). This ensures you maximum exposure to all potential customers.
Sorry, introverts, but you will need to talk to people. Which ones? I greet every adult who passes by. Say hello, tell them you’re an author doing a signing, and ask if you can tell them about your book(s). Start with genre, so you can gracefully break off the conversation if they or the person they’re shopping for isn’t interested in that kind of book. If they don’t balk, then give a fifteen-second spiel to hook their interest.
What kind of spiel? Think “WII-FM”: what will they or their gift recipient get out of reading your book? Your choices are, in general, knowledge and understanding for nonfiction or emotional payoffs (thrills, chills, laughter, romantic gladness, inspiration, hope, cathartic weeping, whatever) for fiction and memoir, maybe with a bit of knowledge as well.
Treat these interactions like a game and keep score (you’ll need to do so anyway, for your invoice). You “win” by convincing the maximum number of strangers to part with their money in exchange for taking a chance on your book.
Always confirm the spelling if a customer wants the book inscribed—never assume. Have a nice, catchy message ready to speed the process (I have a different one for each of my books that somehow relates to the theme or emotional payoff). Put your branded bookmark or postcard between the pages, especially if you have multiple titles. Invite them to add their name and email to a printed sign-up sheet for your mailing list, so you can let them know when you have another book out. Thank them sincerely for their support.
Should you do a reading where people must arrive at a certain time? This is problematic, because, unless you’re well-known and people will make plans to come to your event, your best chance to sell books is by engaging random passersby. Every minute you’re doing a reading for the handful of curiosity-seekers who’ve wandered over, a dozen potential sales could be lost as customers head in and out of the store. And there’s no guarantee that those who take a seat will buy your book.
To best connect with your audience if you simply must do a reading, maximize the time you spend telling stories about yourself and your writing journey and minimize the time you read. As soon as you start to read, you will no longer be making eye contact with your audience. It’s easy for their attention to stray, and it’s hard to recapture their focus. Thus, for your reading selection, keep it brief (no more than a page or two) and select an excerpt that’s either punchy or funny, so it’s easy to listen to. If you don’t entertain, you probably won’t make a sale.
Remember the movie version of Glengarry Glen Ross with Alec Baldwin’s character lecturing about “ABC” (Always Be Closing)? To achieve ABC, think about your potential customers’ WII-FM. Capture their attention with a promise about the rewards to be enjoyed by reading your book, get the book signed and inscribed and in their hands ASAP, and, before you wear out your welcome, release them with a smile and an expression of thanks. Then add another hashmark to your tally and look for your next future fan walking past.
Jill
March 29, 2019 at 1:42 pm (6 years ago)Great information – thank you for sharing!
Patrick Scullin
April 3, 2019 at 7:23 pm (6 years ago)Thanks for the sage advice, George.
Camille Wright
April 5, 2019 at 2:24 pm (6 years ago)Thank you George. My book won’t be published until early 2020 but I need all the information and help I can get!
See you at AWC next Saturday.
Camille