by Pavarti K Tyler
- Use a Sharpie and have an extra!You want your signature to stand out! Use a fun color and a nice thick ink. I recently was at a book signing for an author of
a Zombie book. He didn’t just sign it, he used red ink and then splattered some on the page. How fun! Another author who writes Chinese Romance used a name seal stamp and signed beneath it. Do something fun and creative to show off your signature.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Namechop.jpg) - Stand upGet out from behind that table! Don’t sit there like an unapproachable lump! Be the fun awesome interesting person you are and engage. There’s no reason for you to be sitting down. In fact, get rid of that chair all together so you aren’t tempted. Instead, consider standing in front of the table, even sit on the edge if that’s more comfortable. People will immediately respond to you in a more positive light.
- Give things awayFor White Chalk, I had a bin of lollipops like the ones on the covers for people to take. Everyone loved them, it wasn’t expensive and it’s different. People will remember that. Don’t have something so easy? Try postcards or bookmarks or chocolate. Remember the rule: Spoil Your Reader. They love you, love them back.
- Cross Promote
People already bought one book. Why not two? Or three? Cross promote your other novels. I always make sure to have promotional items for my other titles with me at signings. If you’re at a bookstore, call and see if they will have your other titles on hand and let your readers know. If they won’t, in your announcement, encourage people to bring their copies of your other books for you to sign (and include a handy dandy link to where they can purchase them online!).
- Make friends.No one likes a pretentious ass. You are not a special snowflake. You have no excuse for being curt or rude. These people came out here to support you. No matter how famous or important you are, you can take the time to be nice. I know you’re tired. You may have lugged 5 boxes of books to the event and your assistant didn’t show up to help you manage the crowd and it’s getting so loud… suck it up and smile.
- Use a sign-in sheet that doubles as a newsletter signup form!Remember your goal isn’t just to sell books but to KEEP selling books. Turn these lovely people who came out to support you into your army of darkness. That list of email addresses can go right into your newsletter list and now the same people who bought your book will know when the next one is released!
- TURN OFF YOUR PHONEI was recently at a book signing where no one was standing in line. As I approached the table, the author sat, slumped over his phone, unaware of my presence. Unless you have a kid in the hospital, don’t be this guy. Facebook can wait. There is little more important than the next person walking up to meet you.
- Always thank the staffAt the end of the night, no matter how tired you are, no matter how much you want to go have a drink with that hot guy who showed up at the end of signing and is lingering by the front door, no matter WHAT, stop by the counter. Thank the people who are working there and find the organizer. Give them a free book and personalize a message to sign on it thanking them for the night. This might just get you stocked on the shelves.
- Go Vertical!The human eye is drawn to colors and differences in levels. If you sit behind a table with nothing on it but a stack of books, people will walk by. Have a poster behind you, a banner on the edge, a sign on a holder. Whatever you have to do, go UP and go BOLD.
- You Need Slave LaborMake sure you have at least one person with you, who isn’t on staff, whose entire job is to keep you sane. They can get you water, manage the crowd, ask filler questions for a Q&A if no one speaks up. This is the person who will run to CVS when you realize you forgot to bring pens and the main way you’ll stay calm and able to focus on what’s really important. The readers.
Chelle isn’t what most people consider a typical 13-year-old girl—she doesn’t laugh with friends, play sports, or hang out at the mall after school. Instead, she navigates a world well beyond her years.
Life in Dawson, ND spins on as she grasps at people, pleading for someone to save her—to return her to the simple childhood of unicorns on her bedroom wall and stories on her father’s knee.
When Troy Christiansen walks into her life, Chelle is desperate to believe his arrival will be her salvation. So much so, she forgets to save herself. After experiencing a tragedy at school, her world begins to crack, causing a deeper scar in her already fragile psyche.
Follow Chelle’s twisted tale of modern adolescence, as she travels down the rabbit hole into a reality none of us wants to admit actually exists.
Buy Now @ Amazon
Genre - Literary Fiction/Coming of Age
Rating – R (15+)
More details about the author
My Review:
White Chalk by Pavarti K. TylerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What did you like most about the book? It was mind-blowing. One minute, there is hope. Next minute you feel you're like an egg smashed against a wall. I'm assuming the author did this on purpose but still, it was more than an "aha" moment.
What did you like least? A part of me wants to say the "real" aspect of Chelle's story. Chelle didn't deserve what she got but then again so many teenagers don't. They are treated so badly, they don't know how to recognise good so everything about this book is spot on.
Did you like the way the book ended? It wasn't an ending I wanted, it was an ending that was necessary.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author.
View all my reviews
0 comments:
Post a Comment