I’m falling in love with this author world and the people in it. I love the joy and the passion when they talk about their books. I’m inspired by the hard work and persistence people put into their stories. It feels like a gift to be around such hope and determination. How often do you hear someone say they want to write a book, yet authors are the ones who follow through?

I’ve now been to a handful of author events. Each one had different energy, different markets, different setups, but one thing is the same. Authors are there to meet new people and get their books to the world.

For the past fifteen years I’ve been a part of a direct sales company. When I first started, I was new to the area and didn’t have a network to start my business. The main method I used to meet new customers was tables at festivals, stores, etc. I’ve done a lot of table events, so when I started doing author events with tables, I just applied the same concepts.

Books Were Moving

It turns out, the lessons I learned in direct sales, applied to books. I noticed that for the most part, I was selling more (sometimes a lot more) books than the authors around me. Let me make this clear – I am not famous and neither is my book. Nearly every book sold was a result of hard work on these techniques. 

The Rising Tide Lifts All Ships

At my most recent festival from writing this, it happened again. When I checked my sales numbers with the hosting bookshop, they told me my sales were about 3x higher than the average attending author. It was at once exciting and deflating. I want us all to sell a lot of books. I love the endorphin rush when someone excitedly hands me her money and I hand her a book. It’s one of the best feelings, and I want all the authors to have that feeling. 

What Sells Books

I’ve spent a ton of time analyzing and breaking down the techniques that help me sell books. And let me preface it by saying, it’s hard work. I leave a book table day exilerated but also completely exhausted.

Teaching these techniques will take way more than I have time for in a blog post, but I wanted to share the list I’ve compiled and extend an invitation to a free webinar I’m hosting, as well as a course. Sign up for the free webinar here.

Before the Table

1. Finding & scheduling Book Festivals and author signings is the first step in a successvul table. From looking at the market best for your book, to thinking outside the box for opportunities, there’s more to it than just showing up.

2. Make sure you have an excellent product – from cover design to editing to formatting, it needs to be something you’re proud of that can compete in today’s market

3. Something to draw people in – I always have some type of freebie to draw people to the table. It needs to do multiple things – draw people to your table, and give them information on your books if they don’t buy on the spot. Bonus points if it’s something they don’t want to throw away.

The Visuals

4. A beautiful setup with height will draw people to your table. 

5. Your outfit can add to the experience – from an outfit that matches your book cover, to simply dressing to match the theme of your book

The In-Person Sale

6. A smile is your biggest asset, and a frown your biggest detractor. People feel most comfortable walking up to a smiling person.

7. Have a quick spiel. Mine goes something like this: “Did you get your postcard?” If they take it and seem interested, I have a 30 second book description I share. If they don’t seem interested, I smile and tell them to have a great day! Whatever people decide, I smile and am kind. Not everyone is my customer, and that’s fine!

8. Closing the sale – if someone is still interested after your 30 second description, you can say something simple like, “Would you like me to sign a book for you?”

9. Pricing Strategy – This one was hard to accept. Cheaper is not always better. Keeping prices in $5 increments with sales tax rolled into the price keeps sales easy and nearly mindless. The more someone has to think or do, the less likely they are to purchase. That’s why Amazon has mastered the market with their one click purchase.

10. building your email list – always have a giveaway and don’t forget to ask people to enter. If you don’t ask, people don’t even notice the giveaway.