Authors and Bookstores

I started working at a small independent bookstore about six months ago, and I'm trying to sort out this bookstore-author relationship. So if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you guys questions as they come up.

(1) - Buy Local / Promote Local?
We get requests from local authors 3-4 times each week, the majority of whom are small press or self-published, asking us to stock their book and/or host an author event for them. The vast majority of these authors are people we've never met, despite the fact they are local. Many of the authors we have agreed to carry don't purchase books from us, either.

So I guess my question is this: How do you select which bookstore gets your book-buying dollars? I very much want to support our independent authors, but it's frustrating when I feel like they don't support us back.

(2) - Author Events
When doing a signing or book launch, do you prefer to fly solo or go as a group? I thought that one way to ensure we can have signings for small press authors would be to group them up, maybe by genre or age range, but does this lead to more sales as fans of similar things discover titles by previously unknown writers, or do customers only purchase one book and the authors end up cannibalizing each others sales? I'd love to hear any thoughts or experiences you've had with this.

That's an interesting point makaiju.

Shortly after publishing, I considered heading to a few small independent bookstores and asking them them to stock a few of my books. However, I stopped myself for this very reason. I don't support them back, and that made me think "why don't I support them?"

Well I've made a point of buying from independents in 2015, and maybe when I've become a familiar face in these stores I will bring it up. I know they support local authors, but I don't want to be that guy, and your post here reaffirms my thinking.

Maybe considering asking any authors you book for appearances to do more than just a signing--give a talk on writing or on the topic of their book, to make it more of an event that would draw people with those interests in. The year my first book came out, a group of four other debut authors and I (all YA authors) did a mini book tour in the CT/central MA area giving a presentation on writing for kids at various stores, some indies and some B&Ns. It went pretty well.

And yay for independent bookstores!!

>1 k00kaburra: "When doing a signing or book launch, do you prefer to fly solo or go as a group?"

I have not done this myself, but most of the authors I know who have tried both in a group and alone seem to think that it helps to do it in groups. (And that's not even just for the self-published authors. That's for all the "not a big name" authors.)

I have never heard complaints about them "canabalizing" each other's sales. It's all been about how glad they were to have another author there, and how much better the group event seemed to go than when they tried doing it by themselves.

Also: what Marissa said. :)

That sounds like a great idea to group multiple authors together, not only for the authors but the audience as well. I think it would attract more attention given it's a "bigger event".

I will admit guilt to being someone who went to some independents and asked if they'd carry my book even though I hadn't bought from them before (though I did that day). Since you brought it up though I did feel some guilt that I had never been in there before. Then again they didn't wind up carrying my book because it's poetry and poetry doesn't sell all too often. In a way I'm the little guy compared to a bookstore and they're the big guys. ;)

That said I'm not saying I don't support, or don't want to support local bookstores. It would be a shame to lose local bookstores really. I think there's a balance between them supporting you and you supporting them. In some cases the store wants a commission, so in that way you are supporting them. In other cases - as it should be - they will accept you based on your marketing plan, thus accepting you based on how much attention you're drawing to yourself. So naturally if you are doing a good job drawing attention to you and your books then people will come looking for you at their local bookstores. I absolutely think it's important to make mention of the stores that support you and carry your book, thereby encouraging people to buy local if your book is there. And perhaps that's also more of what we should do.

I'm traveling back and forth a lot so in all honesty I tend to may spontaneous trips to the bookstore, which almost always happens to be B&N (though your post here reminds me just to visit more often) otherwise I'm buying e-books.

Thanks for the thought-provoking thread. :)

Maybe local bookstores could have meet and greets with local authors...? I've heard of local bookstores having local author talks at their shops and advertising such through flyers with schedules printed on them. Again I think this activity alone actually is a form of support for the local stores.

re: 3 Marissa_Doyle
Maybe considering asking any authors you book for appearances to do more than just a signing--give a talk on writing or on the topic of their book, to make it more of an event that would draw people with those interests in

I've had a couple of authors refuse to do anything but sign because they've had "bad experiences in the past", so they sit at a table and wait for customers to come to them. We even had one fellow who just sat reading a newspaper the duration of his signing! Thankfully, most of our authors are far more engaging, and almost every single one will do some sort of talk and a reading.

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re: 4 LShelby
I have never heard complaints about them "canabalizing" each other's sales. It's all been about how glad they were to have another author there, and how much better the group event seemed to go than when they tried doing it by themselves.

I'm glad to hear that :) Do you happen to know if they picked their groups themselves or if they were randomly assigned by the bookstore?

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5 eLPy
I think there's a balance between them supporting you and you supporting them. In some cases the store wants a commission, so in that way you are supporting them.

Some stores do charge a fee just to place an author's books on the shelf. (One local store does $25 per title and then a percentage of each sale.)
We don't charge a fee so the only way we make any money from an author's book is when the title actually sells.

Right now our store probably has around 20% "commission" books, so it's not an insignificant amount of shelf space given over to self-published/small press authors. But these books don't make up 20% of our sales. It's probably closer to 5%, if even that much.

Trying to define just why this segment is so unsuccessful in our store has been a challenge. Do we need to be more selective in the books we take into the store? Could we do more to promote them? Are our authors promoting us? On whose shoulders does the responsibility for marketing fall? We haven't been open very long and it's an evolving process.

Maybe local bookstores could have meet and greets with local authors...? I've heard of local bookstores having local author talks at their shops and advertising such through flyers with schedules printed on them. Again I think this activity alone actually is a form of support for the local stores.

It's a mixed bag, to be honest. For every author event, we have to devote staff time to organizing it, and given the small size of our staff the time commitment does have an impact on other parts of the business. There's also associated costs for printing materials, returning unsold merchandise to publishers, and suchlike. From our perspective, we are supporting you by providing a free venue to share your thoughts, free promotion for your project, and a potential audience to tap into.

But to make an event work, we need authors to support us back. This means marketing the event - we've had several authors (both NYT bestsellers and self-published) do nothing to promote the event and still expect to arrive to a full house. That means promoting our store as a place to buy your book, and not just to see you speak. (Because we're still a business, and at the end of the day we need to make money off an author event.)

Ideally we want to be creating a relationship with the author, which means seeing/talking to them regularly and not just at a one-time appearance. That way, next time we're putting together a panel or a literary festival-type event, you'll be one of the first people we think of because we know you and what your writing is about.

>6 k00kaburra: Wow. That's pretty appalling (authors not promoting their own events.) I'll bet they're not going to be invited back. :p

I think part of the problem is that authors are generally self-educated--there aren't any "how to be an author" classes out there, so they stagger around cluelessly unless they;re lucky enough to belong to a large writing organization and learn that they have to educate themselves on this sort of thing.

> 6

I've had a couple of authors refuse to do anything but sign

Well, that's just plain crazy. Don't they want new readers? Do they really think someone unfamiliar with them or their work is going to come see them just for a signature? The only people who can take that attitude are the wildly famous authors with hordes of groupies. Un- or little-known authors literally cannot afford to be so rude to the reading public.

"Away mortals! Have I not blessed you with mine heart's tome? You shall take my John Hancock and be away! Away I say!" - me at every book signing.

I'm going to change my name to Vin Deisel... just switching the i and the e. Watch them flock to my book signings! Oh, what a shock they'll get when they see me. I hope they still buy a book.

> 10

Who's Vin Deisel?

# 10

Just shave your head and wear a mask. Tell them you are incognito. hehe

# 1
If I had an audience I would love to talk, but so many book signings consist of a chair and table in the busy part of the store. Unless you are known, most patrons in a book store look at you and quickly turn their heads so you won't try and sell them anything. I'll say "Hi", but I never try and push myself on them, so I wait until one walks up before talking to them. Every so often someone comes in that has read one of my books and want's your signature on their book. That is rewarding.

The best book signing I ever had was at a small town library. I was invited by the local newspaper editor. She had read my first book and was a fan. She promoted my coming for weeks, and people came in from their farms to buy my books, even one 97 year old lady came to meet me and get a book. That signing was memorable and humbling, but they are rare.

The bookstore/author relationship is just that, a relationship. The bookstores I frequent most are those where an employee has read my books and, hopefully, talks them up to customers. That is the best advertising an author can get. I would do anything for that store. You want your walls painted? haha Toward this end I will usually give away a sample to a willing employee, usually the person in charge of scheduling book signing.

As a reader I'm unlikely to attend a bookstore just for a reading by an author I've never heard of. A group of authors reading in my genre, may, if there's nothing else I'm doing and I remember about it on the day, possibly be enough for me to attend. Had I a local independent bookstore to attend of course.

>6 k00kaburra: It's a mixed bag, to be honest. For every author event, we have to devote staff time to organizing it, and given the small size of our staff the time commitment does have an impact on other parts of the business. There's also associated costs for printing materials, returning unsold merchandise to publishers, and suchlike. From our perspective, we are supporting you by providing a free venue to share your thoughts, free promotion for your project, and a potential audience to tap into.

But to make an event work, we need authors to support us back.

"Support" can come in many shades and colors, though, aside from just buying books at the store. For example, as the store you could ask for the author's local email list/contacts/Christmas card list. Thus, even if the event is not well attended the store has gained in the ability to reach potential new customers. Authors could write guest posts for the store website/blog/facebook page. Original content that is easily shared is something stores can use to raise their own visibility.

And authors can also make a point of recommending books to their own readers, and pointing them to the store to buy them. Even if they aren't books the store has in stock, the store will appreciate the new customers.

Also, authors should be evangelists for each other. One of the best author events I ever attended as a bookstore manager/buyer was a talk with Stewart O'Nan given to a group of booksellers in my area. We had lunch with him, and we all thought he'd be talking about his new novel. But instead, he looked at the group of us and said, "I'm never going to have a chance to have so many of you in the room at the same time--I just want to talk about some authors and books I wish were on your radar and on your shelves." And then he spoke about Richard Yates, Susan Choi, a couple of other writers, and why he loved this or that book. In effect, he did to us what we do to customers all the time.

And we all went back to our stores and got those books in stock, along with Stewart O'Nan's, and spent the next couple months talking to our customers about the books we were reading based on his recommendations.

I run with both sides here. I run a bookshop and write mystery fiction. The past 12 years have convinced me that authors should concentrate on accessing readers rather than accessing bookshops. It is far more productive (to all concerned) if readers go into bookshop asking for your books and for a signing event, rather than have the books on the shelves with no demand or a signing in an empty shop. If you convince a bookseller to give your book shelf space and it doesn't move .... believe, it just stares them in the face telling them what a bad use of trading space it was! Access shops through your readers rather than readers through the shops. All comment welcome

14
For example, as the store you could ask for the author's local email list/contacts/Christmas card list. Thus, even if the event is not well attended the store has gained in the ability to reach potential new customers.
For what it's worth, as a consumer I would be seriously pissed if an author was giving away my personal information to a business, even if it was the business sold something I love or use regularly.

Authors could write guest posts for the store website/blog/facebook page.
This is something we're promoting heavily in 2015 after launching our store's blog in December. I think it's a fantastic opportunity for both the store and the author.

Also, authors should be evangelists for each other.
This is so true. I always love to hear about what other people are reading!

>6 k00kaburra: "Do you happen to know if they picked their groups themselves or if they were randomly assigned by the bookstore?"

I'm pretty sure they weren't randomly assigned.

I've heard of writers who are friends teaming up, and also of themed events. When they're friends, obviously they arrange that themselves. For the themed events, I think sometimes they were arranged by the store, and sometimes outside special interest groups worked with the store to set them up.

>16 k00kaburra: For what it's worth, as a consumer I would be seriously pissed if an author was giving away my personal information to a business, even if it was the business sold something I love or use regularly

That's true. Things have changed significantly since email first became the way to connect with people. And in many cases, email has been replaced by more general friending/following. Nowadays you're more likely to see "Like us on facebook and get a....whatever"

But the point is, authors who are interested in having their books stocked, or events scheduled, have to approach bookstores as potential partners, and create a relationship with them. Many of these stores are getting three or four requests every day from people who have managed to get their book printed on Createspace. It's not up to the store to create a market for every book someone wants them to stock. They have to be convinced the market exists, so the author better have a good plan for convincing them, and for helping them to tap it.

I've noticed that there are authors (Megan Abbott and Chelsea Cain, for example) who do talk up their local bookstores as well as the independents they visit.

I worked in bookstores while I was in college and we had a fair number of signings, although they were of the card-table-set-out-near-the-entrance variety. New authors would spend their day sitting there alone and I own a stack of books by these authors because I couldn't stand for them to not sign anything.

Diana Gabaldon was one of those lonely authors when Outlander was first published and I'm now pleased to have a signed first edition of that one. She was a wonderful author to have associated with the bookstore. We certainly had our share of aggressive authors - one romance writer would regularly come by and rearrange our front tables to put her book in the best position. And after she'd left, we'd move everything back to where it had been, but she was not a favorite!

The independent bookstore where I usually live is proactive in setting up lunches and dessert events with various authors. They have a steady stream of customers who will attend readings even if they haven't read anything by that author, but they clearly put a lot of effort into it. And I don't think they've ever featured anyone who is self-published, even at one of the group events, but I'll admit that I just skim the emails for authors I'd like to hear speak, a fairly small group. I've only been to two of their events, but both were wonderful - one was with a favorite author and another was lunch with an author I was lukewarm about, but that a friend loved and we were lucky enough to be seated next to the author (William Kent Krueger) during the lunch portion of the event, and he was a joy to chat with.

I tried putting my books in a well known local bookstore on consignment. They had several tables of local authors and I thought it was a good idea. However, they charged a monthly fee for the privilege and I managed to sell one book. Considering that they also split the sale 50/50 it was a huge financial loss. Self published authors only make a tiny royalty per paperback, and the price of our books is much higher than the sale prices for established authors.

On the other hand, I did quite well at a talk I gave at a local library. If a local bookstore considered such a presentation as entertainment I would think that it would be beneficial for both of us, despite the effort and expense of hosting the event. As a sci-fi author I would welcome the opportunity to join other authors in some sort of group event also.

I don't have any local book stores. The closest independent book store from me is almost an hour away. I have been to the store and have bought books there, but I'm not one to go every week. When my first book came out, I asked her about hosting a book signing and having my book on the shelf. She frowned at me and asked how much I sold it for. My publisher set the price and when I told her, she said, no. It was to high. When I said I could give her a discount and sell it to her for what I pay for it, she still said no because she needed to make at least $3 and she couldn't make any money off of me. I thought she was rude to me. I haven't been back to the store.

Libraries and book store appearances.
I actually was invited to a group book signing with a different county. I was one of about 15. They put all the well known authors in the front of the store where the people entered and the rest of us in the back. After about an hour of groups of people walking around the front tables and then leaving, I got discouraged. It was like they didn't know others where in the back. I didn't like leaving my table but I walked to the front and told everyone about the tables in the back, they began to come on through. The lady next to me sold four books. Another sold five and I sold 1.
At my local library book signing just me and my book. I sold 13.
I would do more group events but there isn't any other authors who write young adult around me.

I've tripped across these events now and then - an author at a table - and always found them a bit intimidating to approach. The feeling is that "this person is here to sell books, and will be awfully disappointed if I don't buy one; I probably won't, so I'm not going to approach and create an awkward situation". I'm not sure what the solution to that is? I think it might tip the scale if some kind of workaround could be devised that made the author more approachable and less pressure on the browser around not rejecting a purchase right in front of the author's face. Or maybe I'm in the minority as a timid shopper.

But if the author was in one location, and the book in another - the author's just there to chat, you can approach and be friendly, and you don't feel their eyes on you while you're considering their book. I thought if I was an author, maybe I'd do it that way and stack my table with a bunch of my favourite books from around the store, post a funny sign like "local author - I can recommend something!". Now there's a reason to talk to me when you see what I've chosen to keep at my table, there's no pressure, we can talk and compare about books we've read and recommend, I can mention (or have a sign) that my book is available elsewhere in the store, leave it at that. I figure if you get to know me as a person and know where I'm coming from reading-wise, you'll have a better sense of where I might come from in my writing. Where my books are, put a sign "Meet the author today - back of the store!" Store probably would like it too, I'm potentially helping to sell a wider selection of their stock.

Given the number of typos in your message (TCoffey0126), I wonder whether the local bookseller is nervous about offering substandard material.

>22 Cecrow: "But if the author was in one location, and the book in another"

I'm a timid shopper myself, so I think this idea is totally brilliant. :)

>21 TCoffey0126:

she still said no because she needed to make at least $3 and she couldn't make any money off of me. I thought she was rude to me.

I don't think that's "rude". She runs a business. She cannot have books on which she won't earn anything taking up shelf space.

I've been to multiple book signings, with everyone from very well-known authors, to some I've never heard of. Authors seem to do better if they're mixing in with their fans, and less well if they're sitting at a table just signing books. Many of the well-known authors ended up signing books that had already been owned by their fans (which means a sale in the past, of course, but not an additional sale).

There are authors who are very engaging, and interesting human beings in their own right. I actually prefer (with extremely rare divergence) to NOT have a book signed. It doesn't make it better, and I find it distracting.

Years ago, I took 7 or 8 books (memory fails me; it could have been even more) to be signed by an author who I knew to be filled with ego. Yes, he signed each and every one, with great flourish, and making sure that everyone knew what an important person he was. It was fun, he took it in stride, and I'd do it again.

I prefer seeing people succeed. I also want to see bookstores stay in business. I do my best to help.

>23 MHStevens: No need to be unkind. That's my job. Sometimes.

I know. LOL. I can't write a sentence with perfect English or punctuation...

It wasn't the fact of the money. I understand why she needed to make a profit. It was how she dismissed me. And the shelf she had for local authors, the most expensive book was 18.00 and she told me she didn't have anything under 10.00. She didn't have to lie to me. She could have just said she wasn't interested and left it at that.