I went to see author Sylvia Browne on her farewell tour, sponsored by her publisher, Hay House. While I've been to a few book signings, this was an event, and I wanted to observe the orchestration of it as well as learn more about a prolific author turned celebrity.
Advertising for this event began last fall via the Hay House newsletter. This multi-city author tour was a paid event with two levels of tickets offered, seats up close to the front for $75 dollars and general seating at $40 per ticket.
The St. Louis event sold out: 2100 people purchased tickets to meet this author in a large hotel ballroom. (Can you imagine that many people coming to see you?)
When we arrived, we were given a wristband, color coded by the level of ticket we'd purchased. No tickets were sold on site. There were some nice posters giving information about the event around the hotel. Everything seemed very classy and well organized.
There was a book table set up displaying Sylvia's books and books by Colette Baron-Reid, another Hay House author, who served as the opening speaker. CD's of music or audio programs from the authors were also available. The book table was well staffed so that buyers could quickly and easily purchase items via check or credit card.
The event started promptly on time with a brief welcome from a Hay House representative explaining that Baron-Reid would speak for 45 minutes, followed by a short 15-minute break, and then Sylvia Browne would be on the stage for 2 hours. After that, both authors would be available to autograph copies of books, with a limit of one book signed per person. I was surprised that the authors would take time to sign autographs for such a large crowd.
The event ran precisely on schedule, ending exactly when promised. Even though the lines for autographs were huge, there was no hurry. The authors promised an autograph for everyone, no matter how long it took.
Both authors gave excellent presentations. They were funny, warm, and informal. Neither spoke from prepared remarks, they just told stories about their lives, took questions from the audience, and shared information from their books. Neither made you feel obligated to buy a book. Both were charming and seemed to relish sharing their information and meeting people.
In fact, at one point we were laughing so hard at Sylvia Brown's jokes that I thought I was in a comedy club instead of a book signing. These well-trained authors made the event fun, informative, and inspirational. I left adoring both of them because they were so warm and genuine.
As we left, I noticed the book table was almost completely sold out, a successful day for Hay House and the authors.
What can you learn from this story?
- If you decide to do personal appearances to promote your book, be sure to be genuine, generous with your time and information, and let people see your warmth.
- Gather a team to help you run a well-organized event so that you are not stressed.
- Make the event fun and useful. Think of it more as a short seminar or lecture instead of a book signing. When you give great content, you will sell many books and create life-long fans.
- Be yourself. Both authors were refreshingly human and were able to laugh at themselves. They seemed happy to meet people and interested in helping. They shared some of their struggles and triumphs but spent the majority of time giving information instead of talking about themselves.
- Start small so that you can build your confidence and create a system for the event. Begin in your hometown with a small group. Work your way up to larger groups and out of town travel as you grow in confidence.
Author Resource:-
Want to create a successful book? Discover 8 book marketing blunders that you can avoid. Grab your free ecourse at www.BookMarketingBlitz.com Lynne Klippel is a publisher, author and book shepherd who specializes in helping authors write business building books.
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