Yesterday we talked about selling books at book festivals. What are some of the benefits and perks of securing a booth at a book festival?
- It’s a fun and festive atmosphere.
- You get out of the house.
- You have the opportunity to meet new people
- You get to talk about your book.
- You receive feedback from readers and potential readers.
- You get to practice your sales pitch
- You sell books.
- And you get exposure!
What is exposure and why does an author need it? Exposure means flaunting your book so it is noticed—putting it before your audience—making sure your potential readers are aware of it. Without exposure, your book won’t sell. No one will buy it if they don’t’ know it exists. While your mission and your focus might be to sell books, when you’re among your potential readers, there’s something equally important occurring at the same time. In a book festival environment, for example, some people may be buying copies of your book but most others are just learning about it through exposure.
Exposure is an introduction to your book for many of your potential readers. Some may be interested in it, but they don’t buy it on the spot. However, now they know about it, they may think about it, tell others about it and, when they next see it, purchase it.
But you must keep giving your book exposure. The thing is, if the potential reader never sees your book again, after that initial introduction, they may not ever buy it. So it is important that you continue getting exposure at Good Reads, Amazon, by having your book in your local bookstore or specialty store, by going out and speaking about your book, by having it mentioned in appropriate newsletters and websites, for example.
Exposure can result in opportunities to get more exposure. Here’s a list of some of the things I’ve seen occur at book festivals. In some cases, the author may not have sold many books on the spot. But the opportunities that came about as a result of being present were priceless:
- An author met a librarian who believed his book belonged in their county-wide system.
- Authors are invited to speak at various club and organization meetings.
- One author met a teacher who embraced her book and introduced it into a school system.
- One author met a documentary film maker and became the subject of a film. It still airs on the military channel.
- A group of authors in the SPAWN booth one year were invited to appear on a talk radio show.
- I know at least one author who met her publisher at a book festival.
I recommend book festivals for most authors. Along with that, I urge authors to be open not only to on-the-spot sales, but for the opportunities that will present themselves during events such as this.
For many more book marketing and promotion concepts, tips, techniques and ideas, read Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. Available in print, Kindle and audio at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Or purchase your copy from me, Patricia Fry, at http://www.matilijapress.com