Have you ever arrived at a book festival or speaking engagement without enough (or even any) books to sell? It happens. I’ve had some close calls when shipping books to an individual for a conference or to the event location. In one case, the books were there, only no one could find them. In another, the individual forgot to bring them from her home to the event. In both cases, I did get my books in time.
I know authors who have counted on their publishers or printers to ship books to them or to another destination and someone dropped the ball. The books did not arrive in time.
Here are some things to consider when you need to order books from your publisher or printer:
- Order far in advance of the event—say a month before.
- Have the books shipped to you and you either ship to the event or schlep them there yourself.
- Get the name of the person who takes your order.
- Follow up with that person a few days after the order is placed.
- Ask for a tracking number so you can track the shipment.
- Even if you ship books ahead for an event, also carry books with you along with plenty of promotional pieces. If your shipment doesn’t arrive, you can display copies of your book and take orders
- If you’ve had your books shipped to the event, check to make sure your books arrived before packing to travel there.
The most important message in this guide is to plan in advance, think ahead, do not procrastinate—place the order in plenty of time in case of problems with lost or damaged packages.
You’ll find this and many other tips, ideas, information and resources in my books, “Publish Your Book,” “Promote Your Book” and “Talk Up Your Book.” These three books are available at Amazon.com in print, Kindle and audio as well as at most other online and downtown bookstores. Or order them here: http://www.matilijapress.com
If you love a mystery, especially one with cats, check out my Klepto Cat Mystery novels. “Catnapped,” “Cat-Eye Witness” and “Sleight of Paw,” all by me, Patricia Fry.