Tag: Book Signings

Utah Residency, Optional

An LDS publisher recently requested to see a rewrite of my novel. (Hang on. Is that “An” or “A” LDS publisher? I’m going with “An” since it sounds better.) [Say it aloud and use the one that fits.] Obviously they haven’t offered a contract, but for the sake of fantasizing, I’m going to pretend they will. Since I don’t live in Utah, how will this affect the marketing of my book? For example, book signings, school visits, etc. Also, are LDS publishers wary of taking on authors who live outside of Utah for this very reason? Thanks in advance!

Since the huge majority of LDS books and products are sold in the Utah/Idaho corridor, living somewhere else means you won’t have easy access to multiple promotional signings. It also means you won’t be able to do co-op events with other LDS authors–like workshops or community events or Ladies Night at Deseret Book before conference. Unless, of course, you’re willing to drive/fly out for a week or two and hit all the bookstores who’ll have you. (That will probably not be paid for by your publisher, so think about taking a working family vacation.)

If there’s an LDS bookstore in your area, we will set up a signing for you there and at any other local bookstores that will let us in. If you’re going on vacation to an area that has LDS bookstores, we can try to set up a signing. You can also do RS workshops or firesides locally and within neighboring wards/stakes.

You’re on your own with schools, as is every author. Living in Utah doesn’t mean an automatic pass into the schools. It depends on the type of presentation you’ll give, the content of your book and your connection with the school.

Pretty much anything else can be done regardless of where you live–thanks to the magic of telephone, fax, Internet, and good ‘ole USPS. Radio shows, book reviews, websites, blogs, online interviews, press releases, postcards, catalogs, etc. can all be done no matter where you live.

So, no. Publishers won’t turn you down if you live outside Utah as long as you’re willing to make the effort and do what is within your ability and budget to help promote your book.

Book Signings a la Mode

No, I don’t mean serve ice cream at your book signing. I mean, if you’re going to do a book signing, make it feel like ice cream.

About the comment that publishers don’t want to make the effort to set up signings…uhm, yes and no. Here’s the deal. Let’s say we have 100 authors who all want to do a book signing tour (as in, half a dozen signings each) and they’re scattered all over the U.S. If every bookstore we call says yes, that’s 600 phone calls we have to make, at about 15-30 minutes each, so we’re looking at 150 to 300 hours JUST TALKING TO THE BOOKSTORES!

But of course, they won’t all say yes, so we have to call more stores. And then we have to call the author and make sure the dates we sign them up for are still good. And then we have to work out the details to get extra books ordered, offer a generous return policy, send out posters, flyers, reminder calls.

And if averages hold true, we’re going to only sell a handful of books at each one.

So that’s why publishers aren’t super-hyped about setting up book signing tours and why, if you want one, you’re going to have to do a lot of work yourself.

The exception to this is if the publisher can showcase a group of authors at the same signing–for example, getting a bookstore to do a book signing day where we have maybe a dozen or more authors show up throughout the day to do the signings. Then it becomes a party–ergo, the a la mode reference.

a la mode