Self-Publishing

Since I’ve had the opportunity to do several storytime & book signing events for my book, I wanted to share my experience on prepping for these events.

I don’t really have to practice the speaking part because I’ve read aloud the book enough times already lol. Also, when you’re presenting to kids, there’s not enough time to tell your whole elaborate backstory because of their attention span. 😛 So after a quick intro, I usually jump right into the book!

Photo Credit: Eastridge Center

I usually prep the night before by packing the car with anything I need to bring with me. I suppose this packing list could be applicable for any small business owner doing a booth as well, with modifications for their product.

PACKING LIST

• Books. My books come in boxes of 30. So I usually bring a box or two of books into the event, and leave extra boxes in the car for backup. I haven’t even needed remotely close to that many, but doesn’t hurt to be prepared! 
• Rolling cart. There’s a lot of stuff to carry from the car to the venue, so this helps.
• Sample book. This is my demo book that I use when I pitch bookstores. It has sentimental value! But it’s also beat-up around the corners, so I continue to use this one for storytimes because the book has been opened many times. (You know how new books don’t really fully open, and you don’t want to ruin them by opening them up?) It is pretty banged up though, so I may need to retire this soon! 🙁
• Pens for signing. I bought some quick dry pens from Office Depot. They’re great because you sign and it dries quickly – I would hate for it to smudge.
• Sign with the Book Price. My book doesn’t have the price on the back of it because I wasn’t sure how I was going to price it or if it would change. At first, I tried to avoid having a sign with the book price – to keep it classy! 😛 But that didn’t work out too well because people would need to keep asking me, or even more awkward, they would think the books were free… So yeah, bring a sign with the price clearly displayed.
• Business cards. I made them from an Office Depot template and really like them. I often get compliments on them too!

• Binder of early drawings. I gathered early sketches and printed out iPad drawings from on the book illustration process. I put them in a binder so people could easily flip through it and see the evolution of my drawings.

• Activity materials. I have copies of a coloring page and crayons for the kids to use. Sometimes the place I’m going to already has coloring supplies.
• Water. You’re going to be talking a lot. Stay hydrated.
• Spare friend/family member. Sometimes it gets really hectic with talking to potential customers, and fumbling with accepting cash/credit card. It’s easier if there’s another person available with you. And also to watch the booth if you need to go to the bathroom. 🙂
• Sign up for mailing list. Sign up sheet for people to join your mailing list

• Canvas for signing & colorful Sharpie pens. To add a little more interactivity, I also bought a blank canvas and had people sign by filling in the blank “Use your voice to ____” with their own phrase. Pretty fun to see what people write down.

PAYMENTS

• Square payment reader. If the location is a bookstore, then the bookstore will handle the payment transactions. But if it’s not a bookstore, then I collect payments. I use a Square reader for accepting credit cards. I tweak it for the city that I’m going to (automatically back calculates the tax). Charge the device ahead of time. Bring your phone because it pairs with Bluetooth to complete the transaction, so the customer can provide their signature and get a receipt emailed or texted to them.
• Cash for change. A cashbox is useful. I also got a paper receipt book too in case anyone wanted a receipt, but no one does, ha!

DISPLAY

In case you’re wondering about where I got the extra decorations, I went to HomeGoods, Ross, and Michaels to collect a bunch of supplies. From watching interior design videos on YouTube, I tried to create an eye-catching, cozy, kids-room type of feel to the booth. Sometimes, people are more interested in the decorations (i.e. the colorful train pictured above) than the book, haha!

My cart of things at HomeGoods

Overall, these in-person events are a fun way to meet new folks (parents, grandparents, aunts / uncles, etc..) and also little kiddos! The kids have so much energy and I love when they open up and chat with me. Hugs are even better! The perks of being an author!

Photo Credit: Kristin Antons

Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into what it’s like to be an author. For more details on my book, check out Use Your Voice on Amazon. Plus, since it’s Prime Day, I think there’s a discount code for $5 off $20 purchase of books shipped by Amazon. Sweet!