Is There a Virtual Book Signing in Your Future?

Virtual book signings offer a way to sell books, visit fans, and spread the word about your work from the comfort of your home.

What is a virtual book signing? It can be as elaborate or simple as you wish. You will “visit” a venue through the magic of your phone or the Internet. You can handle the signing portion one of two ways: 1.) sign the physical books and send the signed copies to recipients 2.) or sign bookplates, have someone affix them, and distribute the books with your bookplates to recipients.

The concept was pioneered by Daniel Weinberg, owner of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop in Chicago, Illinois. The first virtual book signing took place in November 2005 and featured historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. The webcast can be viewed at http://www.virtualbooksigning.net/learn.html

I chose a much simpler format for my Paper, Scissors, Death Virtual Book Signing. My goal was to partner with the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League (MAGDRL) to raise money for homeless dogs. With foreclosures on the rise and the economy the way it is, more and more big dogs are being abandoned.

Since Paper, Scissors, Death features a rescued uncropped Harlequin Great Dane, there was a natural fit.

“I was interested because I know there are a lot of readers in MAGDRL, and this seemed like a different, unusual and fun fund-raising event. We are always looking for new things to try, and this was a big hit with our members,” said Joan Schramm, MAGDRL’s publicity coordinator.

First, we sent out mailings to the members telling them about the fundraiser. Then MAGDRL chose a date for our “book signing” and told members and friends I’d be available online during a certain time period. MAGDRL purchased the books from my publisher.

I added a chat room to my website. You can get a free chat room that’s easy to install at Bravenet http://www.bravenet.com/
Members of MAGDRL were encouraged to order the book and to share the information with friends. Joan sent out media releases about the event, and forms were shared at various meetings of rescue dog organizations. On the form was a place for people to specify how they wanted their books personalized. Buyers could either choose to pick up their books or have them mailed out at an extra charge.

On the appointed signing day and time, we had a lively discussion in my chat room. It helped that I am a dog lover who has owned Great Danes! After the chat, Joan sent me a list of personalized bookplate requests. I created a special bookplate. I signed and returned the bookplates to Joan. She affixed them and distributed the books.

For an example of the form, Joan’s media release, and the bookplate, visit my website www.joannaslan.com and click the Resources section.

Is a Virtual Book Signing right for you? I was fortunate to find an organized and willing partner to work with. Joan’s public relations expertise was extremely helpful. Certainly, you need a publisher willing to sell to non-traditional book sellers as well as a partnering organization willing to help publicize and organize the event. Were the results worthwhile? We sold 51 books and raised $382.50 for MAGDRL – a nice amount for something that was a lot of fun and not too labor-intensive.

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Joanna Campbell Slan is the author of Paper, Scissors, Death the first book in the Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft Mystery series. Visit her at www.joannaslan.com

For permission to reprint this article, contact Joanna at joannaslan@aol.com

How Can We Help?

I had a lovely luncheon today at the home of my friends Denise and Craig. The occasion was a book club get together that Denise arranged, and I was the feature author. It's always a joy to be asked to talk about Paper, Scissors, Death--and particularly, I love hearing different readers' reactions to the book. I was curious about how Denise's friends felt about the humor in PSD, specifically how much that did or did not matter to them. I wondered what they would ask regarding the plot. Of course, I won't tell what happens in Cut, Cut & Die, book two in the series, but I could assure them that Detweiler and Kiki and the gang will be back. I was thrilled at being compared to Janet Evanovich. (Hey, that was almost as heavenly as Denise's soups, the terrific salad and the fabulous bread.) And I was stumped by the question, "Which revives your creative juices more: scrapbooking or writing?"

But the biggest surprise came when the readers asked me, "How can we help you?"

Whoa. I was suddenly transported back in time to when networking was big. We women would meet together to share job possibilities, ideas for being more professional, and support. Back then, we knew we'd only make it if we helped each other.

So I haven't heard those precious words in years: "How can we help?"

Maybe you have a friend who's an author. Or maybe you're a fan. Perhaps you've wondered, "Can I make a different in an author's career?"

The answer is a resounding, "YES!"

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Go to Amazon and Barnes & Noble and post a review. The more reviews, the more stars, the more their internal logic systems will recommend the books you favor. (Yep, I don't know exactly how it works, but it does.)

2. Suggest the book to another book club. In my experience, book clubbers tend to belong to more than one club. So, tell your second club about the book your first club liked.

3. Call your local library. If they don't have copies of the book, ask them to get them. If they do, check out the book, even if you have already read it. I'm not suggesting you take out the book and keep another reader from her chance at it, but I am suggesting that the more a book is checked out, the more likely a library is to buy more copies. (And in some libraries, if a book isn't being checked out regularly, they may sell it to make room for more popular works.)

4. Order copies of the book as gifts. Readers love to swap and share. Especially mystery readers. But, book sales are what keep an author writing. So, consider giving books as gifts.

5. Introduce the author to other people who are influence leaders. That might mean other business people who could purchase copies, English or creative writing teachers, book club leaders, or other club leaders. That's the essence of networking: Introducing Person A to Person B because A and B might be able to do business together.

6. Ask your business library to carry a copy of the book. Some books won't be appropriate, but some might. When I worked at Illinois Farm Bureau, we had a huge corporate library. If the book you read is appropriate for your corporate/association library, suggest they purchase a copy.

7. Schedule the author to come make a presentation at a corporate/association lunch. Many companies have meeting rooms where folks can get together at lunch. Schedule a meeting room, and invite your local author to come chat about his/her work.

Any other suggestions? Please share them!