On Saturday I had my latest book signing, this time at Angus & Robertson at Victoria Point Shopping Centre.
It was a pleasure to go there, as Catherine and her team are incredibly organised and welcoming, and know exactly what to do for book signings. Sometimes you can show up to these things and nothing is prepared and the staff don’t seem to know exactly what to do, even though they were expecting you.
However, on this occasion, a nice big table was already set up for my books, with everything I needed on hand, and there was a stand advertising my books clearly on display. So I immediately began setting up with the stock I had brought with me and displaying it, along with my new charm bracelets, which I give to those who buy the full set of the trilogy.
I was still gathering my copies together when I sensed a presence in front of me. It was a girl, who quickly told me she was eleven years old, and looked eagerly at my books.
‘Do you like to read?’ I said.
‘Yes,’ she replied.
‘What things do you like to read?’
‘Everything!’
While she was a little younger than my normal audience, I have had another girl of ten love my books, and after I explained to her mother than my books were clear of any profanity and sex scenes (mine only go as far as kissing), she nodded and said to her daughter, ‘Would you like it?’
‘Yes, please!’
‘Just The Heir, then?’ I said. Most people usually only buy The Heir to start off with, as buying the full trilogy without any knowledge of it is usually considered too much, unless it’s for a Christmas or birthday present.
But I was surprised as the mother said, ‘No, we’ll take all three.’
The girl was delighted, as that meant she received the charm bracelet as well. I couldn’t deny how happy I was either, especially since I hadn’t even set up my table properly yet.
It’s amazing how often this has happened. I find that, at book signings, I need to be on alert from the moment I arrive, as some of my best sales have come while I’ve still been setting up. I can’t just concentrate on what I’m doing and hope whoever it is will wait until I’m done. They usually don’t. So I stop and engage immediately, and am often rewarded with success.
I had a lot of success that day, with four full sets as well as three single copies of The Heir being sold. It can be hard to convince people to buy three books at once from an unknown author, so I usually find I have more sales of single copies of The Heir than anything else, so it was wonderful to see so many people happy to try out all three. It certainly made me happy, and I was glad I could generate some good sales for Angus & Robertson at Victoria Point.
Next week I’ll be at the Pine Rivers Arts Festival at Albany Creek State School. Drop in and say hi if you’re in the area!
So Good Lyn!
Yes, I was happy with the way it went.
Great to hear Lynne 🙂 Here’s hoping you are on a roll and you have another fantastic day at the Pine Rivers Arts Festival 🙂
Hope so! 🙂