Baby's First Book Signing Event

This past Friday was the 8th anniversary of the publication of my first novel, The Stairs in the Woods. So it's only fitting that I celebrated by doing a book signing event, right? But doing my FIRST book signing event, eight years into the game? That's crazy, right?

Well, yeah. It kinda was. But this past Saturday I finally pulled the trigger and did an in person event! It was a great experience that made me ask myself "Why haven't I done more of these?" You would have thought that I would have done dozens of events by now. It's not like I didn't spend thirty years in retail and customer service jobs. I know how to sell things. It's literally what I've done all my life. So why was setting up a signing so hard?

Well, it's different when you're selling yourself. And until earlier this year, being an author was my part time gig. There were always other work responsibilities that I needed to prioritize. And when you work the retail life, good luck getting a weekend off to pursue your own goals. But since becoming a full time author in April, I've had a chance to prioritize the things that are important to me. And this past weekend I got to check a big one off the list.

My first event was the Mall Crawl Book Fair a Superstition Springs Center in Mesa, AZ. The choice was somewhat symbolic, as once upon a time I used to work in that very mall. So to return as an author doing a book signing rather than an employee at one of the stores was a little twist of fate I couldn't resist. It was also a smaller event with a low entry cost, which kept the stakes a bit lower for a first timer like me.

Despite it being my first event, I feel like I went in extremely prepared. My wife and I made goodie bags for everyone who bought a book (pictured above), we had trope cards with QR codes for the folks who prefer ebooks, bookmarks, and free stickers on the table. Even the cats got in on the act helping us get everything set up! Here you can see Mason testing the structural integrity of the table:

The hardest part was getting in and out of the mall. It was over a hundred degrees outside and lugging in the wagon full of books and the table and chairs was not pleasant. The New England boy in me will never adapt to this heat. And luckily there were a lot less books to wheel out than we had to wheel in. But after that, setup was a breeze and it was fun watching all the other authors get their tables ready as well. It is amazing to watch people do what they love doing. So much different that a normal 'work' experience. And besides, it gave me ideas for things I can do with my own table in the future.

The turnout was much better than I expected. I sold a bunch of books, interacted with a bunch of readers, and met some fellow authors who were set up at the same event. My wife even made a friend with the contemporary romance author at the table next to us. The Shadow Sisters was the big seller of the day followed by The Stairs in the Woods. Stairs has always been my best seller, so it was nice to see my latest book do so well. It's a story that I really believe in.

So thank you to everyone who showed up and stopped by, whether you purchased a book or not! Every one of you made this past Saturday a memorable experience and I hope to see you all again at future events.

And while we did sell a bunch of books, I still have plenty in stock! I will add a spot on my website for all upcoming events that I get signed up for. Make sure to keep updated. But if you aren't close enough to see me at the next in person event, you can always order your signed copies online through my FourthWall Shop (Goodie bag included while supplies last).