The local bookstore signing – something every author wants and yet few know how to handle. We talked to a bookseller, let’s just call her Bookseller X, to find out how to make a local event work…and keep your local booksellers happy.

It’s finally happened, your book has been published, and you’ve managed to set up a signing at your local bookstore. Congratulations! You think publishing was the tricky part? You’re only just getting started. Here are some things to think about as you get ready for your Big Day:

1) We are investing in you. Invest in us!

When a bookstore agrees to host a reading/signing for you, it’s more than just slotting you into a schedule: it’s an investment. We are agreeing to invest both time and money into you and your book by ordering in copies, giving them prime shelf-space, using staff time to plan and execute your event, etc. So invest right back! Use your own list of contacts to help bring people in. If you’re willing and able, help out with promotional materials like posters or flyers, or maybe even refreshments at the event. Local author events are at their best when the authors have invested in them just as much as the bookstore has.

2) Don’t spread yourself too thin.

More is better, right? In terms of events, this can be dead wrong! You may be tempted to pepper your area with signings and readings, trying to get the most exposure you can. But keep in mind that unless you’re in a huge metropolitan area, you may just be handicapping your own events. Most cities only have so much of an audience for author events, and if you have too many too close together, attendance and sales will suffer for it. Some bookstores will require that, if you are to be hosted at their store, theirs is either the only or the first event. It’s not because we’re greedy, I promise! Rather, we want to have the best event we can (see #1!), and if you’ve already signed at two other bookstores plus a couple of Costcos, it’s not likely to go well.

3) Please don’t second-guess the bookstore.

We know you want to sell a ton of books. And maybe you’re doing #s 1 and 2, investing in your event, making sure that it’s a big launch, calling each and every person in your high school yearbook, inviting your entire extended family including third cousins twice removed. Make sure your bookstore knows exactly what you’re doing to help out, and then, step back. Over the years we’ve come to know our stores and our events, how many people to expect, how many books to order, how many staff to have on hand, what kinds of formats work best for which kinds of books. It’s our job, after all, to make sure events go well! If you think your bookstore is underestimating your event, then the best thing to provide them with are facts: How many people did you invite? How many did you hear back from? What organizations are you connected with that might provide big crowds? Are your friends big spenders? Are your family coming to buy every book they can get their hands on? Let us know, by all means! But don’t expect us to necessarily change our orders or logistics, and don’t be offended if it doesn’t happen. It’s our job to get it right; trust us!

4) Stay calm; do not panic!

The big day is approaching, there are a million little things that could go wrong, and you’re up every night dreaming about them. Take a deep breath, and remember: it’s our job to get it right! Your event manager has probably not only thought of each and every one of those million little problems, but dealt with 99.99% of them. You’ll probably be tempted to call or email (possibly several times a week, if not several times a day–yes, this has happened) each time you think of a new disastrous possibility. Don’t! If you can’t resign yourself to trust your bookstore, then try this instead: start a running list of things you’re worried about. Put down as many things as you can think of. Give yourself time and permission to get a really good list going. Then, let it sit for a day or two. Take another look. Is it really likely that a plane will crash into your signing? Probably not, cross that one off the list. If you feel like you have legitimate concerns, concerns you’ve thought about and considered, then send your event manager an email detailing them. Just one. Yes, an email, not a phone call! Not only is it less intrusive, but it allows your event manager to consider it at their leisure, when they have time to focus on it. Don’t demand answers or immediate action, but rather put it out there for their consideration: “You’ve probably already dealt with/thought about this already, but I was a little concerned that…” Chances are you don’t need to worry about any of it. But if you absolutely can’t let it go, try to make it as easy for the event manager to understand and respond as possible. If you call five times in three days, or if our email boxes overflow, you can bet we’re going to be more frustrated than receptive!

5) Enjoy your big day!

Let go of any expectations, worries, hopes and fears. If you’ve done 1 through 4, then you’re bound to have the best event you can expect, be on good footing with your local bookstore, and give your book a nice bump!

As part of our ongoing Q&A series with people in publishing, we talked to one of our international colleagues, Scott Pack, publisher at The Friday Project, an imprint of HarperCollins UK in London.

Q: We have to ask – why The Friday Project?
A: There was a significant, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek, social movement a few years back which called for everybody to be given Friday off work. By making the weekend longer we’d all be happier. The founders of The Friday Project (TFP) subscribed to that notion and the name was chosen.

Q: You’re the publishing arm of HarperCollins in the UK but you function pretty independently. What’s the biggest difference between the US and UK publishing industries?
A: On a commercial level it is the discount. Retailers in the UK can, and usually do, discount books significantly from publication. So you can usually find the biggest book of any given week at half price in the shops. Some people think this is a bad thing but anyone who has ever been hooked by a 3 for 2 promotion (probably the biggest vehicle for selling books over here) can testify that it definitely works in terms of selling books. Elsewhere, I don’t think we have any one influencer that can make a huge book overnight. A wonderful New York Times review or a mention on Oprah can often create a bestseller in the US but there isn’t anything with that impact here now that Richard & Judy have left terrestrial television.

Q: What’s the hot trend right now in the UK? Cat books? Vampires? What should we be watching for?
A: There do seem to be a lot of vampire books around, and zombies. Right now every publisher and his uncle is rushing out a Michael Jackson book (we are not, I should add). I guess there are always mini-trends or waves of interest but ultimately the only consistent trend is the readers’ love of a great story.

Q: What do you wish every US-based author knew before getting his or her book published in the UK?
A: That there are a hell of a lot of ways you can promote a book without leaving your seat. If you make yourself available through Skype, blogs, instant messenger, Twitter and really put some time into online promotion you can reach many UK readers even if your publisher doesn’t have the cash to fly you over. Also that we really don’t care about the baseball or basketball scores over here. Not a bit. Your excitement is not ours to share.

Q: eReaders. We can’t do a Q&A without asking about them. Love or hate? Or both?
A: Love them, in all their forms. At present the Kindle isn’t available over here and Amazon doesn’t seem to be in any great rush to change that. To be fair, I think it is down to the fact that they will need to have an option for the whole of the EU, not just the UK, before they go live. That means that the Sony Reader has a genuine foothold here. But there are still issues over pricing, availability and content for eBooks that need to be resolved before they will really take off. They are part of the future and we need to adapt to that.

HarperStudio and Borders are pleased to introduce Mark Bagby, the Grand Prize Winner of the “I Am the Next Mark Twain” writing contest. In true Twain fashion, Bagby had some great words to offer after being congratulated on his big win:

I have been interpreting Mark Twain since I was cast in the role of the great humorist and author in the Bakersfield Musical Theatre (community theatre) production of “Big River,” the musical adaptation of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” in 1991. Since then, I have studied biographies, critical essays, and read nearly everything he has written. This has helped immensely and helped refine my performances, and have since done the musical twice more, most recently in January of this year.

Also, I crafted/adapted/scripted two different two-hour shows of Mark Twain material, “Greatly Exaggerated,” and “Nobody’s Fool,” which I performed at another local community theatre, the Spotlight Theatre. These are one man shows, recreating the style and format of Mark Twain lectures, though indebted as are Twain interpreters, to the great work of Hal Holbrook, who is a great inspiration as well.

My performances have also included schools, professional groups, business gatherings and last November I did a one-hour show called “In Considerable Doubt,” at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. I am totally delighted as I think about including my local Border’s as a performance venue, especially under the circumstances!

I don’t know if I’m the next Mark Twain, as there will never be another. But I’m gratified to keep his work, life and words alive for audiences to enjoy, and I thank HarperStudio and Borders for helping to keep Mark Twain in the public consciousness, especially as we approach the centennial of his death. And I’m absolutely thrilled to have won….I’m trying to be humble, but I’ll let Mr. Twain have the final word: “I have had many compliments, but they always embarass me. I always feel they have not said enough.”

Mark Bagby Wins Writing Contest and Claims his Status as "The Next Mark Twain"

And he has a surprising career history…

HarperStudio and Borders are pleased to announce the winner of the I am the Next Mark Twain writing contest: Mark Bagby, of Bakersfield, Calif. His conclusion to the unfinished Twain essay “Conversations with Satan,” was chosen from among 100 entries as the most fitting ending to Twain’s satirical piece. Ten other writers have been selected as Honorable Mentions: Joshua Minuto, James Pendergast, William Colletti, Robert Frazier, Robin Chae, Janet Reeves, Howard Krulewitz, Kimberly Maloney, Chris Narbone, and Craig Cheney. Contestants’ biographies and locales were not revealed during the judging process. In a twist to this story, the Grand Prize Winner just happens to be a Mark Twain interpreter and has been performing one-man shows of Twain’s works.

The contest was created to coincide with the publication of Who Is Mark Twain? and to engage readers and fans alike in “finding” the next Mark Twain. The entries were read by a panel of three judges: Robert Hirst, editor of the Mark Twain Papers project, Dave Taffner, a member of the Borders Fiction buying team, and Julia Cheiffetz, senior editor at HarperStudio.

“One of the most exciting things about publishing the newly-discovered Twain pieces in Who Is Mark Twain? is to see how contemporary Twain still is,” Robert Miller, HarperStudio President reflects. “The terrific responses we received to the ‘I Am the Next Mark Twain’ contest are the ultimate proof of that. I’m sure that Twain would have enjoyed seeing how brilliantly his work was finished, almost a century after his death. We are grateful to Borders for teaming with us on this contest—it was fun.”

Mark Bagby, as the Grand Prize Winner, will receive a free copy of Who Is Mark Twain?, have his piece published on Borders.com, and will give a reading of his work at his local Borders store. Bagby will be able to invite friends and family to hear him read the winning piece and another selection from the book. The winner will also be video taped and interviewed for a segment to air on Borders.com and theharperstudio.com. The date and location of the reading will be announced.

“The fiction buying team here at Borders is thrilled to announce our winner of the ‘I Am The Next Mark Twain’ writing contest. There was an abundance of interest in this contest, and we were pleasantly surprised at how many wonderful submissions we received. We are looking forward to Mark Bagby’s appearance at his local Borders store to read his winning masterpiece and we wish him the best of luck in his writing endeavors,” said Anne Kubek, executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing for Borders.

Congrats to Mark Bagby, the next Mark Twain!

No matter how long you work in publishing, nothing can replace that feeling when you see a book you’ve been working on in an actual bookstore for the first time. Bonus points (and probably a little squeal) if the book is on display. Last week, celebrating the launch of ORGANIC AND CHIC by friend Sarah Magid, I was at Word – a super cool, super smart bookstore in Greenpoint, Brooklyn – and I saw BURN THIS BOOK front and center of the store. And, of course, I had to take a picture.

In a taxi on the way to the Today Show. Wish my hair could look like this every day.

Fresh off the road for my new book BOYOLOGY, I pulled together a list of the 5 things every author should know before going on tour. Here they are:

1. Twittering is MUCH easier than blogging on the road. Thanks to my trusty iPhone, I wasn’t worryied about finding a wifi connection for my laptop so I could write an “official” blog post. Instead, I used twitter and dealt with the blog stuff when I got home.

2. Online event listings really do pull people out to events. I had a bunch of people mention that they saw my events online and that’s why they came. And other local media (TV, radio, print) is really important. Hard to get, but worth the effort of trying.

3. Be Nice. Remember that the booksellers are putting in extra hours (likely unpaid) to be at your events, your publicist is pulling her hair out to get you another radio interview in the market, and your mother has already purchased 5 copies of your book. (She can’t drive your Amazon ranking by herself). A thank you note after each event for the bookseller, and a little gift for your publicist will go a long way in showing your appreciation for all their hard work. You’ll have to figure out how to thank your mother on your own.

4. The perfect pre-tour gift is a Starbucks card. If you’re ever thinking about giving your author a “good luck on the road” present, get them $20 to Starbucks. One of my friends gave me one and I was so grateful to have it since most of my meals ended up being at Starbucks. And with my early morning 6:00am flights every morning, I started each day with a lot of coffee!

5. Do Not, I repeat, DO NOT, take red-eye flights.

Extra Credit: Buy some books! No one has better reading recommendations than a local bookseller. Take their advice on what’s hot and support them by getting it at their store. Can you believe I had never read John Green’s Looking for Alaska and I’m a teen author? I ended up bringing 11 books home. Not only will I be smarter, but I think I’m actually a little bit stronger from lugging my suitcase around.

The idea of place is one of the most important ideas in literature. Both figuratively – and literally. Where you read can be as important as what you read.

Time Out New York posted a few favorite New York reading spots, some with more actual “reading” potential than others.

Ivanka Trump prefers The Pond at Central Park, although we have yet to see her in US Weekly actually holding a book. Apparently, Spiderman settles in among the Chrysler Building’s gargoyles to read. He must be re-reading The Watchmen to figure out just where the movie went wrong. But the most inspiring example is the barista who reads while waiting in line at Trader Joe’s. Now, there’s a book lover. Most people don’t have enough patience to wait in the block-long lines to get into the store. Much less read while doing it.

The results of our latest web pollshow that a friend’s recommendation is the biggest factor when people are buying new books to read, but a good book review is also a strong endorsement. What will happen if the book review sections completely disappear? Which websites and bloggers do you trust most for your reading recommendations?