The 5 Stages of Hand Selling Your Book

For those of you who aren't in the Chicagoland area, I'm preparing to head up to Capricon this week (and for those of you who are in the area, come by and say hello!). And since I'm going through my list of stuff to pack, and it's been a while since I've talked about the ancient art of hand selling. One of the toughest parts of the hustle for most authors (especially those of us who aren't the best at the marketing and social interaction part of the job), I thought it would be of use to some of my readers to go through the flowchart of the hand selling process.

All right, let's do this thing.

And for those unfamiliar with the term, hand selling is when it's you and a potential reader, face-to-face as you make your pitch the old-fashioned way. It's also what you spend a majority of your time doing if you're an author looking to bring home fewer books than you brought to a signing, event, etc. If you're not sure how to go about the process, or if you find it intimidating, hopefully this breaks it down for you a bit.

Stage One: The Setup

Here reader, reader, reader... I've got a treat for you!

The first stage of hand selling your book is making sure that you set the stage for the sale to come. Most commonly that means setting up a table, whether you're doing a signing in a book store, or you're in the dealer's hall of a convention center.

So lay out the set dressing.

Make sure you have your books on display (I highly recommend using folding wooden easel holders, as they take up less space in your travel bag and look pretty elegant to boot), and focus the attention toward a central area. If you have a series, put them in order from left-to-right, as that's the direction folks read. Usually I recommend placing yourself in the center, as all the books lead to you, which helps funnel attention.

Don't be afraid to get creative with it, though. If you need to draw some extra attention to yourself, lay out a book cloth with contrasting colors. Bring a knight statue to hold your signing pen. Put a skull on the table. Set up a flag along the front, or on a stand nearby so people can see you from down the row. And if you want to stand out, put together an outfit that gets people's attention. It doesn't have to be complicated, but props to you if you go all-in on a theme (Victorian adventurer for a steampunk series, wig and fake feet for a Hobbit parody, etc.). The idea is that your trap needs to get people to slow down long enough to enter stage two.

Stage Two: Engagement

Yes... come closer. This one likes you, I can tell.

Getting a potential reader to glance at your table is sort of like having a fish nibble at your hook. You need to engage them, but you don't want to drive them off by jumping the gun. It's a delicate balance, and it can be tough not to get too salesy with your approach. Keep things relaxed and natural, and open a conversation with someone. Once you get them talking, you've gotten them to stay in your orbit.

This is particularly easy if you're at a convention. Asking someone how they've liked the event so far, or picking out a piece of fandom they're displaying is typically enough to spark at least a little conversation. This goes double for folks in cosplay, or who are actively sporting references to their own favorite parts of pop culture. Bonus points if you're both fans of the same thing, and you can get them to talk about themselves for a little bit. It's an odd quirk of conversational law that once you've let someone else talk, they'll often return the favor and let you talk about what you're doing. And if you pay attention to what they say, and the signs they show, you can often make stage three a lot easier.

Also, bonus tip; have a game, a handout, a bowl of candy, or something to give to people. Everyone loves free stuff, and if they feel like it's a compliment to their taste in TV, movies, books, comics, etc., then they'll be flattered to boot.

Stage Three: Sinking The Hook

A classic pulp fantasy, you say? What's it about?

Sometimes you get lucky and your potential reader will skip straight to this step for you, but you should never rush to get here. If you try to sink your hook with someone whose interest hasn't been gauged, it can be pretty hard to make a sale.

In short, this is the part where you try to convince the potential reader to buy a copy of your book. Sometimes it's easy. For example, when I brought a box of From A Cat's View to Windy Con a year or so ago, all I had to say is that it's an anthology of stories told from the perspective of cats. Half the folks were already reaching for their wallets before I told them about my story Stray Cat Strut, and how it was basically what you'd get if Disney ever did a rendition of The Big Sleep. Other times it can be tough to figure out what your potential readers are looking for.

Also, sometimes you just don't write the sort of books they want to read. However, there's usually a way to get someone to at least consider what you've got on-hand. Don't be afraid to ask them questions about what they like in their books, and to try to cross-reference it with something in your inventory. Incidentally, it also helps if you've got more than one book with you. Because if someone wants a sword and sorcery novel, then Crier's Knife is going to be right up their alley, but if they're more of a pick-and-mix fan then they might find that my new release The Rejects is more their style.

Options are definitely your friend at this stage.

Step Four: Get The Book Into Their Hands

Go on... pick it up. See if you like it!

This is actually a trick I've learned over the years from fellow con authors, and while it sounds silly, it works. If someone looks like they're on the fence, and they're trying to tell themselves no, hold your book out to them. Let them get a good look at it if they haven't picked it up yet. Sometimes that tactile sensation is all it takes to turn, "Well, maybe if I have the budget later," into, "Sure, here's my card."

I don't know why this works as often as it does, but it's a handy trick. Also, if someone is holding it, don't ask, "So, do you want one?" Instead ask, "Would you like one or two?" By steering the inertia toward a sale, it makes people more likely to at least grab one copy. Might be a little underhanded as far as tactics go, but psychological warfare is the name of the game here.

Stage Five: Take a Card

Go on, take a card... it's free!

Even if someone isn't interested in your book (or at least in the books you've got with you at that time), don't let them leave your table empty handed. Make sure they have a business card, a bookmark with your name and covers on them, or something so that they'll have a token to remember you by. If you've got an email list, try to get them to sign up. Everyone loves free stuff, and if you never lay eyes on them for the rest of the convention that token should connect with the experience they had with you, and it might make them look you up when they get home. Bonus points if you offer them something for free, like a digital copy of one of your books if they send you an email.

Also, if someone does make a purchase, be sure they take something with, too. You can never sink the nail so deep that one more whack with the marketing hammer is truly wasted.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Square Credit Card Readers Are A Necessity For Hand Selling Books

I remember the first time I was ever invited to go to a convention. It was Gen Con, the year after Gary Gygax died. I was full of questions, and the folks who invited me to attend with them were full of helpful advice. One of the most often repeated bits of wisdom, though, was to bring a sizable chunk of cash with me in case I found something I really wanted to buy. Since the merchants were going to be in a booth in a gigantic concrete bunker, few of them would have the ability to accept credit cards, and even those who did might not be able to make the charge.

Very few merchants at this event dealt in lead.

It turns out that this was common wisdom among most convention goers. Whether you preferred gaming or comics, Renaissance Faires or historical re-enactments, you needed to have coin of the realm with you to make any purchases. Since the merchants were on the road, most of them simply didn't have the ability to charge a card from their booths.

As technology has advanced, though, this common wisdom has become less and less accurate. Thanks to better wireless Internet networks, the smartphone revolution, and credit card payments becoming easier to accept than ever before, there are few convention merchants who can't take a credit card. Cash might be cheaper, but if all you brought is plastic, then you should still be able to get that shiny thing your heart desires.

What Does This Have To Do With Being An Author?

Conventions are one of the prime places for authors to find an audience. If you're on a panel, folks in the audience might decide they want to check out your book(s). If you do a reading, then some attendees might decide they want more. Also, most conventions have signing tables where fans can come to request your signature. If they don't own a copy of your work, you can often sell them a book then sign it on the spot.

If you're limited to taking cash, though, your hand sales might not be as impressive as you're hoping. Especially if someone is interested enough to get your book, but not interested enough to go to an ATM, pay a fee, and then track you down again in order to get a copy.

And hand-selling a book is hard enough as it is.

That's why, if you're an author who goes to a lot of events, you should invest in a portable credit card reader. There are a lot of options on the market at present, but one of the most common (and most reliable, from what fellow authors I interviewed told me) is the Square Magstrip Reader.

The way this little gadget works is pretty simple. You click the link above, sign up, and the company sends you a free reader. You set it up with your account information, and then you're ready to start selling books and taking credit cards straight from your smartphone. You simply need to adjust your price to account for the 2.75 percent charge that comes with every swipe, or the 3.5 percent charge that comes with a manual entry of the card number.

Also, just to prove that we're living in the future, you can take payments with a Square while you're offline. The Square stores the record, and then once your phone gets reception, it sends out the notification that your readers need to be charged. Then the charge happens, and in a few days there's money in your bank account.

So, if you're intending on doing any events where you're selling books, and you aren't in a traditional bookstore, it can only help to have a Square on hand. Whether you're doing a library event, hosting a talk at a local college, or nailing down a spot in the dealer's hall, there's no reason to limit yourself to paper when you could just as easily take plastic as well.

As always, thanks for stopping in to get the latest advice on how to get ahead in a competitive profession. If you're curious about how well the Square works in the field, I'll add an update to this as soon as I've gotten one of my own and put it to work at a convention. If you'd like to help support me and my work, then drop by the Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! As little as $1 per month can make a big difference when it comes to delivering content straight to your screen. Also, if you want to make sure you get the latest on all my updates, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, too.

Sell More Books (By Always Being Ready To Sell More Books)

I'd like to start this week's entry off with a story. There's a local Chinese buffet in my town, and when I have a big story on my mind along with a big hole in my stomach I like to go there with a writer friend of mine to talk over plot while eating until I feel I have ingested my money's worth. Several years ago I was engaged in this pleasant past time, and discussing a novel idea I was contemplating. We were going back and forth on the finer points of plot when a woman I'd never met before stopped at our table and asked what we were talking about.

"We're writers," my friend said with a pleasant smile.

"Oh," our guest said, returning the smile in kind. "Are you working on a book?"

"Indeed we are," I said.

Right here is what professional authors whose books aren't flying off the shelves refer to as the sweet spot (or some variation thereof). What I had was a total stranger who had approached me of her own volition, and who was interested in my craft. The appropriate response for such a chance encounter would be to perhaps ask if she liked to read science fiction or fantasy (I had a story of each genre available for sale at the time), and if she was a fan of either/both genres to hand her a business card and tell her to take a look at my work. Perhaps I could even go so far as to offer her a free digital copy for finding the author "in the wild" instead of at an event.

That isn't what happened, though. Instead we all sat in a slightly awkward silence before she walked off, and my friend and I went back to our food and our conversation.

Five minutes later, I did this.

It's all too easy to let yourself sink into a routine, as an author. When you go to a book signing event, or you're at a convention as a panelist or a guest, you've got your professional face on. You're there to show people how awesome you are, and if all goes well to persuade them to buy a copy of everything you've ever had published. When you're just living your day-to-day life, though, you tend to leave your game face at home.

If you want to sell more books, don't do that.

I'm not saying that you should carry a briefcase with a full press kit in it everywhere you go, but it's a good idea to keep your professional face in your back pocket along with a few business cards and maybe a promotional bookmark or two. When you're at a bookstore or a convention you're fighting for attention, and it's kind of like you're one of a hundred other people in an orange vest during deer season. You're competing with all these other head hunters, and the readers know you're gunning for them. But if someone just walks up to you at a party, in the park, or in a restaurant it's like you're sitting on your back porch, rifle over your knees, and a deer just walks right out of the woods and stood there in your sights.

So what's your book about?

There's another benefit to this author-in-the-wild setup as well. At a convention, a book signing, or any other event, you're an expected presence. Finding an author at a convention is about as surprising or unusual as finding an 80s action movie on TV on a weekday afternoon. This means that unless you pull out all the stops and make a big impression you're going to fade into the background.

Meeting an author in a place you don't expect to meet one, though, makes the experience special. It's like how seeing a tiger at the zoo is no big deal, but seeing one while you're at the coffee shop is something you're going to talk about for weeks. As a tiger who writes books, this can be a huge advantage for you. Not only will you have no competition for a reader who is enthralled that a creature like you can be found in such a normal place, but that reader is more likely to tell other people about you. Whether she has a few friends in a reading group, or a thousand followers on Facebook is impossible for you to know. If you send her away with your business card, a smile, and the promise of a free book, however, you're a lot closer to finding a fan (and even better a fan that will talk about you) than you were five minutes ago.

While we're on the subject of selling books...

As a closer, did you know that May is National Short Story Month? As my last post for the month I'd like to let all my readers know that my new book New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam is now available! You can find it, along with a dozen other books, on my Amazon author page. The first two stories are free, so why not click over and see if this is the book you've been looking for?


As always, thanks for stopping in! If you'd like to support me and my blog, stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today! If you want to make sure you don't miss any of my updates then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and even on Twitter.

The Elevator Pitch: What It Is and Why You Need One

Every author dreams of finding themselves talking to a publisher who's a big deal. The kind of person who could open up a cell phone, call an assistant, and have a five-figure contract in your hands by tomorrow if he likes your idea. Maybe you're at a cocktail party and you just said something really witty, and he wipes a tear from his eye, gives you a smile, and says, "So, tell me about your book." This is it, the moment when you get a chance to hook that big fish, but you can see someone else making a beeline for him. You know you've got thirty seconds, maybe a minute, before the big deal's attention will move on and you'll be lost in the shuffle.

So what do you say?

The Elevator Pitch

The term elevator pitch has been used for decades because it refers to the scenario where you and the aforementioned important publisher are in an elevator. He's going up to his floor and you have between now and the time he gets there to sell him on your book. What you don't want is to be reaching for a good explanation, tossing in buzzwords, or rambling through the entire plot. You want something short, sweet, concise, and engaging.

In short, you want a hook.

Tell me more.

That's the whole point of your elevator pitch; you want your audience hooked on what you just said. You could go on at length about how your main character is a demon who is summoned by a young girl and bound into service to help her find a mysterious artifact of power, and how your lead has to contend with other persons who want the same item, but you'll start losing the thread of the tale and your listener will wander away. Instead you should say something like this:

"My novel is a gritty crime thriller in the spirit of The Maltese Falcon, if Sam Spade was a demon."

Whether modern fantasy is your genre or not, that is the kind of line that is going to make people stop and blink for a second or two. That's the reaction you want.

Elevator Pitches Are For More Than Just Publishers

Getting your book published is just the first step; you're going to have to help sell it too. That's why you don't want to hang up your elevator pitch just because your book is newly minted and breathing on the shelves. If it worked once then there's no reason it won't work again. And again. And again.

So what is this thing about?

The number of times you are going to be asked by people what your book is about is legion. Casual acquaintances, complete strangers, and everyone in between is going to ask you some variation of the question within ten minutes of learning you've had a book published. If your elevator pitch got a professional publisher interested then it should work great when you're being interviewed, when you're trying to hand sell your book at a convention, or when you just want to leave someone with an itch in their head to know more about what your book is really about.

Your book is an infinitely complex tale, and everyone is going to have a favorite character, moment, or scene. Your job is to be the travel agent and to find the hook that gets every reader to want to travel to this mythical land you've created.

Speaking of which, would you like to read a story about a budding romance between two young journalists forced onto a knife edge in the flickering light of the silver screen? Then check out Double Feature, my contribution to American Nightmare.

You know you want to...

As always thanks for stopping by The Literary Mercenary, and if you find the advice herein helpful stop by my Patreon page and consider becoming a patron today! Also if you want to get all of my updates then you should make sure to follow me on both Facebook and Tumblr so you don't miss a thing.