A couple months back, I was invited to do a book signing at Dog-Eared Books in Raleigh, NC. It was the first time someone approached me instead of the other way around, so I accepted. Since Dog Eared Books is a second hand book store, I knew I wasn’t likely to sell many books unless people I knew personally attended. I even had other authors discourage me from doing a book signing at a used book store. I did it anyway.

The weather was terrible. It rained. Hard. And although there was a steady flow of traffic into the book store, none had come to see me. They were there to buy or trade used books.

But, my youngest daughter and granddaughter attended, so I wasn’t bored or lonely. In fact, my little granddaughter (and the basket of candy I offered passersby) drew people to my table. Even if I didn’t sell those people a book, I met them. I got my name out there. And it was good exposure.

I also did a live reading on Facebook that generated over 500 views in less than 24 hours. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. Even if I didn’t sell all the paperback copies of by book, it doesn’t matter. I make more off of e-books anyway, and people noticed me. Some took my cards, others just stopped for a second to chat.

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FDogEaredBooks%2Fvideos%2F904693109692672%2F&show_text=0&width=267

The live reading on Facebook was just good marketing.

So, would I do another signing at Dog Eared Books despite the low (and I mean low) sales? Yes. Yes I would. In fact, I plan to do another one in July or August to promote my new release, Winds of Time. I’m hoping to get my cover model to join me at the signing, and maybe she’ll even do the live reading.

Sometimes, a book signing isn’t about sales. It’s about meeting readers and getting your name out there. Keep that in mind the next time someone questions why you’re doing a signing in a location that’s not likely to generate a lot of sales.