How to Prepare for a Book Signing

Book signings are one of the most exciting parts of being an author. You get to sit at a long rectangular table while your readers and fans line up to meet you and purchase an autographed copy of your prized book. While this can be a major ego boost, book signings can also be stressful and they rarely go just as you plan. If you're getting ready for one of these events, read these eight tips on preparing for a book signing.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Look Your Best

If this is your first book, your readers and fans have not likely met you before, and therefore the book signing is the first time they will see you except for your picture on the back cover. So take a shower, dress up and wear comfortable but stylish clothes that reflect your personality and that of your writing.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Confirm Travel Arrangements

Unless you are a self-published author, your publisher is probably paying for your travel and lodging arrangements, so you'll need to confirm. The secretaries and assistants at publishing houses are overworked and can easily make a mistake, so to ensure that you arrive on time, make sure you call the airline, the rental car agency and your hotel before leaving the comfort of your home.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Bring Your Favorite Pen

While the bookstore and/or your publisher will supply you with pens, it is possible that you'll be signing lots of books. Bring your favorite pen along for the ride, preferably one with a comfortable grip so that your hand doesn't give out halfway through the book signing. It's also a good idea to have a few extras because pens often run out of ink.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Call the Bookstore in Advance

If you show up without calling the bookstore, be prepared for any number of contingencies. I've heard horror stories from a number of authors who showed up at a book signing to find that there were too many people to fit into the bookstore, not enough copies of their book to go around, too few employees to handle the crowd and a number of other problems. So call the bookstore for directions and to make sure there won't be any unforeseen issues.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Figure Out a Signature

An author's signature becomes something of an icon as he or she becomes increasingly popular, so work out a signature before you attend your first book signing. While it's fine to use your professional signature-the one with which you sign your checks and your receipts-but if you have a long name, you might want to figure out a way to shorten it.

For example, if your name is Christopher Michael Rosenburg, it will take you quite a long time to sign your name 200 times at a book signing. In that case, you might want to sign your name C.M. Rosenburg, or in some other shorthand manner.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Arrive Early

There is nothing worse than arriving late to a book signing, particularly if you have a large reader base. You'll have to fight through the crowd to get to your chair, and you won't have the luxury of sipping a cup of coffee before the limelight falls on you.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Bring Extra Copies of Your Book

If at all possible, bring an extra box or two of your books just in case the bookstore hasn't received a sufficient shipment. You'll have hordes of angry readers pounding their fists in frustration if you run out of books. If you're concerned about appearing presumptuous, leave the box(es) in your car until you actually need them.

Prepare for a Book Signing: Bring Book Plates

Some of your readers will forget their copy of your book at home and will be unable to purchase a new one. For that, bring a stack of bookplates to sign for people who don't have an actual book. That way, they can just take the book plate home and affix it to the inside cover of their copy.

Book signings are a lot of fun, but they'll go far more smoothly if you prepare in advance.