How I Got a Signing Event at Barnes & Noble
Despite BETA releasing nearly a year ago, thanks to the Pandy, I’ve only just started having in person signing events at local Barnes & Noble locations. This was something I always dreamed of doing once I had a book published and having to wait almost a year was excruciating. So, when things finally started to calm down in Washington State, I was quick to contact my local stores to make a connection and propose events.
I FINALLY had my first event yesterday, a month and a day before my sequel is released. It was a big day for me as an author and huge in battling my ever-present imposter syndrome. Since posting about getting BETA in my local Barnes & Noble, I’ve fielded an avalanche of questions from fellow indie authors asking how I was able to set it up, many of them not aware that indie authors could get secure Barnes & Noble events.
Ask no more, friends. I’ve outlined how I did it below.
1.) Make sure your book is sellable per Barnes & Noble guidelines. Barnes & Noble will provide stock for the signing if your book meets their requirements. Your book needs:
1- To be available through a wholesale distributor at a 53-55% discount.
2- Be made returnable.
3- An ISBN and a barcode
I publish and distribute through Ingram Spark, which makes meeting these requirements easy. My understanding of KDP, meanwhile, is that they claim to make this possible if you select wide distribution when setting up your title. However, they don’t allow the distributers they work to make titles returnable. Since this is a deal-breaker to most bookstores, it makes it considerable more difficult to get them to purchase the stock themselves. If this is the situation you are in, talk with the team at the Barnes & Noble you are trying to work with to see how they are willing to move forward with your tittle. Some bookstores will allow you to bring your stock into the shop and take a cut of the profit but I’m not sure if Barnes & Noble stores will accommodate this.
2.) Garner reviews so that the store knows there is an audience for your book. Having a solid number of positive reviews tells the store that readers have enjoyed your book already and that it is something their customers may enjoy as well. When you first reach out to a store about hosting a signing event, odds are they’re going to look you and your book up. They are more likely to say yes to you if they a good number of positive reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and the Barnes & Noble site. If you are struggling to build review numbers, reach out to reviewers, like bookstagrammers and bloggers and offer free copies in exchange for an honest review. While there is no magic number, I told myself I wouldn’t reach out to book stores until I reached 20 reviews on Goodreads.
3.) Reach out to store locations near you. I’ve found the best mode of communication in setting up an event with a Barnes & Noble to be email. If you call or go into the store, they’ll likely give you the store email to reach out to. This allows you send all information and include links to your Goodreads reviews and website. It puts that information in an easily accessible spot for the B&N staff and helps you help them to see that you are worthwhile author to work with.
Each store’s individual email address can be tricky to find in most cases, it required me to first call or visit them in store. While nothing makes my heart race quite like making phone calls or walking up to the customer service desk, if you do speak to someone directly before emailing, make sure to include the name of employee you spoke with in your email.
Here’s an example of the email template I used. You can use this and change it up to help craft your introductory email. Keep in mind I wrote this when many stores were still closed to in-person events.
Hello (CITY NAME) Barnes & Noble!
I'm local indie author MT Zimny, living in the Seattle area. I independently published the first book in my superhero YA series last Fall (Here's the Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58558942-beta ) and I'm getting ready to release the sequel on October 12, 2021 (Here's the Goodreads link for that one: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58543584-delta ). While I've had success in growing readership since releasing my first book (which is available for retailers at a 53% wholesale price through Lightning Source), I haven't been able to do in-person events in bookstores due to the pandemic. With things opening at long last, I'm looking forward to scheduling signings and events at local bookstores. When will the (CITY NAME) Barnes & Noble be open to scheduling in-person events?
Looking forward to hopefully working with you in the near future!
M.T. Zimny
she/her
Remember to include if you’ve already spoken to them whether over the phone or in person. If I have a personal connection to the Barnes & Noble I’m emailing, I like to include that, too.
4.) Wait for a response! Not every bookstore will be looking to host a signing event and you might not hear back from them all. Don’t be discouraged! If you keep at in and believe in your book, someone else is sure to believe in it, too.
5.) After you’ve heard back and get a date and time set for your event, it’s time to advertise, advertise, advertise. Just because you and your book are there doesn’t mean it’ll sell. Tell your friends and family, tell your church, tell your coworkers. Keep a social media presence and tell your followers.
6.) Don’t be too nervous and have fun. When the day of your event comes, remember to relax. This was, admittedly, the hardest part for me. However, booksellers are, in general, super welcoming and eager to help. If you look at ease at your table, customers are more likely to come talk and are more likely to pick up your book. Have a quick pitch ready to go for when they ask you what it’s about and have pen on hand to sign the books with (and practice your signature ahead of time!).
At the end of the day, remember that you don’t need a signing event in a Barnes & Noble to sell books and build an audience. It’s fun, yes, and you can certainly reach new readers this way, but whether or not you are able to hold one doesn’t determine your value or legitimacy as an author. So have fun with it and remember: if you love your book, someone else will, too.