When the Math For an Author Event Doesn't Add Up

But the Total of the Experience Is Still Worth Far More Than the Sum of its Parts

Yesterday I was doing a book signing at a mall bookstore. It was one where they had a lovely table set up right at the front of the store with a display of my books and a sign announcing I was a “local author.” Me, the table, and my books were sticking out a little bit into the mall so that the “author visit” was clearly visible even regardless of which way you walked down the aisle of the mall.

As I often do (to match the theme/genre of my books), I brought along my life-sized skeleton, Barnaby Bones, and a skull, Yorick to add to the display.

These props usually catch the attention of those who are interested in the macabre topics my books tend to cover. Since it’s Halloween season, I also brought a giant skull-faced bowl with a selection of sweet treats. I even had a selection of fun kid-friendly Halloween-themed stickers to give out, for those who would prefer to avoid the sugary confections.

I’ve been doing bookstore events like this for more than twenty-five years. And I’ve learned a thing or two about them that I’ve continued to adapt into my repertoire.

Here are a few tidbits that writers might find helpful to have a successful in-person bookstore event.

• PROP YOURSELF UP—As mentioned already, having some sort of visual prop that is aligned with your genre could work nicely to attract the right people. For me it’s a skeleton and a skull. Other writer friends I know have leveraged other things such as a wishing well (because it was a key element in her novel), chef and kitchen paraphernalia (for a cookbook author), a vase of roses (romance author), crime scene tape (police procedural mystery writer), or even dressed up as a knight (for epic fantasy). The key is that you create a visual prompt that is an indicator to those who are within the realm of your ideal readership. It also serves the effect of offering an easy “conversation starter.” Numerous folks will come over to make some funny comment about my skeleton. Even if it doesn’t lead to a sale, it still offers something memorable.

• GET A LAY OF THE LAND—Arrive at the event early enough to be able to briefly check out the store. Find where the various sections are (High level stuff like Fiction, Non-Fiction, Kids Books, Stationery, the Bestsellers). Take note of any special displays that are set up. And be sure to learn where the nearest restrooms are. Folks coming to the store with a certain need or thing in mind often mistake you for a store employee. They’re too focused on their immediate need and are far from observant. So why not make their experience as pleasant as possible by being prepared to help them? I can’t even count how many times I’ve done that and then, after their needs were fulfilled, the person I helped (now able to see more clearly) realized I wasn’t a store employee, but a visiting author, and came over to check out my books. They might not be of the demographic who reads my books, but sometimes they know someone who might be, and a signed book makes an excellent gift.

• SMILE & ENGAGE—You don’t need to be the world’s most outgoing person, nor to be out there selling. To be honest, I’m rather uncomfortable actually pitching and selling. But I’m able to be present in the moment. Paying attention to your surroundings—instead of having your head down and focused on your phone—looking at and smiling at people makes a huge difference. Again, I’m not talking about any sort of underhanded or smarmy “sales” pitch. Just offering everyone a bright and cheery smile. You’d be amazed how effective a smile is at getting strangers to smile back. And even if it doesn’t lead to a sale (99% of the time it won’t), you’ve likely added a bright spot to a stranger’s day.

• SOMETHING TO TAKE FOR FREE—I like to have things that folks can take with them. One of my business cards, for example. My cards have my author logo, author photo, website and email address on the front – the back has 21 of my 45 book covers in thumbnail on the back. I let them know my books are available in numerous formats, via the library systems—and that if they can’t find one of my books to ask for them, as I know the library can order them in. That visual cue/reminder might come in handy and lead to a future read or even purchase. (Who knows if they return to the store looking for my books, or perhaps purchase something online, or check my books out at a library). I mentioned giving away candy and stickers already, but I like to also have some sort of other handout with a free digital download. I use Bookfunnel for those easy giveaways and will often have a branded postcard created (usually via Vistaprint) with an image on the front and some descriptive text (and my website) on the back. I also leave room for writing something there, and have regularly signed cards to give away to people. And yes, there are ways to measure how many of those links are visited and books are downloaded.

Hopefully you find those a handful of handy tips that might help you out. And here’s wishing you a successful book signing.

But what, exactly does success in a book signing mean? And how do you measure that success? Is it via the money you’ll earn from it?

Definitely not.

One of the things I’ve learned over years of experience is that doing in-person book events, when measured via dollars and sense (yes, the play on words there was fully intended), is that it’s not very effective.

The bottom line is that there’s a significant investment of time involved that is most likely not going to pay itself off. It’ll be a sort of deficit action.

For example, let’s look at the earning potential from a single event. I’ll use my example from this past weekend.

The bookstore had 30 copies of four of my books on that lovely display in their store. All four titles retail for $24.99. Three of them were with a publisher I’ve worked with, and one was from my own publishing company. Of the three traditionally published titles, I earn roughly 8% of the retail price in royalties. However, one of the books was co-authored, which would essentially cut my royalty in half. The one from my own publishing company was one that was made available through traditional channels. Which meant most of the margin went to the bookstore and distributor, but at least it resulted in a few more dollars in my pocket.

Here’s the breakdown of the titles, and the earning potential for each.

1. Haunted Hamilton – QTY: 8 - $24.99 (solo – traditionally published). $2.00 Royalty

2. Creepy Capital – QTY: 8 - $24.99 (solo – traditionally published). $2.00 Royalty

3. Spooky Sudbury – QTY: 8 - $24.99 (co-authored – traditionally published). $1.00 Royalty

4. One Hand Screaming – QTY: 6 - $24.99 (solo – self-published). $5.00 Royalty

Looking at the earning potential of these books, we have 30 units, with 16 of them earning $2.00 per unit sale, 8 of them earning $1.00 per unit sale, and 6 of them earning $5.00 per unit sale. If every single book actually sold, that would be a grand total of $70.00.

I was at the store for 3 hours. It took approximately 1.5 hours each way to get to the store from my home. So that was essentially 6 hours of my time.

In my role as a book industry consultant, I earn between $99 to $199 USD per hour of my work. Even at the low end, 6 hours of work would bring in just under $600. That’s a significant difference from the potential $70 to earn with 6 hours of work.

I tracked how many books I signed for people. By the time I left, I’d sold 12 books. Six copies of Haunted Hamilton, three copies of One Hand Screaming, two copies of Spooky Sudbury, and one copy of Creepy Capital. My earnings on those sales would come to about $31.00. That’s less than half of the overall earning I would have made from selling all the books that were in stock at that store.

So, six hours of my time (not to mention additional planning, etc), for $31.00.

Oh, and as a reminder, for the traditionally published titles, I won’t actually be getting that money until the spring of 2026, and that payment will come with 30% of the funds withheld against potential/future book returns. Meaning it’s really about $26.00.

So why the heck did I still think that doing this event was a good idea?

I mean, the investment of my time versus the ultimate income definitely does not add up.

But it’s not just the events and other activities I do as a writer. Consider the sheer number of hours that go into writing a single book. Then consider the average earnings from that book. Recognizing the industry stats related to how little most books actually earn for an author, it’s rare for that investment of time to ever pay off.

When you consider the overall author earnings likeliness versus investment of time and money, for most authors the entire realm is a losing proposition. So why even do that?

The answer to both situations, both scenarios, for me, is the same.

I do it because my author brand, and my long-term career as a writer is a much bigger element that I will continue to work at and invest in. And it’s that overall brand that ultimately allows me to do what I do as a writer.

I’m still at a point in my career where, on average, I’m earning in the realm of the low to mid five figure range from my writing. And I’ve been at this for over forty years. I got my first story rejection at the age of fifteen. I was twenty-three when my first paid story appeared in print. I was thirty-two when I first earned actual short fiction pro rates for one of my short stories. And my first book wasn’t published until 2004.

Over the decades I’ve spent plenty of time and a lot of money developing and honing my writing craft. There are additional costs (in both time and money) invested in research, editing, and marketing. I’m not sure if I’ll ever “earn” it all back.

But I can tell you one thing that I know for sure.

I’m not going to quit. Because I’m living my dream in this writing life.

And there’s something else I know for sure.

My writing has made a difference.

It has improved and impacted other people’s lives. My books and my writing have reached out to others who needed to read what I wrote at the right time. I have not yet been a New York Times, USA Today, or Globe and Mail bestseller. But I know, because I’ve heard from thousands of readers over the years, that the things I’ve endeavored to create and share with the world have enriched their lives.

That is impossible to put a price on.

But it’s something I cherish in the deepest and most profound way.

So let’s go back to this single book event where I invested six hours in order to earn roughly $31.00.

The money is great. Okay, that specific pocket of money isn’t great. It’s pretty minor, actually. But it’s one of numerous pockets of income I earn as a writer. As a writer, creator, and book industry representative, most of my earnings come in small streams from numerous sources. Fortunately, all those streams flow into a steady and larger river. Basically, they add up to something that allows me to maintain the lifestyle I enjoy.

But the money itself is merely a necessity. It’s not what drives me. It’s not what motivates me to put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, words to heart, mind, and soul.

Yesterday at my event I had the good fortune to interact with a few booksellers. That’s always a valuable experience for me. Because though I spent a few hours with them, if I made any sort of positive impression on them, that’s something they’ll use to impact numerous other customers for days, weeks, and months.

I also had the chance to chat with a couple of dozen readers and other people who stopped by. Most of the folks I spoke with didn’t buy a book. But that wasn’t my concern.

My main concern, my main goal, was about making a connection with people.

For the ones who did purchase and get a signed book, it wasn’t merely a transaction. It was an experience. It was an author and a reader connecting in a much deeper way. Something beyond the dollar. Well beyond the exchange of a few words.

Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And to be honest, when I’m doing an in-person talk, book signing, or reading, that’s the bottom line for me. How I make them feel. Ideally, I want them to feel good about themselves, I want them to feel seen. Ideally, I want them to feel like it was worth smiling at that stranger, or even taking the time to talk with me for a few moments. And that’s regardless of whether or not a purchase was made.

Let me give a few examples of some of the interactions I had that I know had a positive impact on someone else; and who knows, perhaps these small encounters will ultimately pay in huge dividends in the long run.

• The first was a lady who was curious about my books and the true ghost stories I wrote about. She’d inquired if I’d written about any tales specific to that community. I mentioned a forthcoming book I was working on that would likely involve at least a few nearby locales. She mentioned a few of them to me and also discussed a few related tales from other areas in Southern Ontario. We had a delightful conversation, sharing a few stories back and forth. She even came back more than an hour later, as I was packing up to leave the store. She remembered something she’d forgotten to mention and was thrilled to see I was still there when she arrived. What impressed me is that she was still thinking about me and the books I write long after our brief chat. Enough to want to return to share something more with me related to our discussion. That’s powerful. That’s connection.

• The second was a bright and inquisitive young teen/pre-teen who was intrigued by my display and my books. Among the things they asked me (which I thought was adorable) was whether I was a “famous author.” I offered a huge grin at that. “Not yet,” I said. “But I’m working at it.” They were admiring my true ghost story books and were apologetic that they didn’t have enough money to buy one of them. If the stock was my own I likely would have gifted them a book. But it belonged to the store. I told that that was fine, and that the library had access to my books if they were interested. But it wasn’t just the books they were interested in. They wanted my autograph, and then asked if I would be kind enough to give them my autograph on a sheet of paper they had. I pointed out the postcard I had that included a creepy story in eBook and audiobook format that they could download for free to a tablet, phone, or computer. And I personalized a signature to them. The smile of the young person’s face was the best reward possible. And later on, when they were walking by with two of their friends, they waved at me from across the hall. I overheard them bragging that they spoke with me earlier and they have my autograph.

• The third was a woman who was intrigued when she saw I had a book of ghost stories about Sudbury. She asked about it, so I shared how I had grown up in a small-town northwest of the city, that I still consider it my home, and that I have numerous dear friends and family that I regularly visit there. I talked about a few of the haunted locations and the fact that the Sudbury region was a veritable hot-bed of UFO activities between the 1950s and the 1980s. She mentioned that her adult son had recently moved to Sudbury, and she was at the mall looking for a unique gift for his forthcoming birthday. He loved to read, which was why she was at the bookstore, and she knew he was interested in learning more about his newly adopted city. She thought that a personalized signature in my book Spooky Sudbury from an author who grew up there would be ideal.

Those are just three of the wonderful encounters I had in those three hours. And notice that for two of them, no sale of my books was involved. But I know I made a positive impression and potential impact on three lives. And that experience we had together might come up again in their own discussions with others.

Word of mouth remains one of the most popular ways that people make decisions on which books to read.

And by engaging and interacting with people, even with people who aren’t readers, I’m curating ongoing possible word-of-mouth interactions well beyond my own physical and digital reach.

No, there’s no “cost per click” way to measure that impact. But I have confidence that clicks of connection, of actual analog moments where two people interact and engage with one another, is something that’ll have a more profound, and more meaningful impact in the long run.

And I’m definitely in this writing business for the long run. Because it’s who I am. And who I always have been. And who I will continue to be.

So no, the math doesn’t add up. The investment of time seems to far outweigh the monetary benefits.

But the long-term benefit is a multiplication that comes to far more for me, than the sum of its parts.

I also know that interacting and engaging with people in-person is one of the ways I’m not only able to stand out among the digital masses, but to also create an authentic, and not artificial, or digital-only connection with others.

And that’s why I’ll continue to cherish and enjoy and reap the long-term benefits of these types of in-person opportunities that allow me to engage and interact with readers and non-readers alike.

[This post will be re-adapted into a section of my forthcoming book A BOOK IN HAND: Strategies for Optimizing Print Book Sales via Signings and Other In Person Events. Click here to be notified when it’s available.]