Events, Book Signings & Speaking: Making In-Person Marketing Work

The average book signing sells four to eight copies. For most authors, that number is deflating — especially after the work of arranging the event, driving to the venue, and sitting behind a table for three hours. If volume sales are your only measure, in-person events will almost always disappoint.

But volume sales are the wrong measure. The readers who meet an author in person, have a real conversation, and walk away with a signed copy are among the most loyal readers that author will ever have. They finish the book. They leave reviews. They buy the next book. They hand your book to three friends and tell them exactly why they should read it. One in-person connection is worth dozens of passive impressions from an ad or a social post.

Events also build things that can't be bought: local credibility, relationships with booksellers and librarians who become long-term advocates, and the kind of word-of-mouth that travels through tight-knit communities at a speed no algorithm can replicate.

This guide covers how to make in-person marketing work — not by chasing volume, but by making every event and appearance count as much as it possibly can.

Book Signings

Types of Signing Venues

  • Independent bookstores: The most author-friendly signing venue. Independent booksellers genuinely care about the books they carry and the authors they host. A successful signing at an indie builds a lasting relationship — booksellers who like you will handsell your book for years. Reach out to the events coordinator (not the general contact) with a brief pitch that includes your book, your local connection, and your plan to promote the event to your own audience
  • Deseret Book: For Cedar Fort authors, Deseret Book is the single most important retail partner for in-person events. Deseret Book stores host signings regularly and draw a built-in audience of your exact reader. Contact your Cedar Fort publicist or marketing contact to coordinate Deseret Book signing opportunities — the publisher relationship with the retailer is the right channel for these requests
  • Chain bookstores (Barnes & Noble): Signings at chain stores are possible but require more lead time and more formality. Chains typically require publisher involvement to arrange events. Ask Cedar Fort whether they have existing relationships with your regional Barnes & Noble events coordinators
  • Libraries: Often overlooked and consistently undervalued. Library events draw engaged readers who are specifically there for books and authors. Libraries also pay speaker fees more often than bookstores and have established communities (book clubs, reading programs) you can speak directly to. Contact your local library's programming or events department. Many have author event series they're actively looking to fill
  • Specialty retailers: Gift shops, museum stores, religious retailers, and specialty stores aligned with your book's topic can be excellent signing venues. A book about Utah history might sign at a local history museum gift shop. A children's book about the nativity might sign at a Christian gift retailer during the Christmas season. Think about where your book fits beyond the obvious

Arranging a Signing

  • Contact events coordinators directly, not general store staff. Use the store's website to find the right contact. Email is usually preferred over walk-ins for initial outreach
  • Lead with what you bring to them. Your pitch should explain who your audience is, how you'll promote the event to your own following (email list, social media, local community), and what makes the event interesting to their customers — not just to you. Venues book events that serve their customers and bring in traffic, not events that serve authors
  • Ask about their event format and expectations. Some stores want a short reading followed by Q&A. Others prefer open signing with browse-and-chat. Know the format before you show up
  • Confirm logistics in writing: Date, time, how many copies they're ordering, whether they handle the transaction or you do, whether you'll be expected to provide copies yourself, and any setup requirements
  • Promote the event aggressively to your own audience. Stores notice when authors drive their own traffic. Sending your email list, posting on social media, and contacting local community groups in the area are all part of your commitment when you accept an event. An author who brings their own audience gets invited back

Setting Up Your Signing Table

Your table is your only physical marketing asset at a signing. How it looks determines whether browsers stop or walk past.

  • Stand up and make eye contact with people passing by. The authors who sit silently behind a stack of books sell the fewest. The ones who smile, make eye contact, and say something warm ("Have you read anything good lately?" rather than "Would you like to buy my book?") create the conversations that lead to sales
  • Display your book at eye level where possible — a small tabletop easel or book stand makes a significant difference versus books lying flat
  • Include a simple sign with your book's title, a one-line description, and the price. Many browsers won't ask — they'll read your sign and decide on their own whether to approach
  • Have a brief verbal pitch ready — two or three sentences that describe your book in a way that creates curiosity. Practice until it feels natural. "It's a historical novel about the women who walked the pioneer trail — based on real journals, but told as fiction" gives someone enough to know whether it interests them without being a sales pitch
  • Bring business cards or reader magnet cards with your website and signup URL. Not everyone who has a positive conversation will buy — but they might join your list if given an easy way to stay connected
  • Bring a QR code sign linking directly to your email signup page. Readers who engage with you but leave without buying are still warm leads
  • Consider offering a bookmark with your cover image and website URL as a takeaway. It costs pennies, lives in books readers are currently reading, and keeps your name visible

At the Event: What to Say

The most effective approach at a signing is curious and conversational, not promotional. Lead with the reader's world, not your book.

  • "Are you a big reader?" — Opens a conversation without pressure
  • "What kinds of books do you usually like?" — Lets you assess fit before pitching
  • "This might be right up your alley — it's about..." — Only after you know something about them
  • "Would you like me to personalize it?" — Once they're holding the book, a personalized inscription makes it a gift and increases close rate significantly

The readers who walk away with a signed, personalized copy almost always finish the book. The personal inscription makes it too meaningful to leave unread.

Speaking Engagements

Speaking is the highest-conversion in-person marketing activity available to most authors. An audience that just heard you speak for thirty minutes knows your voice, your values, and your perspective. They've already decided whether they like you before they see your book. The ones who do will buy on the spot at a rate that makes book signing numbers look modest.

Speaking also scales differently from signing. A signing reaches whoever happens to walk past your table. A speaking engagement puts you in front of a pre-assembled audience that chose to be there for something related to your topic.

Types of Speaking Opportunities

  • Church firesides and devotionals: For Cedar Fort authors, this is one of the most accessible and highest-converting speaking venues available. Ward and stake firesides draw assembled audiences of your precise reader. A fireside connected to your book's themes — faith, history, family, personal development — gives the audience immediate context for why your book matters to them. Contact your own bishop or stake presidency first to establish a local track record, then expand outward
  • Relief Society events and women's conferences: Cedar Fort publishes heavily for a female LDS audience. Relief Society events — from local meetings to large stake events — are a natural speaking venue for authors whose books address women's spirituality, family, personal growth, or faith
  • BYU Education Week: One of the largest annual events in the LDS world, drawing tens of thousands of attendees to BYU's Provo campus each August. Presenting at Education Week puts you in front of an enormous, perfectly matched audience. Applications to present typically open in the fall for the following August. If your book addresses gospel topics, Church history, family, or personal development, this is worth applying for
  • Time Out for Women: A national LDS women's conference tour reaching tens of thousands of Latter-day Saint women across dozens of cities. Being selected as a speaker is competitive but transformative for a Cedar Fort author's reach. Contact Deseret Book (which produces the event) about speaking opportunities
  • Know Your Religion: A lecture series bringing LDS speakers to communities throughout the Church. A speaking slot here provides exposure to concentrated LDS audiences in markets you might not otherwise reach
  • Schools and libraries: Particularly valuable for children's book authors and YA authors. School visits reach students, but more importantly they reach teachers and parents who will buy the book. Many schools have author visit budgets. Contact school librarians directly — they are typically the booking contact for author visits and are almost always receptive
  • Homeschool conventions and co-ops: Active homeschool communities are hungry for author visits, curriculum-connected content, and books that align with their educational values. Cedar Fort authors writing children's, history, or faith-based books are a natural fit. Search for homeschool conventions in your region — most have vendor halls and speaker programs
  • Writing conferences: Speaking at writing conferences positions you as an expert among aspiring authors and builds your reputation in the publishing community. LDStorymakers, Whitney Award events, and regional writing conferences regularly feature published authors as speakers and workshop leaders
  • Libraries (expanded): Beyond book signings, libraries run author lecture series, reading programs, and community education events. Many pay modest speaker fees. A library system with twenty branches in your metro area is twenty potential speaking opportunities with your ideal audience
  • Corporate and organizational speaking: If your nonfiction book addresses topics relevant to workplace audiences — leadership, productivity, mental health, communication — corporate speaking can be highly lucrative and builds your author brand with a professional audience. This is a longer-term development path but worth knowing about

Developing Your Speaker Presentation

A strong author presentation is not a reading and not an extended book pitch. It is a self-contained talk on a topic relevant to your audience that happens to be deeply informed by your book — and that leaves the audience wanting to know more.

  • Build one or two signature talks that you can deliver to different audiences with minimal adjustment. A signature talk is a 30–45 minute presentation on a topic your book covers deeply, structured to deliver genuine value to a general audience who hasn't read the book
  • Open with a story, not an introduction. Don't begin by explaining who you are and what your book is about. Begin with a story or question that pulls the audience in immediately. The introduction comes after you have their attention
  • Structure matters. A three-point structure (problem, principles, application) or a narrative arc (here's where I started, here's what I learned, here's what it means for you) gives your talk a shape the audience can follow
  • Your book is the natural extension, not the point. At some moment in your talk — organically, not forced — mention that your book goes deeper on this topic. A brief, natural reference ("I explore this more extensively in [Book Title]...") is far more effective than treating the talk as a long advertisement
  • Leave time for Q&A. The most meaningful connections happen in the Q&A period. Questions tell you exactly what resonated and give you material for future talks and content
  • Practice out loud, not just in your head. A talk that sounds good in your mind often sounds awkward spoken aloud. Practice the full talk standing up, out loud, at least three times before delivering it live

Getting Paid to Speak

Many authors begin speaking for free in exchange for book sales and exposure. This is appropriate when you're building your platform and track record. As you accumulate experience, credentials, and credibility, transitioning to paid speaking is both achievable and appropriate.

  • Church events typically don't pay honoraria but usually cover travel and allow on-site book sales
  • Libraries often pay $100–$500 for author events, depending on the library system's budget
  • Schools typically pay $300–$1,000 per school visit for established authors, sometimes more for full-day visits
  • Conferences and conventions vary widely — some pay full honoraria and travel, others offer only complimentary admission
  • Corporate speaking begins at $1,000–$3,000 for new speakers and scales significantly with experience and reputation

When you're ready to charge for speaking, document your topic, your format, your credentials, and your fee on a dedicated speaking page of your author website. A speaking page signals to event organizers that you take this seriously and have done it before.

Book Festivals and Fairs

Book festivals bring large numbers of book-buying readers to a single location over one to three days. As a Cedar Fort author, the right festivals connect you with concentrated audiences of your ideal reader.

Festivals worth knowing for Cedar Fort authors

  • LDS Booksellers Association events: Trade events connecting LDS publishers with retailers — valuable for building distribution relationships even if not a direct-to-reader event
  • Utah Valley Book Festival: A community book festival in a heavily LDS market with strong attendance from Cedar Fort's core readership
  • Local and regional book festivals: Many cities host annual book festivals. Search "[City Name] book festival" for events in markets where you have community ties or existing readership
  • Homeschool conventions: Large conventions like the Utah Homeschool Convention draw thousands of families and have vendor hall space available for authors with relevant titles
  • County and state fairs: An unconventional but surprisingly effective venue for local authors. Traffic is high, curiosity is open, and competition from other authors is minimal

Making the Most of a Festival Booth

  • Stand in front of your table rather than sitting behind it — it's more approachable and more energetic
  • Display your most visually striking cover prominently — at eye level, large enough to read from several feet away
  • Have a simple sign that communicates your genre or topic in plain language — "Pioneer Historical Fiction," "LDS Children's Books," "Faith-Based Self-Help for Women" — so browsers can self-select quickly
  • Offer a giveaway entry (email signup) to collect contact information from people who browse but don't buy
  • Bring more inventory than you think you'll need — running out of books mid-festival means lost sales you can't recover
  • Process credit cards — readers increasingly don't carry cash. A Square or Stripe reader on your phone eliminates this barrier

Virtual Events

Virtual events remove geography as a constraint. A virtual fireside, online launch party, or Zoom author visit can reach readers in dozens of cities simultaneously — particularly valuable for building connections with communities you can't visit in person.

  • Virtual launch party: A live event on the day of or week of your book's release, hosted on Zoom, Facebook Live, or Instagram Live. Invite your email list and social following. Read a passage, answer questions, and celebrate the release with your community. Give attendees an easy link to buy and a reason to buy during the event (limited-time signed bookplates, giveaway entry for those who buy during the event)
  • Virtual author visits for schools: Many schools now accommodate virtual author visits via Zoom, making it possible to visit schools anywhere in the country. Virtual school visits are typically shorter (30–45 minutes) and easier to schedule than in-person visits. The School Visit Experts and similar agencies connect authors with schools seeking virtual visits
  • Virtual book club appearances: Offer to appear (via Zoom) at book clubs currently reading your book. A 30-minute virtual visit with a book club — answering their questions, sharing what went into the book — generates enthusiastic reviews, word-of-mouth, and often bulk purchases of your next book. Promote this offer on your website and social channels
  • Facebook Live and Instagram Live: Unscripted live video on your own social channels is a low-pressure way to build in-person connection with your following. A weekly or monthly live session — reading a passage, answering reader questions, or discussing your research process — creates the sense of knowing you personally that drives long-term loyalty

Capturing Contacts at Every Event

Every in-person event is an opportunity to add engaged, warm readers to your email list. The conversation ends when the event does — the relationship continues if you have a way to stay in touch.

  • Display a QR code prominently at your signing table and at any event where you speak. The QR code links to your reader magnet landing page. Mention it from the stage or table: "If you'd like a free [reader magnet], scan this code and it'll be in your inbox in minutes"
  • Bring a physical sign-up sheet as backup for readers who aren't comfortable with QR codes
  • Mention your email list from the stage. When speaking, explicitly tell the audience about your newsletter and your reader magnet. A speaker recommendation from the stage converts at a much higher rate than a table sign at the back of the room
  • Enter new contacts into your email platform within 24 hours of the event, while the context is fresh

After the Event: Follow-Through

Most of the long-term value from in-person events comes from what you do after them, not during.

  • Post about the event on social media — photos of your table, of readers holding your book, of the venue. Tag the bookstore, library, or organization. These posts serve as social proof and thank the host publicly
  • Send a thank-you note to your host. An email the next day thanking the organizer for having you, noting specific things that went well, and expressing genuine interest in returning is a professional habit that most authors skip — and that hosts remember
  • Add the event to your media page and speaking page. A growing list of past appearances builds the portfolio that books future events
  • Send a "just got home from [event]" email to your list if something notable happened — a great conversation, a milestone sale, a meaningful reader story. These personal dispatches are some of the most engaging emails authors send
  • Follow up with booksellers. If a signing went well, email the events coordinator a week later with your sales numbers and a note of thanks. Ask whether they'd like to carry stock going forward. This is how bookseller advocates are built

Common Mistakes

  • Measuring events only by books sold. The reader who bought your book and talked to you for ten minutes is worth more long-term than ten anonymous sales. Track relationships, not just transactions
  • Sitting down and waiting. The authors who sit quietly and wait for readers to approach consistently underperform. Stand up, make eye contact, start conversations. You are the attraction — act like it
  • Not promoting the event beforehand. A signing with no pre-promotion is a gamble on foot traffic. Your own audience should know about every event before it happens
  • Skipping small events because they seem too small. A fireside with 30 people where you're the featured speaker will outsell a book fair booth where you're one of 200 authors. Intimacy converts
  • Failing to capture contacts. Every reader who walks away without joining your list is a relationship that ends the moment the event does
  • Not bringing enough books. Running out mid-event is a sale you can never recover. Bring more than you expect to sell, always
  • Accepting every event without evaluating fit. Not all events are worth your time. A signing at a venue with no foot traffic and no relevant audience is three hours that could have been spent on higher-leverage activities. Evaluate each event against your goals before committing

Checklist

Before Any Event

  • ☐ Event logistics confirmed in writing (date, time, format, copy availability)
  • ☐ Event promoted to email list
  • ☐ Event promoted on social media (at least 2 posts: announcement and day-before reminder)
  • ☐ Sufficient book inventory confirmed
  • ☐ Credit card reader set up and tested (Square or Stripe)
  • ☐ QR code sign printed and ready (links to email signup page)
  • ☐ Business cards or reader magnet cards packed
  • ☐ Bookmarks or other takeaways prepared
  • ☐ Signing pen (fine-point Sharpie, tests well on your cover stock)
  • ☐ Tabletop easel or book stand packed
  • ☐ Brief verbal pitch practiced out loud

For Speaking Events

  • ☐ Signature talk developed and practiced out loud (minimum 3 run-throughs)
  • ☐ Slides or visual aids prepared (if applicable)
  • ☐ Books available for sale at the event (or purchase link available)
  • ☐ QR code for email signup mentioned from the stage
  • ☐ Q&A time built into the schedule

After Every Event

  • ☐ Event photos posted on social media
  • ☐ Thank-you sent to host within 24 hours
  • ☐ New email contacts entered into email platform
  • ☐ Event added to website media or speaking page
  • ☐ Follow-up email sent to bookseller or organizer (if relationship-building)
  • ☐ Post-event email sent to list (if notable moment worth sharing)

LDS-Specific Speaking Pipeline

  • ☐ Local fireside arranged or requested
  • ☐ Stake Relief Society or women's event contact identified
  • ☐ BYU Education Week application submitted (applications typically open in fall)
  • ☐ Time Out for Women speaking inquiry sent to Deseret Book
  • ☐ Know Your Religion contact identified and pitched
  • ☐ Deseret Book signing coordinated through Cedar Fort

Next step: Events reach readers one room at a time. Book clubs multiply that reach by putting your book at the center of ongoing community conversation — and a single book club adoption can generate sales, reviews, and word-of-mouth that outlast the event by months.

Book Clubs & Community Outreach →

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P.S. to those who have stumbled across this article and haven't yet found a publisher, we invite you to learn more about our team. You can also submit your book or find out about our self-publishing service.