Book signing went well

[PaulC44446]

Hello all,

The book signing in Cleveland went well. I had another meeting with Borders and looks like I'll have a book signing at the Niles OH Borders Bookstore in January now. I actually got to hear a few people make comments on my book while I was there. Then I seen someone actually buy a copy. I wanted so bad to walk up to them but didn't for some reason. Still trying to get used to everything I guess.

PaulC44446

[Ed]

Glad to hear it, Paul   It must be a real buzz seeing people with copies of your book

What did the folks say about your book? 

[PaulC44446]

They were drawn in by the cover art. They made several comments on it before picking it up. They also liked all the freebies I was giving out of course. The free signed art prints were another thing that kept them at the table longer I think.  I printed a full color full page ad on the back of each art print advertising the book. I also put a business card down the back of each acid free sleeve that held the signed print. They were getting a free signed print, but they were also getting advertising with each one picked up.

Paul

[JoyceCarter]

I see you're keeping it all working, as you've told us before, Paul!  Good for you, and good luck. 

[Geoff_N]

Well done, Paul. You are giving me ideas. ie with giving away art with ads for your book. My art is not up to 1 zillionth of yours, though I'll have you know that I went to art college as a teen, but that was before puters were invented.

But I have been giving out free bookmarks; with my book on one side and The Ardly Effect (science fiction debut novel - most excellent by Mitis Green, also from my publisher http://bramblingbooks.com    end of ad)  on the other side. Those bookmarks are now in books in four countries.

But I like the concept of playing around with vignette images to dish out - maybe slightly related to Escaping Reality - abstracts of the moors, coast, bubblewrap sex...

Congrats again Paul.

Geoff

[PaulC44446]

Thanks everyone. I just dropped my leather jacket off at a very popular airbrush shop in one of the local malls yesterday. I'm have the cover illustration airbrushed large on the back along with the title of the book and where people cna buy it. I'm also have just the image done small on the front left breast of the jacket along with the title of the book done large running done the right sleeve. I've done this before with I had my own publishing company years back. This seemed to work out really well back then. Hope it works out just as well this time. A walking billboard so to say.

Paul

[Geoff_N]

Walking billboard! I like it.
Do you think that, or something similar, would work with my cover ar

[SharonBell]

Geoff--

Could you get your cover made into magnetic signs that you could put on your car (both sides)? One self-published author's book became a best-seller because he bought signs on buses in NYC (to the tune of $50,000 US) and promoted the heck out of it.

Perhaps, a smaller investment in magnetic signs and bumper stickers (for friends and family) would help.

Go get 'em!

Sharon 

[JoyceCarter]

Lots of inspiration here...

[PaulC44446]

Geof_N,

I think it could work on a jacket. You have 3 different elements to work with on your cover. The image of the guy might be a little hard to work with... so I would suggest using the cuffs and the pistol. I would have an image on them done where the cuffs were overlaped by the gun. Then I would have it airbrushed large on the back of the jacket along with the name of the book and where they can buy it. Then I would have that same image done smaller on the front left breast of the jacket. Then to finish things I would run the name large down the right sleeve of the jacket. You might even be able to have a little bit of the chain link fence in the background of the image. But I wouldn't make it much. Just enough to add to the image. Make sure you get a good airbrush artist to do the work for you also. I'm having to shell out $180.00 for mine. Which is actually cheap compared to what some quality airbrush artist charge.

Also, with an image like that you could easily turn it into a bw graphic. Then have that silk screened onto T-shirts very cheaply. That's my next move after I get my jacket back. I plan on giving them to a bunch of people around where I live as Christmas gifts. This should help sells in the local stores.

Paul

[Geoff_N]

Geoff--

Could you get your cover made into magnetic signs that you could put on your car (both sides)? One self-published author's book became a best-seller because he bought signs on buses in NYC (to the tune of $50,000 US) and promoted the heck out of it.

Haha ... I like the way you think, Sharon. Hey, I am not a self-published author! My publisher at Brambling Books would raise a British eyebrow at hearing that, I can tell you.

To be honest, Paul, guns and handcuffs feature very little in the book. Images in it are of moorlands and mountains the fugitive escapes over, coastal towns, Amsterdam, sex - oh, that's where the handcuffs came in...

Geoff

[SharonBell]

Ahhh, my bad English here. I know you're not self-published, however, it seems that the marketing of books is always the author's duty...unless you're Tom Clancy! Then you can just be reclusive and weird and buy tanks for your front yard in Annapolis, MD.

[PaulC44446]

Well, if anything you kind of get the idea right? Anything can really be advertised on a jacket. You just have to come up with a catchy image and run with it. The image of the twin skulls morfing from one another on my book cover has worked great for this so far. I use that image in a lot of my PR whether it's for the book or illustration work etc. The more they see that image the more it burns into their brains. Should they ever come across a copy of the book they would be likely to pick it up. Whether they buy it then or set it back on the shelve is up to them. But it gets them to look at it or for it.

Paul