Book Signing by Margot Justes

Book signings are not easy, at least for me, and I haven’t done one in a long time, but with the release of A Hotel in Bath, when an opportunity presented itself,  I took it.

Book World in Galena, (300 Main St. Galena, IL) made me feel comfortable from the time I walked in. Galena is a tourist attraction, antiques and little boutiques abound, and the book store does quite well. It’s a delight to watch people come in and browse, look through the books and buy.

I confirmed to myself that for the most part, in fiction specifically in the romance genre, covers do sell books, as do back pages, and the first paragraph. That goes for any book store, chains and indies.

I also noticed the difference in the buying selection, Barnes & Noble customers gravitate to the best sellers, the most advertised and familiar. Not so at Book World, yes, the Patterson books were there, and other best sellers, that is where the money is for the store, but people actually looked at the unfamiliar names and titles as well.

There was a knitting club meeting at a restaurant down the street, and one member walked in, we chatted a bit, she liked the premise of the stories, and she bought both

A Hotel in Paris and A Hotel in Bath. About thirty minutes later, five more ladies walked in, and bought both books. Apparently the books were passed around the table, the ladies liked what they read, and came back to get their own. That has never happened to me.

A Hotel in Paris sold out, and Bath did well too. I plan to go back to Galena, if they’ll have me, one of the employees is waiting for Blood Art to come out.

I had a great time, the employees and customers were gracious, and I ran out of bookmarks, and it felt like a mini vacation. You couldn’t ask for more.

 

Cheers,
Margot  Justes
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
Hearts & Daggers
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks
www.mjustes.com

Eagle River Book Signing & New Blogger Features

Here I am at Book World in Eagle River on Oct. 3. I had a  really nice setup, close to where people walk in, so they couldn't miss me. Also, I was in front of the bestsellers, which helped my cause.        Outside was nippy, but inside was warm and toasty.  Almost everyone who came inside after checking out all the antiques and other offerings in Downtown Eagle River for Cranberry Fest remarked how nice and warm it was in the store. Warmth was definitely a draw. Besides Book World, another attraction was the candy shop next store. Lots of people toted yellow and brown striped bags, which I soon recognized. No, I didn't break down and go next store for candy, but it was tempting.

Not only did readers purchase Killer Career, but some also bought Two Wrongs and Girl of My Dreams, so it doesn't hurt to bring along the backlist books, just in case. Next Saturday is Book World in Minocqua, Wisconsin from 11am-1pm.

This is the first time I've used the new Blogger for uploading a photo. It's a nice setup. Once the photo is uploaded, I got to choose the size and spot, and also had the option of changing it to another size and spot. Good idea.

Have you tried any of the new Blogger features? If so, let us know about them.

Morgan Mandel

http://www.morganmandel.com/

http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/

http://choiceonepublishing.com/