Ever wonder whether or not you should do a book signing? Not sure how to make the most of one if you did do it?

We at Guide My Brand get asked this question a LOT. Our authors want to know, “How much value is there in doing a signing?”

So, without further ado, here’s what we have to say about book signings (and what you need to make sure you’re doing if you want to make them work for you)!

1. Schedule book signings near friends and family.

The book signings that tend to be the most valuable are the ones where you have friends and family nearby (and the ones where you can recruit those friends and family to come). Having people crowd around the table you’re at will help others get interested in what you’re doing. Almost always, the most successful, valuable, worthwhile signings are the ones where you live, where you’re from and where you’ve spent a lot of time already.

That’s why, if you want to do a book signing or two, we recommend planning around your friends and family and who you think would join the fun!

2. Create a Facebook event for each signing and invite everyone (local) to get the word out.

3. Consider ‘boosting” that FB event to the zip code your signing is in.

No need to place a huge budget on this, but it can be helpful to spend $5 or $10 to target people who live within a one-to-five mile radius of the book store and who are interested in topics similar to your book.

4. Share about your signing in any Facebook groups for the local area. (You might even want to share the FB event you created!)

Look for local meetup groups, both those that are general AND those that are more specific to topics that are related to your book.

5. Post on social at least once a week and really promote the signing.

6. Ask the store what they do to promote.

If they don’t send media alerts to the local media, see if you can find the best outlet (local newspaper or radio show) that has worked in the past to draw people from the community to the signing. You can also ask your publicist to do this, but often the community itself will be the best source to pinpoint the most effective outlets!

7. Once you’re at the signing, take pictures!

Make sure you designate a friend or family member as photographer and ask if he/she will take photos of you signing, interacting with others, etc. These are GREAT for social media after the fact and are always fun to look back at years later, too!

Now that you know our best tips for making the most out of a book signing, I’d love to hear from you:

Have you done a book signing?

How’d it go? What would you recommend to someone who also wanted to do one? Hit reply and share with me!

If you are writing a book, you don’t need to be a publicist (or working with a top publishing house) to create massive buzz for your launch. You just need to follow my book marketing checklist and learn the secret to promoting your book like a pro. These “must do” marketing activities are designed to help you sell more books AND set your biz up to land more paying clients, book speaking gigs, and opportunities for years to come! Click here to download it for free!