WELL READ Magazine May 2025

Bookish Events: The truth from a bookstore event coordinator by Jodie Cain Smith

Disclosure: My inner diva’s name is Lucy. Yes, that Lucy. The one with the football and harsh advice for her dear friend Charlie Brown. Remember that as you read this, and please consider forgiving my Lucy for being so very Lucy.

Visit any independent bookseller social media forum and you will stumble upon posts regarding book events. Does your store do events? Are they worth the effort? Do you charge authors a fee to hold events in your store? The comment feed on these posts is often contentious, with the local self-published author filling the role of disillusioned adversary. When I began my job as the event coordinator for my favorite local indie and earned access to online bookseller forums, I didn’t know enough about running a bookstore to not take offense by the common theme of “What to do about these local authors and their event requests.” I even commented—once—in defense of local authors. For the sake of my fragile ego, my uninformed Lucy, I will never make that mistake again. 

I’m a published author! Back in 2014, when my first book baby hit the market and my gigantic belly housed my only human baby, that thought lived in my head. It ran on a loop. It fueled me through my days of book promotions and planning my first mini-tour. I even began a few event queries to local bookstores with that statement—I’m a published author.

That’s not the ugly part. Embarrassing, yes, but not ugly. The ugly part is that I thought the world would—should—react in a way equal to my excitement. Doors would fly open. Readers would rush to my events and clamor for my signature as if I was the Beyonce of Barnes & Noble. Bookstores would buy my book in bulk. All because a small press in Florida (that no one had heard of) published my first book (that no one had heard of) with my name in large print across the cover. Do I need to mention that no one had ever heard of me, either? (Most of you haven’t still!)

In the seven years between my debut as an author and becoming a book event coordinator, I learned that not only was that debut novel my book baby, but I was a baby author—uninformed and primed for disappointment. If I’d known that in 2014, I may have saved myself a few emotional scars. At the very least, I would have approached bookstores and especially bookstore events with less blind optimism and more work.

Being better informed would have saved me from sitting behind a dozen different tables in different venues for hour after lonely hour to sell only a handful of copies. A good dose of reality—that my book was one of approximately 1.7 million books published that year—would have tempered my rage-filled inner monologue the day I sat between two authors at the loneliest bookstore in all of South Carolina. One author was a woman who displayed far too much pride at the fact that she had 1,000 copies of her novel in her garage and the other a man who’d self-published his book in double-spaced, large print because “old people like to read.” As I flipped through his 710-page tome with a price tag to match, I thought, “How dare I be perceived the same as these two!” 

That signing lasted two hours. I sold two books. At the end of what felt like the longest book event of my life, I claimed my meager earnings (cover price minus consignment rate) from the bookseller and stuffed my unsold stock in my trunk for the two-hour drive home. The knowledge that we three were the same rode shotgun, smirking at me the whole time. Yes, all three of us were brand new authors with little to no knowledge of how to approach author events, independent bookstores, or author promotion in general. 

But that event wasn’t for nothing. I gained the knowledge that random book signings on a Saturday afternoon are only worth my time if I do the work. That work included a good helping of event marketing research and gaining a deeper understanding of what readers and bookstores want. 

Over the last several years of working as a book event coordinator, I’ve learned far more than that. Firstly, I know now that promoting my author events even at local bookstores is crucial. In my nightmare scenario above, I saw a social media post for an “indie author day” at a near-ish bookstore. I submitted the registration form, agreed to the standard consignment rate (a 40/60 split of cover price with 60% going to me), packed my traveling bookseller case, and did nothing else. I was certain that the bookstore would promote the event, and that total strangers—again with that Lucy-level confidence—would come out in droves to the event.

What I know now is that building readership needs to happen before the event is scheduled. I know now that developing and maintaining a relationship with readers is constant. Authors can’t be silent on social platforms for months, years, then pop online to say, “Hi! Remember me? I’m having a book signing.” That hits rather salesy-spammy, and no one enjoys spam. I also know from the events held in my local indie are much better attended if the author promotes the event, rather than promoted only over our shop’s platforms. Authors who do zero promotion for their events are often disappointed by the underwhelming turnout. Hot tip: If your event has a Facebook event page, start a discussion on the event wall. This will help the algorithm find your event among all the other millions of Facebook events out there.

I know now that developing a relationship with my local bookstores is critical to the success of any event I may schedule there. From getting on the event calendar to filling seats, if the bookstore knows you, the event will be better because of that relationship. We have several authors who regularly have events at my neighborhood indie. Because of the support they give our shop, we invite them to hold events at the shop with every new release. Supporting your local indie takes many forms, including shopping at the store, placing indie-specific purchase links for your books on your author website, sharing store events with your readers that don’t feature you, adhering to store policies such as consignment agreements and event structures, and more. Hot tip: check out your local store websites for information on local author services, consignment agreements, and event policies before approaching the store about hosting an event.

I now know that consignment deals for local bookstores aren’t an attempt to dissuade local authors from placing their books on shelves. The standard consignment rate of 40/60 allows the bookstore to risk their limited shelf space on your book. Consider every inch of bookstore shelves to be real estate. When several inches of real estate don’t make money, the bookstore, with the razor thin profit margins that most bookstores operate on, will suffer. Also, the bookstore offers benefits to the author that selling on street corners—or out of your large stock in your garage—doesn’t. That bookstore will staff your event, provide furniture for the event and organic foot traffic to see you and your book, and sell your book through their point-of-sale system. Hot tip: In most states, authors should pay sales tax on any books they sell themselves, rather than the sales tax being paid through the store. I for one, do not have the bandwidth to keep up with sales tax. 

I’ve also learned a few things to avoid when holding an event at bookstores. Consider these your “keep your long hair away from the fan blades” tips:

1. Be kind. (This includes not greeting bookstore owners and staff with “I’m a published author!” That won’t get the reaction you need. Try starting with your name.)

2. Be professional. Approach bookstores with a sales sheet of your book with the ISBN, cover price, distributor, and description prominently displayed. Include quotes from any editorial reviews your book may have.

3. Know whether your books are returnable from your distributor and what, if any, penalties may accrue for returned books. If your books are not returnable or fees will be charged to the bookstore for returned copies, be prepared to supply books for your event under the store’s consignment terms. (See above paragraph on consignment deals if you’re unsure why you will be expected to operate under a consignment agreement even if you supply the books.)

4. Don’t tell the bookstore how great your Amazon sales are, or how much you love Amazon, or how you buy all your books from Amazon. Just don’t mention Amazon. It’s a whole thing. 

5. Unless death or dying is somehow involved, do not cancel or miss a scheduled event. Standing up a date is never the start of a good relationship. However, it is an easy, albeit cowardly way to end a relationship.

6. Ask the bookstore what the parameters of the event are, including what marketing the bookstore will do so that your marketing doesn’t conflict with theirs, what if anything the budget for the event will be, whether or not you as the author can supply special items for the event such as book swag, refreshments, door prizes, an author chat, or writing workshop.

7. Know that for new and emerging authors, offering a signing-only event may work on high-traffic days, but offering something extra such as a workshop, presentation, or craft session may encourage more people to attend.

8. Be mindful of how much money you are spending on an event. Food, drinks, swag, etc., cost money, so be mindful of how many books you will have to sell to cover the costs of event extras.

9. Ask the bookstore if they are willing and able to set up a book pre-order campaign ahead of your event. This will drive attendance, especially if you as the author share that pre-order link on your website and social media platforms.

I’m currently planning my own upcoming launch party at my indie. I know the typical budget for an event of this size. I know what our standard launch party includes—light refreshments, an author in-conversation, and a signing line. For most authors and readers, this is the formula for a great event. But most authors don’t have Lucy Van Pelt living in their head. With a little effort, creativity, and my small budget, I’m able to offer attendees a bit more. To learn the details of my launch party plan, including marketing strategies, visit www.jodiecainsmith.com. Maybe my plan will inspire you to plan your own successful book event, one beneficial to both you and your local indie.

Jodie Cain Smith is the founder of the Mobile Literary Festival and a Page Turner Award Winner. Her published novels include The Woods at Barlow Bend and Bayou Cresting: The Wanting Women of Huet Pointe. Her debut thriller, Splintered Reeds, releases April 29, 2025, from Aethon Thrills, LLC. When not creating fictional worlds on her laptop or planning events at her favorite indie bookstore, Jodie hangs out with her long-suffering husband and the most precious little boy ever created. Seriously, the kid is amazing, and the husband puts up with a lot.