A.L. Heard

I wrote for years before I ever worked up the courage to attend an event as an author, and as I’ve attended more and more book signings, I’ve modified how I prepare for these events.

My first ever author event was last year when I attended the Pittsburgh Book Festival. It was a great experience (despite the rain and cold), but it made me really figure out what the heck I need as an author to attend an event. I asked other author buddies for suggestions, but definitely made mistakes. The night before, I was scrambling through Walmart trying to figure out the last few things I needed to make things run smoothly. Over a year later, I’m still in the process of making adjustments.

So here’s my list of what to bring to author events!

• signs in plastic stands: info about me, my books, prices, payment info (QR codes for venmo/paypal)
  
• book stands (one per book, I usually put the display book on a stack; I also have a tiered one that can display multiple books – this works great for my anthologies!)
  
• books (duh!) – the event size, location, and theme will determine how many and which books I bring (Sports Romance Con, for example, I only bring hockey romance books; for more local events, I try to focus on reader journals and having a variety)
  
• book signs (since I mostly write romance, mine are pink hearts that have a little blurb with the book title and tropes)
  
• stickers, bookmarks, hockey rubber duckies, etc (I used to sell these separately, but I find in person events aren’t a great venue for these, so now I only bring things I’m giving away)
  
• table cloth (I used to use a cheap plastic one but upgraded to a nicer cloth one that’s easier to reuse, and it’s heavier so it sits better on the table without needing tape)
  
• pens/markers for signing
  
• little cart to carry everything and plastic bins to stack the books in (good protection for rain as I travel to/from the car and for outdoor events)
  
• business cards (I designed and printed through Canva – below is an older version. I include my name, contact info, and pictures of my main books so people remember me) and plastic holder for them

• table runner (I had a custom one made through etsy – having this definitely gives you a professional look and can draw people in if you list what you write!)
  
• credit card reader (I use square and had to buy the reader, but it has been worthwhile)
  
• cash for change (because I often have $18 and $16 books, I need a lot of 1’s…) and a cash bag to keep it in
  
• newsletter sign-up sheet and clipboard
  
• tape (I keep a roll of scotch and masking tape just in case)
  
• pride flags (aside from looking awesome, I find it’s easiest to discourage those who aren’t into queer books before they get to my table)
  
• post-it notes (recently used them to mark if a title was sold out)
  
• a snacky snack and water bottle 🙂

If you’re an author, I hope this helps you out as you plan for events – and let me know if you have any tips or if I forgot anything!