Book Signing #3 and #4 - How I Get People Over to my Booth

Riverfest Book Signing #3
I woke up early, loaded the car, and set off to my first outdoor event.  I was very excited and nervous.  I was shocked at how much I was taking for the set up, but knew I would need it all. I am posting the items I took with me so I can help others prepare for their first outdoor event.  Here is a list of what I brought with me: canopy, hammer, chairs, cooler with lunch and drinks, paper towels, 3 tables and table cloths, books, book display holders, pens, cash drawer, money for change, craft items- envelopes, glue, crayons, markers, trash can & liners, table decorations, business cards, bookmarks, push cards, sign with the cost of the books, banner, craft sign, puppet for book reading, watermelon and candy.

My booth set up.



 I knew I would need something to help me get people to come over to my booth.  There would be lots of booths for the people to visit and I needed something unique.  I came across a photo while I was on my fb page.  It was a picture of a watermelon shark.  I googled it, and printed out the directions.  I decided that this would get my booth noticed.  I bought a watermelon and candy.  I carved it and was surprised how cute it turned out.  I surrounded it and filled it with candy to get people to walk over close to my tables.  It worked!!!  People stopped and pointed.  They would come touch it to see if it was real, and some even took pictures of it.  When kids stopped, my helpers would offer them a free bookmark and ask if they would like to make a free shark puppet.  Most of the time the kids said, yes.  The parents would come over with them and stand there.  That is when my helpers would hand them my book and talk about it with them.  The parents would be there waiting for the kids to color and finish the shark so this was a great opportunity to share how the book came to be.  It worked great.  Lots of the parents who did come up, would buy the book after getting a chance to look at it.  Those who didn't, left with a bookmark and business card with my email address and website on it.  I chose a shark watermelon and shark envelope puppet because one of my main characters in the book is a shark. You can see my characters on my official book website. 
http://judichesshir.tateauthor.com/

Watermelon Shark

We did pretty well. I sold enough to cover the cost of my booth, my canopy, my business cards, and still had a profit left over.  So I was happy! 

Market Day Book Signing #4.

I did my first farmers market signing.  I wasn't sure what to expect and I was only going with one helper this time.  I brought along the same items to set up and attract people to my booth. There was a lot less traffic than the festival.  I set a goal of how many book I wanted to sell. I had 6 hours to reach that goal. We did!  I made enough to cover the cost of the booth, the watermelon, candy & had a larger profit left over.  My cost was less since I already bought the materials from my previous book signing. I met some interesting people, passed out some bookmarks and busines cards.  I also had the local librarian stop by and invite me to hold a book signing at the library soon.  So that was a nice surprise.

 My advice to you would be to make sure to bring a helper or two to any event that is more than 3 hours.  You will find yourself needing to go to your car, the bathroom, eat lunch, and walk around for short periods of time to view some other booths.  I only would be gone for 5 minutes at time or less. I always tried to keep my booth in view.  My helper sat in my seat to answer any questions people had while I was gone.  All in all, I would say that both events were very successful!!

                                                   Shark Envelope Puppet





Book Signings Update

My Hastings Book Signing that my publisher booked,went well.  They had the table all set up, right in front by the doors.  I rearranged a few things and got the art table ready.  I had a craft activity to go along with my book.  The kids made sharks out of envelopes. I used that to try and draw them over to the table.  The kids seemed very shy though.  I had two friends come along with me and my parents.  My friends helped with the shark making and my parents passed out bookmarks and talked to the customers in the store about my book.  It helped out a lot!  My goal was to sell out of the books that Hasting purchased.  We did!! So my very first signing was successful!

The following week, I had my 2nd signing in a mall food court.  We set up and had two tables again.  One for the craft and one for the signings.  The craft table was a hit.  Lots of kids came over and made the shark.  But I only had 2 people buy books.  My parents passed out bookmarks as well there.  Hopefully, they lead to some online sells. 

I will be having my 3rd signing at the Bandera Riverfest on June 25th.  This will be interesting as well.  There will be lots of kids there playing in the river.  I am hoping they will take some time out and come look at my book. I plan on doing the craft activity there as well.  It is an added cost for me, but helps me get the kids over to my table.  I will also be passing out the bookmarks too.  I'm hoping this will be my most successful book signing so far!

Getting Ready for 1st Book Signing

I have had so much fun since my books have come in.  Students from school have been buying an autographed copy from me.  I was able to show my class from last year the story projected onto a big screen with the audio.  They laughed at the sharks voice.  I loved it.  Teachers have purchased it and used the book in class.  Students would stop me in the halls and tell me how much they enjoyed my book.  If a heart could smile, mine does each time!  I loved hearing a 6th grade teacher say she used it to help teach reading tools and her middle schoolers loved it. 

Now I am about to have my first book signing at Hastings in Kerville,TX on April 2nd at 2:00.  I'm excited and nervous all at once.  I sure hope people show up.  To get ready for it, I went to the Kerrville school district and asked if I could send home flyers with the students in one of the elementary schools. I left them a copy of the flyer.  They cleared it for all the schools in their district.  So far I am planning on copying the flyer and taking them to one school. Their mascot is a dolphin and my main characters are dolphins.  I may consider inviting one more school as well.  I don't know what the turn out will be from that.  I'm hoping to sell out of the books Hastings has purchased and the ones I bring as back up.  People tell me not to expect a lot, but I'm still going to aim high!  I am also going to purchase a guest book for anyone who comes by to sign.  I need to get a book holder and cash box as well.  I purchased a blue table cloth and a coral reef center piece.  I hear I won't need it for Hastings, but I will for other events.  My second Book Signing will be April 5th at Chick-Fil-A Food Court at South Park Mall in San Antonio, TX at 6:00.  I'm looking forward to both events.

 The title of my book is "My Finny Fin Fin."  It is available from Tate Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Nobel.  If you are interested in my book, you can learn more about it at http://judichesshir.tateauthor.com/
You can also follow me on twitter and facebook.

My Books Arrived!

Yesterday, my books arrived around 1:00.  I watched the tracking from UPS email while I was at work.  Once it said it was delivered I wanted to leave work to go see them.  But I stayed and the day seemed to slowly creep by.  Eventually I went home and was thrilled to see actually hold them in my hands. I counted each book to make sure that my order was all there.  It was!  I took all the books home and began autographing them.  I was stumped by what to write on the inside.  I gave my sister a call and she gave me some ideas.  I finally went with one of her suggestions.  Then I had to decide where to write it.  I needed room so I wrote on the dedication page. 
 I had two people buy a total of 50 together within the first hour.  It was so exciting. I made sure to give them the autographed ones.  They were going to mail them to friends and family.  I posted a message on facebook telling all my friends and family that the books had arrived.  It was fun to see who all wanted one.  So I spent the rest of the night inboxing each one with my address and where to send the check!
Today, I brought my books to class.  I sat them on the floor and held up the book.  I let the audio play as I shared the book with them.  It was fun to here them giggle at the sharks voice.  Then I used my pdf that was sent to me in email (initial proof) to show the book to them on the big screen while the audio played.  They absolutely loved that.  Last, we used one of my lesson plan ideas on story elements.  The students drew the characters, setting, problem & solution.  I told them I would be choosing some to go on my author website.  They took their time and tried their best.  Once my website is finished, I will get the parent's permission and use the sample work without the students names showing.  I did get an email today saying they are starting  the actual design of my website. 
I am having so much fun with this whole process. I can't wait to discover all the different experiences this path will take me on!

Audio Design & Website

Today I received my audio cover in email.  I liked the way it looked.  Now people can order just the audio version or they can order the book and get the audio download for free.  All of this was part of my contract.  Now I can't wait till I have them both together.  I want to play the audio while showing the book to my students.  I think they would enjoy that more than hearing me read it. 

I also received an email today saying they would begin working on my website.  I need to supply the content and then they will begin putting it all together.  After they are finished, they will update it for one month and then it becomes mine.  I plan on having tabs for: Home & Events, About the Book, About the Author, and Lesson Plan Ideas.  I can have up to 5 pages, but I don't think I will need that many.  I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Audio Book is Finished

A week ago, I received the first proof on my audio version of "My Finny Fin Fin."  I was excited.  I plugged my earphones into my laptop.  I clicked a few buttons and then it was up.  I pushed play and was very surprised to hear echos, lots and lots of echos.  I listened to the whole book a few times like that.  I didn't like it at first.  Then as I listened more. I thought maybe the narrator was trying to make it sound like it was under the ocean.  So it grew on me some.  I unpluged my earphones and left for a few mintues.  When I came back to listen again, I noticed when I plugged in my earphones, there was a check mark in the "Arena" sound box.  I unchecked that and then listened again.  The real recording was there.  LOL  I realized that I was the one who created the echos. 

After I listened to the recording the way it was suppose to be, I went and picked up my printed copy of my book.  I checked the words as the narrator read it.  I listened for page pauses.  I found a few mistakes.  One word was left out and another inserted where it shouldn't be.  I also noticed that their weren't pauses for the page turns on some of the pages.  So I sent my correction form back to the multimedia producer to fix the mistakes.

I received the final proof email today.  My producer congratulated me on the completion of the audio book.   He sent the final copy to be reviewed as well as all the forms.  So I eagerly played the story.  I liked it.  He had made one of my character's voice deeper, which was a change I wasn't expecting.  I pulled out my paper copy of my story and listened to the audio version while looking at the pages.  The voice went well with that character.  There were no mistakes this time.  So I printed out the Audio Content form and will be sending it off today.

I went on line to Barnes and Nobel just to see if my book was listed.  It was!!!  I was thrilled.  It doesn't have a picture with it yet, but they are taking preorders already.  They discounted it down a little as well.  Next, I went to Amazon.com, but no luck.  My official release date is Feb. 15th!  That is when it will be completely ready on both sites. 

I'm still waiting for my shipment of books to come in.  It has been two weeks since I ordered them.  My marketing director told me it would take 2 to 3 weeks before I would get them.  They should be coming anytime.  I can't wait! 

What to do While Waiting for Books

I am hoping my books do not take 3 weeks to come in.  I can't wait to get them.  It has only been 3 days since I ordered , so it will probably be awhile still.  In the meantime, I have been researching author social sites to join.  I want to learn from those who have been around for awhile.  I joined "AuthorsDen.com", "AutorNation.com"and "The Book Marketing Network."  I read lots of good ideas on the forum of AuthorsDen and their or many groups to join on The Book Marketing Network.  I recommend these sites for all authors. I also found this site that has a list of social networks to try out.  I plan to check out more of them.  http://www.bookmarket.com/socialnetworks.htm

I have also been working on getting author's fan page members up.  I have posted my goal of being in the 3 digits and asked for my friends and families help.  I told them that if I get my numbers up, then people who do not know me will be more likely to join and take a look at my book.  I went from 44 to 91 in one day.  I am almost at my goal.  Then I will make a new goal. Some who joined even "Shared" my page with their friends on facebook.  So that was an added benefit.  I do plan to ask my members to "Share" the page with their friends and family soon.  I just want to finish concentrating on getting new members quickly though for now. 

I have also been researching marketing ideas.  This link has many ideas. http://www.bookmarket.com/
It had links to awards, podcasting, book trailers, and lots more.  I found this link on how to make your own book trailer.  I may try that or get my creative son to make it for me.  My publisher does offer this service at a price.  I have seen their  work and know they would make a wonderful book trailer for me.  I would need to save up some money for it.  Right now, I would like to use any extra money to order more books.  So I am thinking of making my own for now using this link: http://hubpages.com/hub/Create-Your-Own-Book-Trailer-Free

Another idea I want to work on is to create a page with lesson plans on it for teachers to use after reading my book to their class.  I would pass this page out as they buy the book.  I plan to attach it to my soon to be website that the publisher is making for me.  I thought I could blog some lesson ideas or put them on my facebook status. 

I have lots to do before my vacation is over.  I guess I'd better get started!

Marketing Phone Call

I was able to talk to my marketing director today.  It was our first phone conversation.  He told me that my book would be released on Feb. 15th!!  I'm excited about that.  We talked about some marketing ideas.  I asked about having a book signing at "Chick Fil-A." He said the publishing company had a good relationship with them so he would set something up.  The reason I wanted to go to Chick Fil-A is that it as filled with so many kids and that is the audience my book is for.  I was glad to hear that others have done this in the past.  I felt like I was on the right track. We also talked about book signings at school and release party signings.

I  placed my first book order today too.  The publisher had a special going on, so I will be getting bookmarks, push cards, business cards, some t-shirts and on line radio advertising along with my order.  I can't wait to see what the bookmarks will look like. I ordered books to take with me on book signings and to have on hand for anyone who wants an autographed copy.

I asked if the audio part had to be finished before anyone could buy my book.  He told me that the audio takes a few months and that it would not hold up the release of the book.  People can order the book as soon as it is on line. 

So now I feel like my dream of being a published author is coming true.  Each step takes me closer and closer.  I can't wait to hear who receives my book first from the on-line orders on the publisher's website.

Audio Voicing

My book moved into the audio voicing stage in November.  I was sent to a site to choose from a few different voices.  It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  I had one of my sons help me with this.  I stared at the characters on my book as I listened to each voice.  I turned in my top 3 choices.  I am now waiting to hear back with a sample for me to ok.  The next step will be checking the narration for errors.  After that the book will move into the artwork stage.  This is where they take the artwork from the book and fit the packaging for the audio book.  I sent the audio department an email today to see when I would be sent the sample. 

A week ago, I noticed that my book was placed on the Publishers on line book store. So I decided to go ahead and create a fan page on facebook and begin to tell my friends about it.  I shared the link to my book and people started ordering!  I was thrilled.  It was hard to go to sleep after that.  I also bought a journal to start writing down marketing ideas that I learn about from others or think of on my own. I found my publisher's facebook page and joined that.  I began reading and meeting other authors.  I have asked many questions and have been given some great advice.  Some of them became fans of my facebook page and I became fans of theirs.  It is nice to finally meet other authors from the same publishing company.  I wish I would have found the Publisher's site a long time ago.

 I am waiting till after Christmas to call the marketing director.  I want to ask him if the early orders will be sent out yet, even if the audio part isn't finished yet.  I will need to place an order so I will have books on hand to begin selling before the official release date. 

Graphic Design Stage

After my illustrations were complete, my book as moved into the graphic design phase in October.  My designer started with the cover first.  She sent me 3 different ones and said to keep in mind my customers. So I decided to take all three to my 2nd grade class and let them vote on the one they liked.  They were divided between two.  I asked them what they liked about both and then sent an email to my designer asking her if she could combine the two.  She did and so the cover was finalized. 

The next phase was the Initial Proof, which is the layout design.  She took my manuscript and made it look like a book.  She integrated the illustrations.  Once she was done, I had to ok it. I needed to make sure the visual experience matched the tone of the book.  This is the time when I needed to pay attention to fonts, font size, formatting, and the spread - what the book will look like on the inside.  I was so excited to see this part.  It was the first time I saw all the illustrations.  I showed it to a few friends and they loved it.  I was impressed with my illustrator. She did a great job.

Then we went to the Final Proof phase. The designer continued to work on the layout of the inside.  She created the back cover and spine using the backmatter I created awhile back.  The backmatter is the teaser about the book.  She also put in a section about the author and a picture.   When she was done, she sent me a copy in the mail to be checked over.  I was so excited.  I brought it to school and showed it to a few people.  I even read it to my class and had them write down their favorite part and illustrate it.  I then took it home and looked over it trying to find any mistakes.  If I had found any, I was suppose to mark directly on the book with red ink and visit a link to get a correction form.   I was fortunate that I didn't need it.  My book was fine.  So I had to mail back the book, so they could use it as a color match for the final product .  I really wanted to keep it, but I mailed it in as quickly as I could so that the next phase could begin. 

Illustrations Scenes

My illustrator sent me her scene ideas that she plans on drawing for the book. If I like the ideas, then that is what she will go with. If I don't, I can make suggestions to change them. Turns out I liked her ideas, so we won't have any changes. Once I ok the scene ideas, she gets to make it the way she wants. So I am saying lots of prayers that she will have great drawings to go with her ideas. This is the part that I wish I could ok every single drawing. But they won't do that. I think they will email a few of the finished scenes just so I can see how it is going. I don't think I can change anything once they are drawn. I guess I will find that part out when I hear back from her again.

Two weeks ago I received a call from my illustrator! We discussed page size, paper type, colors and my main characters. She worked on the sketches and sent me two today in my email. I loved them. They were so good. I think the students will love them. When she said she would be sending sketches, I pictured pencil ones. These were in color so I could really picture what they will turn out to look like. I'm getting excited. I can't wait to see how the pages turn out with all the background colors and settings in it.

First Edits

I received an email at the end of June telling me what my editor would be working on and a time line for all changes needed for her department. This is basically what the email said:

July 1-16 - I will edit the entire manuscript, watching for things such as plot formation, story arc, and character consistency. You won't hear much from me these first few weeks. But don't worry, I will be working hard molding and fine- tuning your manuscript.

July 16 - I will send you the edited manuscript, which will have problem areas and my suggestions highlighted. You will review these areas and approve, disapprove, or rewrite in a different font. You will need to return the manuscript to me (your editor) on July 30th and I will combine your edits.

That brings us to now. I received an email from my editor a few days ago with my edited manuscript attached. She read over my book and then only had a few suggestions for changes. Here is what she said about my book so far.

Hello Judi,
Here are my notes for your manuscript! What a cleaver take on -----------! (keeping that part a secret.) I think your children's book is adorable and can't wait to see it with illustrations. I only have a couple of suggestions for you.

Then she went on to tell me her suggestions. I saved the manuscript to my desktop with her suggestions added in a different color. My story had only 4 strikethroughs (which are words she suggests to be taken out), 3 areas of words she suggested should be added written in blue and one area that I needed to add a consequence. So I worked on my changes, making sure to highlight what I added in turquoise. I decided I will send it back to her in a day or two. I want to wait and reread it with fresh eyes tomorrow to see if I still like what I wrote.

Here is the remainder of my timeline with the editing department.

August 13 - I (your editor) will return the clean manuscript to you with the content approval form. You will look over the manuscript thoroughly and sign the form if you are content.

August 23- You will return the manuscript and content approval form to me and I will implement any changes and then move your manuscript on to our audio and design department.

I am getting excited again. There was a long period of waiting but now there are actual deadlines for me to meet. The first edit is the beginning of my deadlines. I think the changes will improve my story.

Production Stage - Re-submit manuscript

I received an email about two weeks ago from production welcoming me again to the publishing company and the steps I needed to take. I have been so busy with work and my kids schedules that today was the first time I could look over everything again.

The email asked for me to re-submit my story to make sure it met the submission guidelines to ensure that the entire production process would run more smoothly and quickly. I clicked on the link within the email and it took me to their submission requirements website.

The first step was to review my story and make sure I had it the way I wanted it. So I read it over a few times and then decided to do some more research. I'm glad I did. I worked on adding a few more details to my story, which I hope improved it. I changed my title as well and decided on my authors name to put on the title page. Then I had to save it in a certain format. The only thing I wish I would have done first, was print it out the way I had originally wrote it. I kept saving it to the same file so now I do not have a copy of my original story. So I recommend for anyone out there who is writing a story to either print out your original or save the editing in a different file just in case you like the original better.

The next step took me to the childrens book guidelines. I had to write the "Backmatter," which is the teaser that goes onto the back. I have to say that took some time and a few prayers. I even had to call my best friend for help with my last line. I liked how it turned out though.

After that, I had to write the Author's Bio. That also took some time and wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. But I ended up with something I liked. I saved it in the format required.

My last step was to send the publishing company an email and attach my files. So now it is in their hands again. I hope I hear from them again soon.

Contract arrived at publisher

I tracked my conctract through UPS and printed out the arrival receipt. Later I received a call from the publisher as well as an email letting me know they had it. The publisher says that they are sending my information to production and I should be hearing from them at the beginning of next week to start the process.

I spent some time this morning checking out books that have a similar theme to my book so I can look at the illustrations. I want to see colors and the styles that I like. I know eventually I will need to let the illustrator know what I have in mind so I need to get some ideas. I am also kicking around a few titles for the book. I will email that to them when they ask.

I'm excited and don't really have any expectations. I just want to experience all of this and if the book does well, then that will be even better. I will continue to pray that I get a wonderful illustrator and Editor.

My Publishing Experience - The Beginning

I want to keep track of my experience with the publishing world. I'm just beginning now and figure this will help me remember what all occured during this experience and may help a new author out as well.

It all started one day while I was teaching my class. I was modeling an assignment I wanted them to do. So I began writing a story in front of the class so they could see what they were expected to do. My students enjoyed it, so I shared it with another class. That teacher used it for her class as well and said they liked it. Later that week while at home, I noticed a site -writing.com and explored that. I decided to try and remember my story and type it there so I could use it again next year to teach with. I changed a few things and then posted it. I received comments including one from a lady saying her child had read my story and loved it. She said if I ever publish, her daughter would be the first to buy it. I smiled and went on with life.

I said a few prayers about wanting to write a book, and that the idea for a story would have to fall into my lap as well as the publisher. Awhile later, I went back to the writing site and read other comments. I then found a link to a publisher. I looked at their site and thought, "Why not." I submited my story and never told a sole. I didn't think anything would come from it.

About two months later I received an email saying they were in the process of reading my book. They would contact me within a week. Again, I didn't think anything would come from it. Two weeks later I was checking my mail and noticed an email from someone I didn't recognize. She asked if I was still interested in publishing and that I hadn't responded to her previous email asking for my address. I then realized I must have deleted her first email without ever reading it. So I went ahead and sent her my address still not expecting anything.

Two days after I sent the email, I came home after a long day at work and saw a parcel by my front door. I opened it up and it was a contract from them. I was surprised and excited all at once. I brought it in and quickly glanced over it. The first person I showed it to was my oldest son. He didn't say much, just smiled. Then I took it to my dad so he could look it over. He told me to do some research on the company. My husband came home and I told him about it as well. He agreed I needed to do some research. So I did.

I checked the better business rating and they had an "A+". I searched throught sites that had positive and negative comments about them. I continued to pray about it as well. The contract due date was approaching faster than I wanted. I emailed my contact back and asked for more time. She gladly gave it to me.

After praying about this over the past weeks, I realized that I should do this. The next step was convincing my husband. He thought I should self publish and gave me many sites to back up his claim. I don't think I really ever got him to see it my way, but he did say I could do what I needed to do.

I told a few friends about this adventure and they all said I should do it. One asked me to send her my story. I actually was surprised at how I felt about doing that. I didn't want to do it. I felt "exposed". I emailed it to her anyway and then waited to hear back. She said she loved it. It is funny that I didn't think twice about letting unknown people on the web read it, but it bothered me to have a friend read it. I guess I was afraid she may not like it. I'm glad I was wrong.

Anyway, I emailed my contact some questions and also spoke to her on the phone. Liking what she had to say, I went home after work, read the contract again, and then signed it. It had to be in the mail the following day. (Nothing like waiting till the last minute.) So today after work, I put everything together and drove to the UPS store and after saying a prayer I sent my contract off. They should get it tomorrow. So now my adventure begins.