Three Lessons from My First Book Signing

My early book signings taught me that an author’s assumptions about readers are often less reliable than the readers themselves. At a signing connected with BYU Women’s Conference, I was promoting both a fantasy novel and a short Mother’s Day book. Three conversations changed the way I thought about audience, value, and the strange specificity of the “perfect reader.”

Originally published May 7, 2011. Substantially revised and expanded July 2026.

Lesson One: Never Assume Who Will Want the Book

An older woman approached the table using a walker. I had two very different books available: a tender Mother’s Day story and a fantasy novel involving magic, music, and another world. I assumed she would be more interested in the Mother’s Day book.

She waved that title aside and bought the fantasy novel.

The interaction was brief, but the correction was lasting. Readers do not owe authors visible evidence of their tastes. Age, clothing, profession, gender, and the person accompanying them may tell you almost nothing about what they enjoy reading.

• Describe the books without assigning one to the visitor.
• Ask what kinds of stories they enjoy.
• Let the reader decide which cover, premise, or theme speaks to them.
• Avoid treating an unexpected choice as a novelty.

A signing table should invite discovery rather than sort people into categories before they have spoken.

Lesson Two: Do Not Undervalue the Work

Another visitor wanted to look through the shorter book before purchasing it. I suggested that he take a copy and browse it, partly because the book felt small to me beside a full-length novel.

He declined and said he wanted to sit down and give the work the attention it deserved. He compared the request to asking a concert pianist to “play a little something.”

That comment exposed the difference between modesty and dismissal. An author should not exaggerate the value of a book, but apologizing for the work before a reader has encountered it does not serve anyone.

• A short work may contain years of experience.
• A small book may address an emotionally important subject.
• A lower price does not make the ideas disposable.
• The reader is allowed to treat the work more seriously than the author expects.

Creative work needs humility during revision and confidence during presentation. Those qualities are not opposites.

Lesson Three: Every Unusual Book Has an Ideal Reader

A woman arrived carrying a copy of The Canticle Kingdom that she had already purchased. During our conversation, I learned that she had been born in Germany and loved music boxes.

The novel combines German history, music-box craftsmanship, original music, and a fantasy kingdom. She was not simply a member of the broad category “fantasy reader.” She had personal connections to several of the elements that made this particular fantasy unusual.

Writers are often warned that a premise is too specific. Sometimes specificity is precisely what creates recognition. A general story may appeal mildly to many people; a distinctive story may feel as though it was designed for one reader’s private collection of interests.

What a Signing Is Really For

Selling books is one purpose of a signing, but the event also allows an author to observe how readers describe the work back to them. Visitors reveal which cover details attract attention, which premises require too much explanation, and which personal connections turn curiosity into enthusiasm.

A useful signing setup should make those conversations easier:

• Display covers at a height that can be seen from a distance.
• Use one-sentence descriptions rather than beginning with the entire plot.
• Provide a clear price and purchase method.
• Bring a reliable signing pen and a backup.
• Ask how the reader would like the book personalized.
• Include one memorable visual object connected with the story.
• Leave room on the table for a book to be opened and signed comfortably.

The Cover as a Conversation Starter

At the time of this signing, I was also able to share the cover for The Last Archangel. The crossed light and dark swords, ruins, shadowed angel, and time imagery gave readers immediate questions to ask. A good cover does not explain every part of the novel. It creates the right kind of curiosity.

The experience reinforced a principle I still use in book design and author promotion: every visual choice should help the intended reader recognize genre, tone, and central conflict before reading the description.

What I Carried Forward

• Let readers surprise you.
• Present your work without apologizing for its size, subject, or unusual premise.
• Specific details help the right reader recognize the book.
• Use events to listen, not merely to deliver a sales pitch.
• A signing is successful when it creates genuine connection, even when the total number of books sold is modest.

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Read the full creative and launch history in Behind The Last Archangel: From Contract to Launch. Explore the current book and character resources on The Last Archangel Series. For cover design, layout, and other publishing support, visit Professional Creative Services.