This is a short blog 'cause a picture is worth a thousand words. There is a good shot showing the individual display of books. I have to tell you, though. It was tough finding a time when the booth wasn't so crowded we couldn't get pictures of it! Thanks to a big booth with lots going on, the lighting AND the cross promotion everyone did!

http://tri-studio.com/kathegogolewskiPHOTOSfair06.html

Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Hi, All.

Please read carefully.

This booth reminder is only for those who are going to have displays at the booth.That is, this is for those who have paid $60 for the display space or for those who got their display space fr ^ ^ by participating in both the CD and the Catalog. If you're not sure, keep reading. It is not too late to juggle your participation level.

Authors' Coalition will be in booth 610 in zone F at the 2007 LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books.

Get your bookmarks, order forms, and any other collateral material printed. (See http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com for promotional material Joyce Faulkner has designed to help AC members with projects like this!). Include the booth number where appropriate. You may mail everything, your book, bookstand (if you have one you like--otherwise we will provide one), your order forms and one other promo item, and your poster to Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 3324 Emerald Isle Dr., Glendale, CA 91206 on April 1. Please don't mail before then.

You may also mail books you'd like to contribute to the free gift with purchase program we run. It has been very successful in the past. Fair visitors are encouraged to buy books from signees and those who donate get their returned books and excess inventory into the hands or readers--possibly a reader who can make a difference. Hope springs eternal, as they say. (-:


Your order form for the fair will be different for each of you but at the very least it should direct someone who wants to buy your book to the ordering department of your publisher or to Amazon or to a telephone number in your home.

For those of you who will be displaying at the fair, please try to pad your order forms. It can make a difference if a breeze comes up. Otherwise we'll weigh the stack down with a corner of your book. If you're using business cards, it also won't hurt to send me a little acrylic cardholder when you send your book, your sign, your business cards or bookmarks. Send them all together on or about April 1, to arrive after April 1.


Here is the information on display from the original booth offer:

Display: Those books accepted for display will be shown on a bookstand, not tossed into a bin with hundreds of others. The display area will be lighted. There will be a place for each participant to have a flier 4 x 5 3/4 and, give-away bookmarks or business cards--any two of the three. They may also supply laminated signs with grommets to be hung around the perimeter of the booth. These should be 14 x 17, and include only your book cover art--possibly your name or "award-winner" at the bottom. They will be viewed from afar and very simple is best.

You may have your book displayed at no cost in the West Hollywood Bookfest as well as the LA Times Book Festival a with purchase of the value-added catalog and CD. Those of you who will participate in the Hollywood fair: I will keep your materials for that event. You probably will not need to resend anything unless we run out of your forms, cards, booksmarks or business cards.
You participation in display, catalog and CD includes an ad on the Authors' Coalition website at no additional charge. Your bookcover image, a URL and a blurb should be sent to dicarmel@yahoo.com. She's our webmaster for the AD site.

No books will be sold out of the booth except by signing authors.

Those who do not wish to participate in both the catalog and the CD can choose one or the other and still purchase booth display for $60 per event (Los Angeles and West Hollywood). Based on our experience in prior years, we recommend all participants pay to be included in the catalog and CD. See the entries in my fair-focused blog. Participants used the blog that as a journal of our experiences last year. It was an ideal way to keep a record but also to share with other writers who might be planning a fair booth elsewhere.

BTW, I aplogize that the blog doesn't seem to be accepting comments for you. I can't seem to get it fixed. So, if you have ideas you want me to pass on to the rest, let me know and I'll send by group e-mail.

Best,
Carolyn
www.HowToDoItFrugally.com

Yes, there is a difference. We all know that.

The sample flier that Kevin Gerard shared with us all to use as a template--nicely designed, I might add--was more of a flier than a sell sheet because it didn't include an order form. It would work well as it is as a general flier and/or mini poster.

Some of you may also want to add your own website address to it.

AC member Nadine Laman says,

"Also, just a thought, consider two versions of the same flyer: one paper, the other the same thing, but with the web address an active link for sending it as an electronic flyer. I'd say anything other than MS Word should be sent pdf. But, since I don't have MS Word (it is in a box in my closet, but not on either of my computers) I favor sending all attachments of this sort as pdf so you're sure it doesn't scramble when being converted by the printer. Only in an emergency would one want to print a flyer with a web address underlined because it' an active link).

"I'm sure most people know this, but might mention that in many cases a web address can be turned into an active link by going to the end of it and using the space bar once. It does have to have www. in the beginning, not just NadineLamanBooks.com (for example) for the software to recognize it as a web address (url)."

Your order form for the fair should be smaller than a sell sheet but both should include order information. That order info will be different for each of you but at the very least it should direct someone who wants to buy your book to the ordering department of your publisher or to Amazon or to a telephone number in your home.

For those of you who will be displaying at the fair, please try to pad your order forms. It can make a difference if a breeze comes up. Otherwise we'll weigh the stack down with a corner of your book. If you're using business cards, it also won't hurt to send me a little acrylic cardholder when you send your book, your sign, your business cards or bookmarks. Send them all together on or about April 1, to arrive after April 1. I will supply the address later.

With Permission from Juliet Gipson, here is her media release. I added a paragraph on the fair and booth for some media may want to come by to visit. Otherwise the release is her and in the spirit of our coalition, she is sharing. She does an exceptionally good job with supporting statistics for those of you who can adapt that approach to your book. Adapt the entire release it to your own needs or see the step-by-step instructions in your THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T. Here is Juliet's:

JEWELS PUBLISHING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


DO'S AND DON'TS FOR FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD WIVES...
100 WAYS TO STEP INTO CO-PARENT... AN AFRICAN AMERICAN
PERSPECTIVE ON CO-PARENTING WITH STYLE... By: Juliet A. Gipson. M. A.
Jewels Publishing - ISBN # 9791040-0-9 / 978-0-9791040-8 / $10.00 / Paperback

NATIONAL: The book DO'S AND DON'TS FOR FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD WIVES...reveals how ex-wives and future spouses may co-exist and successfully co-parent.

More than 22 million stepfamilies live in the U. S. Approximately 1300 new families are formed daily. Studies reveal that more than 70 percent of second marriages end in divorce. These statistics show there is a high probability that many men and women are unprepared to handle the emotional and financial trappings a blended family represents.

Ms. Gipson states, "I wish I had a book like this before I decided to become a wife and instant mother". " My heartfelt desire is that Do's and Don'ts for First, Second and third Wives... 100 Ways to Step Into Co-Parenting with Style ... will become a tool that offers guidance and supportive tips that provide for a smoother road to co-parenting." This beautifully bound handbook
and guide will help you, as you, find your way and role in an already established family.

Ms. Gipson includes tips on fitting in as well as on preventing oneself from becoming overwhelmed by added financial responsibilities.

Ms. Gipson will be featured at The LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books booth #610 sponsored by Authors' Coalition (http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). The coalition is a group of authors who come together to learn more about writing and promoting and to help others do the same.


Every co-parent can find his or her place in the newly blended family and become a family asset that will ultimately benefit all of its members.

"Ms. Gipson will be featured at:
LA TIMEs/UCLA BOOK Fair" April 28-29. 2007. Booth 610 N.

THE 2007 AFRICAN AMERICAN PAVILLION AT BOOK EXPO AMERICA.
Book Expo AMERICA, John Jacob Javits Convention Center,
June 1-3, 2007, New York City.

Press/Review Copies/or orders: www.Jewelspublishing.net

Interviews/Book Signings: Contact - Juliet A. Gipson at julietsag@earthlink.net

Media Contact:

Juliet A. Gipson - Tel. xxx xxx xxxxx

Dear Carolyn:

This is flier day for me. Is there a sample somewhere on the web that
I can emulate to a certain extent?
How many do you need? I ordered extra bookmarks. How many of those do
you want? What else do you
recommend that I put on the poster besides a photo of the book cover?

I'll send all this along with my book as soon as I get it all together.
To what address?

I would like some of the official bookfair bookmarks, perhaps about 25.

Thanks.

Gene K. Garrison, author of "There's Something About Cave Creek"
Gene: I will be posting this question on the blog so everyone can benefit. I don't have a template for your order form--each one will differ so drastically. But I suggest that you make them about 1/4 page (4 up) and--if you can--have them padded so that if a breeze comes up they won't fly all over. They can be as large as 1/2 page, though. Keep in mind that your forms must share a 10-12 inch by 12 inch space on a shelf with your book and you want what is there not to look too crowded.

Include:
Essential order information from customer
That might include if they want the book signed and how.
Contact information for the customer--make it easy on them.
Credit card info if you take them, mailing info and/or website info.
A picture of your bookcover if possible.
And, if there is room, a pitch (also called teaser or logline) or a blurb to entice and remind the customer what your book is about.

Keep in mind that those who have paid for display space or those who are participating in two or more of the other programs will have display space at both fairs. That means if you are participating in two of the following, you will automatically get display space, too. Also those signing only will have display space.

CD
Catalog
Signing Space

About 200 of both the order forms and bookmarks (bookmarks aren't essential) will probably do. Reminder: Do not send materials until April 1 unless you have made special arrangement with me.

Your poster should be as simple as possible. A huge picture of your cover only or, if you want, award-winning or your name below the book cover. Also LARGE!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T and THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.

With this new information, "Authors' Coalition will be in booth 610 in zone F at the 2007 LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books" we can begin to promote our fair.

You will begin to receive notices of ideas and suggestions to keep you on a time table. These missives can be a learning experience--even for the more seasoned book promoters among us. Please read each thoroughly and stow them in a file for future reference.

It is nearly impossible for me to answer some 30 of your individual questions so I shall begin to post these missives on our blog at http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson. Please check here first, add comments and questions and I shall check back to answer. You'll find the comment spot at the bottom of this blog. Remember, everyone can benefit from your questions, just as they can from my answers so lets' stay in the sharing mode. If I don't answer you in a couple days, prompt me!


So, now we have our double booth number at the LA Times Festival of Books. It is right where we had a booth last year (a prime location!!) so anyone coming back may be able to use old fliers and other collateral material as they are or with only slight changes. Now is the time to ready your fliers, your bumper stickers, your car magnets, but mostly your invitations (even if you aren't going to be signing!) and anything else you have planned.

Some of you may be asking, "If I'm not going to be at the fair, what does it matter?"

IT MATTERS!!

This is a cross-promotional effort. Your fellow authors will do better if you do your thing--you will do better if they do theirs. Further, what you are after is an identity factor here. This is one of the biggest most pretigious fairs in the nation--if not the biggest most prestigious--and you want YOUR name associated with it even if you live in Oklahoma.

You want your readers and your media contacts to know your book will be featured at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books!

So, here is your plan of attack:

1. Do a media release--yes, your local press will want to know that you and/or your book will be there. As will your online contacts.

2. Do an invitation or flier/invitation for anyone and everyone you know in Southern California. Tell them to drop by the booth. Remind them that other great authors will be there, too. In fact, mention a couple of the other books that might appeal to them to increase their interest level. Be sure to mention Authors' Coalition because that is what the banner will say on the front of the booth. Your logo is waiting for you if you don't already have a copy--you can simply lift it off of the AC site by rightclicking and copying!) Send the same or slightly altered flier to people in your hometown. It will serve as a reminder and give you that added credibility we were talking about. Can you hear them now?

"Oh, our very own Dennis is being featured in Los Angeles. It won't be long before his star is on the walk of fame!"

Remember, frequency counts!! THIS IS ANOTHER CHANCE TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH READERS. Make it fun. Mention the free CD available while our supply lasts! Mention the free gift of a book from our supply of books with any purchase! Let your enthusiasm show! And be sure to insert a picture of your book cover on anything you send out! (-:

Here's what you might do with your fliers:

a. post them where you shop, have your hair done, etc.
b. post them in your library or libraries and leave stacks of them where
people check out their books
c. send them to your readers, your relatives
d. send them with a personal note to your list of bookstore buyers and
event planners
e. send them with a personal note to your "hit list" of media contacts
(everyone should have a list of top 10 or top 50 or top 100 media contacts
that they keep in frequent contact with as suggested in THE FRUGAL
BOOK PROMOTER.
f. send them to professional organizations, all of them but especially writing-related professional organizations

3. Get your bookmarks, order forms, and any other collateral material printed. (See http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com for promotional material Joyce Faulkner has designed to help AC members with projects like this!). Include the booth number where appropriate.

4. Use the fair's logo. You can get it on the fair site. right-click and then click on copy. Pretend it is now invisibly in your mouse.Take it to your flier and drop it by clicking on "paste." You can find
a smaller version on my HowToDoItFrugally.com site.

Do you have other ideas? Please share them with your fellows under comments on thi blog. (http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson ) .

What else? Let's hear from you!

Oh, and here's the booth number again:



Booth #610 Zone F


PS: I'm looking for a volunteer to do a sample flier he or she would be willing to share with the rest of the group. I know some of you are excellent with graphics and you're also great promoters. Ditto for a media release that we can
all use as a template.

Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Award-winning author of THIS IS THE PLACE, HARKENING, TRACINGS (a chapbook of poetry) and THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T. THE FRUGAL EDITOR will be launched at this fair.

Dear Authors' Coalition Members, "Sharing with Writers" Subscribers and Authors' Coalition Site Visitors:

You are invited to participate in our next LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books booth--the one in April of 2007.

This year we are combining the offer with an opportunity to also exhibit at the West Hollywood Book Fairin September of 2007 Frequency, after all, is the golden guideline for great promotion.

This year you can have your book displayed F R^ E ^E. by participating in other value-added promotions (both the CD effort and the Catalog) associated with the fair. There are many ways to be a part of our efforts, though! See below for details.

Many of you have been asking about plans for the next LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books. Here they are:

Authors' Coalition will again be sponsoring a double booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books booth on April 28 and 29 of 2007. As many of you know from this blog (http://redenginepress/chjohnson) and from past experience, we make changes every year based on what we learned the year before and the year before that.

Last year we opened the fair booth to authors who live outside the LA area. That worked very well. Such participation includes possiblities for display, in the catalog, in the CD offering, the tote and more (an author must participate in the signing segment to actually sell books, however.) Those of you without travel budgets thought it was a great way to have your books exposed at a prestigious venue in a different part of the country. That we limited the number of books accepted meant that each featured book was displayed well (see below for details).

This year we are also making some changes. Please keep reading to find out!

The LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books

„X The booth will most likely be in the same excellent spot on the UCLA campus as it was last year. It was in a highly trafficed area, I might add.

„X It will be a double booth where readers can browse inside the booth, touch and peruse your book. That is a much larger booth that most booths as the fair.

„X Display: Those books accepted for display will be shown on a bookstand, not tossed into a bin with thousands of others. The display area will be lighted. There will be a place for each participant to have a flier 4 x 5 3/4 and, give-away bookmarks or business cards--any two of the three. They may also supply laminated signs with grommets to be hung around the perimeter of the booth.

„X You may have your book displayed at no cost in the West Hollywood Bookfest as well as the LA Times Book Festival a with purchase of the value-added catalog and CD (see details below).

„X No books will be sold out of the booth except by signing authors.

„X Those who do not wish to participate in both the catalog and the CD can choose one or the other and still purchase booth display for $60 per event (Los Angeles and West Hollywood). Based on our experience in prior years, we recommend all participants pay to be included in the catalog and CD. See the entries in this blog. Participants used the blog that as a journal of our experiences last year. It was an ideal way to keep a record but also to share with other writers who might be planning a fair booth elsewhere. It is at http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson.

Signing Segments at Fair Also Available:

Local authors or authors willing to travel may purchase one hour segments of signing time. Signings will be posted in the booth (Sorry, but the LA Times Festival of Books administration does not provide a way to list multiple authors in the brochures, etc. that the LA Times sends out. Thus signing authors will be responsible for their own promotions including media releases and invitations to drive traffic to their signing.)

One hour signing segments cost $140 for the first and $100 for a second hour. The fee includes display in the booth for the full two days. If you choose to sign, we strongly recommend that participants consider the stands and banners we tested last year to make their signing times a standout. (Information on these amazingly-effective stands to come!) All signing positions are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

„X Gift with Purchase: We have books to give away free with purchase of books while supplies last by those signing (at no additional cost to participating authors) but we will be pleased to accept books in quantity as giveaways from participants and others for this purpose as well. We think donating books is a wonderful way to utilize damaged books, overstock, etc. Books in the hands of readers bear more fruit than books stowed in a closet.
(-:.

Disposal of Fair Materials: Books and promotion materials will not be returned. Display books will be donated to a library after the LA or West Hollywood Fair.

The Catalog

Based on last year's success, we are offering a catalog again this year. This is a cross-promotional effort . Those who participate are expected to contribute names of bookstores in their area and to follow up with phone calls to the book buyers after the catalog goes out. That's what makes this super-successful, the personal contact with the buyers who then pay special attention to the catalog so that all participants -- regardless of the area they live in -- benefit. Participants also benefit from their name being associated with a prestigious fair. Prices are:

1/8 page: $125
1/4 page: $250
1/2 page: $500
Full page: $1000.

These prices include:
ad set up (layout),
ad space,
printing
postage to book buyers and press contacts.
pdf copy of the booklet that each participant may produce (print) on their own to use at their own events throughout the year.

You can see how this cross promotion could snowball. We only ask that no changes be made to the catalog and that it be given away, not sold. If there is a demand for printing, we may also offer that service.

Non-members of Authors¡¦ Coalition or those not participating in the full program, please add $20 to cover your membership.

Catalog Details

„X A sample catalog from last year is available on request.

„X Authors may participate only in this catalog or in combination with some of the others programs offered.

„X Those who participate in the catalog and the CD program will be displayed in booths at both the LA Times booth (April 2007) and the West Hollywood Bookfest (fall of 2007) at no cost. We are offering value-added programs, using the fair itself as a credibility builder.

„X The costs listed are for paid members of Authors' Coalition. To support our sponsor, Authors¡¦ Coalition, all participants who are not members will be asked to pay $20 for a basic membership fee.

„X Participation in this catalog is limited.

„X This catalog will be sent out to at least 500 bookstore buyers and Los Angeles press contacts by mail.

„X This catalog will be circulated by e-mail to bookstores for which we have e-addresses. Participating authors will be encouraged to supply addresses.

„X This catalog will be circulated to bookstores personally selected by the participants as well as others.

„X Those who wish to list more than one book in this catalog will receive a 10% discount on the 2nd ad, 20% on the third.


The CD

We are offering a promotional CD again this year.

„X The CD ROM includes:
book titles
book covers
author biographies
review of books
stories or excerpts from each participating author.

„X Authors' Coalition will burn 1,000 (or more, depending on participation) to be given to visitors and the press corps at the fair.

„X This year authors will be able to purchase additional CDs to send to their own press contacts or readers or to use throughout the year.

„X They will also have the right to make copies on their own to distribute at events as give-aways at no extra charge. We ask only that no changes be made to content. Therefore, each author who participates must see that this kind of cross-promotion will benefit them and be willing to let their CD partners distribute the CDs at will. In other words, participants who actively promote with the CD will continue to benefit themselves and others.

„X These CDs will include professional design on each disc.

„X There will be a small additional fee to cover webmaster's time for any authors who wish to include multiple books.

CD Cost:

„X A: $200 fee includes
webmaster fees
CDs and sleeves
right to produce additional CDs.

We will produce a minimum of 1,000.

„X Additional CDs (a service for those unable to burn their own for future use), $50.plus shipping and handling for 50. Graduated discounts are available.

Tote Program

Last year we found fair-goers were extremely receptive to free bags. This year we plan to have a tote promotion. Details will depend on the participation level.

„X We envision totes that are roomy enough for their book purchases and designed so that imprinted bookcovers on the sides will be easily visible to fair-goers.

„X We prefer a canvas tote.

„X We think six to eight book covers pictures may be imprinted on each side of the bag but that will also be determined depending on the rate of participation.

„X Cost will be determined by the number of participants and the number of bags we produce. The cost for bags goes down as the quantity increases.

„X Because bags become cheaper as the production number rises and because we realize that the more exposure they get, the more all benefit, we would like to make bags available for participants year round, for them to use at any event they participate in. You can see that your book would be exposed to readers even at fairs and events at which you have no other presence.
-----
Based on last year¡¦s outcome, we have decided not to provide a bag-stuffing program raffle.

No refunds can be given for inclement weather.

Participation in these fairs and the associated promotions are limited.

Submitted by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Founder, Authors' Coalition

Weeks after the LA Times Festival of Books, evidence of the side-benefits of participating in a cross-promotion effort like this one was keep rolling in.

I received this letter from Patricia Harrington www.partriciaharrington.com , author of "Death Stalks the Khmer" and a booth participant, regarding the Authors' Coalition Booth at the fair. I thought you'd like to see how results sometimes come from promotion in unforeseen ways. By the way, the www.silkroad.org link she mentions belongs to Diana Chambers, author of "Stinger" and one of the other participants in our booth.

Patricia said:

"Someone who visited my site had linked over from a search from Google, entering in www.silkroad.org. I linked back to that search item on Google from my site statistics website. I was tickled to see your name and books (in this case my fiction, "Harkening" and "This is the Place") showing up on it prominently. Interesting. Thought you'd find that fun to know. Go to Google, and put in www.silkroad.org. It's interesting to what is produced from seeds planted, and ideas shared."

When you go to check it out, be sure to click on all the links that Google gives you. Several authors show up there and so does Authors' Coalition! www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

Very best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of "The Frugal Book Promoter"
www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm

Fair Participants:

Finally. Pictures!!

Kathe Gogolewski and her daughter Rose (who passed our CDs and helped Kathe for a full two days of volunteer work!) were the photographers.

I think you can get an idea of traffic (it was a rare moment when the booth wasn't so packed we could get pictures). You'll also get an idea of the size of the booth and the shelving (even the lighting on the books! ) that we set up. The only thing we don't have a shot of is the little "One Stop Shop for Writers" we designed for the left side of the booth where books that will help writers were displayed. You can find the pictures on Kathe's site and later they will posted to the Authors' Coalition site:

http://tri-studio.com/kathegogolewskiPHOTOSfair06.html
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

For all of those who want a copy of the catalog to print out and distribute with your media kits, with queries, to bookstores for followup with bookstores we sent to before, or any newbies you have encountered since we sent ours out, you can find it here.

http://authorscoalition.redenginepress.com/AC%20Catalog.pdf
If that doesnt work for any of you, let me know and I'll do an attachment for you.

And, if any of you want our fine computer smartie, Nate, to print some for you, let Joyce Faulkner know and she can quote you a price. In quantities from 25 to 100.

Isn't it neat that for those who want more fun, it isn't over yet!?

Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author of Irwin Award Winner, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER and three other award-winning books, THIS IS THE PLACE, HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED and TRACINGS, A CHAPBOOK OF POETRY.
www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm

Aha! Lessons learned. Not just for Authors' Coalition but for everyone who may want to go it alone or in conjunction with another author.

Before I get critical, I'd like to quote Lorraine Megowan, a visitor at the fair who is neither an Authors' Coalition member nor a booth participant. She (unsolicited) said that she was amazed at how much more attractive our booth was than the large majority of booths where they just put a table up front and scattered books and fliers on it. So I asked her for a critique and this is what I got :

" I was so impressed with Carolyn Howard-Johnson and the Authors' Coalition booth at the L.A. Times Book Fair. It was very well designed, with actual writers and their published works sitting at a front table ready to speak to any interested parties. The books were displayed on tall book shelves at the back of the booth. They were placed prominently so that one could read the titles from outside the booth. There was also easy access to the back of the booth, so that one could actually touch the books and leaf through them. Carolyn and her colleagues were welcoming and friendly."

Lorraine Barajas Megowan.
Author of a memoir in progress titled Growing Pains (Dolores del Alma)

Having said that here are dos and don'ts guidelines for next year:

1. We will not do goody bags another year. We used them to not only put the names of authors and titles into people's hands but also, via the bag label, to drive people to our booth.

~We do not feel they met our goals well enough to be worth it.
~Those who volunteered to design and stuff bags in the last two years found it a task of drudgery and goody bags only work in large quantities. Cutting the number would only cut effectiveness.
~A couple of our participants voiced the opinion that they were not particularly useful.
~Many found that producing 500 items of sufficient value to be keepers for the fairgoers was too burdensome financially.
~Also, according to volunteers handing out goodie bags, people already had their hands full; they were more interested in empty bags that the full ones. Although all 500 were given out, our volunteers had better luck with flyers, coupons and brochures that they left in bathrooms, kiosks, display tables, etc...as well as handed out to folks. We did have SOME anecdotal responses in that some fairgoers came up to the booth and stated that some of our covers "looked familiar." They didn't remember where they'd seen them, but because they seemed familiar, they approached the booth. Their familiarity may have been due to our catalogs, fliers or goody bags or many other possibilities. The volunteers not only handed out tons of materials, both for authors who were present and for authors who were not.

2. We recommend that whenever possible those renting fair booths try to use the value-added promotions that utilize the prestige of the fair and extend exposure both before and well after the fair. These include:

~CDs. People gobble these up. Our CDs contained Web pages for each participating author. Ours were very complete. Each author's page can include a picture of the author and of the author's book cover, a review, an interview, ordering information, a link to the author's website and more. Ours included a treasure chest of excerpts and short stories from the featured short story collections. That added appeal for fairgoers. Readers wanted them and, though results aren't in yet from those who participated, last year several authors found marked results for Website hits and supposed that steady sales after the fair may have been a result of the CDs. We believe the creative possibilities for CDs are endless. Example: An Author's cookbook. A collection of stories. A collection of Tip Sheets. Having said that, we all know that sales are very hard to track and we should all be selecting promotion efforts as part of our branding efforts and exposure, not specifically on sales.

~The catalog reports seem good so far. They worked best for those who submitted names of bookstores located in their own stamping ground and used the catalog as a hook to contact booksellers and give them an additional pitch.

Author and Warehouse Supervisor for Red Engine Press took a catalog to one bookbuyer who immediately ordered one book from it and promised (offered) to pass on the good news about her find to another independent bookseller in her area. So, the work of these catalogs is not done. Anyone who would like a copy to use as a sample may send me an e-mail with "Catalog Request" in the subject line at HoJoNews@aol.com. Having said that, we all know that sales are very hard to track and we should all be selecting promotion efforts as part of our branding efforts and exposure, not specifically on sales.

Note: Some catalogs are being returned for bad addresses. If we can't confirm the address, we are removing them from the database.


~The onsite perks we offered like free books with purchase (A friend of Carolyn's donated dozens of gift books for this!) , a special purchase with purchase and drawing encouraged immediate purchases rather than letting people walk away with good intentions. It's a retail maxim that when you do this, you lose a good percentage of sales from people with full intentions of buying. So having one or more of these sales activators in your booth's sales plan is a good idea. The possibilities here are endless, too. We recommend that anyone who rents a booth try to tie these in some way to the theme of their book. That's easy to do if you are manning a booth on your own rather than as a group. The character photos offered by Kathe Gogolewski worked well, too, but would only be possible if an author had a double booth or could arrange for space outside his or her booth.

Note: Joyce Faulkner would like to test giving away signed books of those authors who are on display only--a la Book Expo America's signings. We would have someone assigned to pre-filter those qualified to received a free book, much as Virgil Jose did with the signed CD of his book. I think this has great potential.

3. Lighting was a plus that we would repeat. We hung a creative book-oriented quilt made by Connie Beesley that also drew lots of attention.

4. Flooring for the booth was something we considered. At the fair we did an unofficial check to see if the booths that had it benefited much from it. The consensus was that few booths used it and that it added little to the quality of a booth.

5. Shelving with Individual Books Facing Out accompanied by sales materials not only worked but is the only way to go for authors who are not signing. I had a friend check to see if any other booth was doing that and she reported that she found NONE, although some bookstores designed their booths where books were facing with the titles showing. The ones that lined up books, spine side out, encouraged browsing but only a fraction of the books were seen and it was hard for many readers to browse at a time. A booth might combine both approaches to encourage browsing for the books displayed spine-side out. This would require that participating authors send more than one copy of their book and might be optional

6. Double Booth. This worked well but would be cost prohibitive for most anyone but a group of cross promoting authors. We had more visibility because of the extra frontage and more ways to interact with customers.

7. Shopping Bags were sent to us from Fat Cat Press who sponsored one of their authors, Virgil Jose. These worked very well, especially toward the end of the fair when we stuffed the odds and ends of several authors' leftover bookmarks, etc, including fliers and cards from Fat Cat and Jose's book in them and began to offer them to people leaving the fair laden with books they could hardly carry. I'd like to see that repeated.

8. I reiterate from "The Frugal Book Promoter" that being onsite to sign and talk up your book is always more effective than display only. But here we go again: Having said that, we all know that sales are very hard to track and we should all be selecting promotion efforts as part of our branding efforts and exposure, not specifically on sales. Even authors who signed and sold did not sell enough books to cove the cost of a booth at a fair -- and that's with some 140,000 people milling about and tons of them milling in our booth. There is always competition and there is always a limited number of readers you can actually interface with.

9. One author told me that she had given away about 100 books a la the Book Expo America model where freebies are used to create a buzz. The difference here is that fairgoers are readers-- not booksellers and librarians--like we find at trade shows. Therefore we are tempted and considering it as a voluntary alternative. If you should plan to do something of this sort, it might be more cost effective if you published generic "readers' copies" in china well in advance to keep the cost down.

10. We also considered doing a small book or chapbook of authors' excerpts or short stories or poems. We planned to call it a Book Fair Souvenir with a snappy subtitle that would make this kind of a handout something people would want to keep. We found the cost in small lots like a thousand prohibitive, but I am still mulling how to make it work. Any ideas?

11. Another idea we're considering was suggested (I think) by Carol White. She thought that canvas totes would be better than goody bags and we're trying to come up with an Authors' Coalition cross promotion effort using these totes printed with bookcovers that several authors could sponsor (underwrite) and then use at whatever events they happened to be doing. They could do double duty stuffed like goody bags as well.

12. Our laminated signs were festive. They made our booth look great. They were easily visible from the fair walkway. Do they result in sales? I doubt it but they may work the recognition factor. Someone saw a cover at the fair. The next time they see it, they may be more likely to buy. We all know that sales are very hard to track and we should all be selecting promotion efforts as part of our branding efforts and exposure, not specifically on sales.

13. Volunteers: I'm afraid to mention them by name for fear I will forget someone but many spouses, children and supporters of the authors were on hand to help out as needed. They ran for food, offered support, stuffed bags, handed out CDs and goody bags, helped us build our bookshelves and hang our laminated signs. It was hard work for us all but would have been impossible without them. The authors onsite also couldn't have been more generous with their muscle power and good will.

14. We tested a banner and sign. It is a novel, easy to carry (in a tube) sign that said "Meet the Author" and had a picture of the author under it. The other side of the banner could be used for a bookcover. It stands easily on a table and adjusts by height. They are not inexpensive but we were all amazed at how well our trial worked. An offer will be coming to you soon and I hope you will take advantage of it. We all wished that we had one of our own instead of using it as a test first.

15. All authors--even if they don't live in the LA area--were encouraged to send out media releases to local presses in their own town and invitations to anyone they knew in the LA area. Our committee did the same both by mail and by e-mail. We had LA Times Festival of Books bookmarks available to us for distribution and access to their adorable logo. All are prestige builders and next year we hope to have authors sign pledges as to their participation because we know that the better the promotion of each, the greater success of each.

This advice is not very different from what we talked about earlier in the process of mounting a booth. I believe that we have found very nearly the perfect fair booth. It is not anywhere near perfect if judged by sales. I have changed my song a tad from when I wrote "The Frugal Book Promoter" where I dissed bookfairs in general. In the next edition I will say they work for branding---.and possibly even sales -- but only if they are used as the jumping off point for lots of other promotions. They can be excellent if authors are willing to put the work in and if they are judged on the basis of exposure.

Please join me in giving our planners and volunteers a round of applause.

And HUGE thank yous to all participants in the Authors' Coalition http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com booth at the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books!

We were a great team.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER and other books
http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm

The huge basket of gift items was won by screenwriter Lynda Foote. She is also writing a novel and drove all the way back to the fair from her home to pick up her prize. She was excited and grateful.

The basket included engraved wine glasses and wine from Kathe Gogolewski, a hand-crocheted scarf from emerging writer Elizabeth Evans, a Mikasa crystal bowl, lots more great items and books, books, books! Your hard-working booth planners are grateful to Authors' Coalition members and booth participants who were so generous with both the items and your time. YOU made this value-added aspect of our booth a success!

Your fair report will be out next week, though you will also want to read yesterday's post for some of the details. You'll also want to go the Authors' Coalition site to see some of the new features including a membership roster that Joyce Faulkner is cooking up. http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm

The weather held out in spite of a rainy spring in Southern California. We had two beautiful warm days.

There was some confusion, as there almost always is at bookfairs, conventions or trade shows (they are slightly different, by the way, and I've heard them used interchangeably).

But for the most part our bookfair was a huge success. I'll send you all a more complete report on our booth later but these are the reasons are booth was successful:

1. Experience. This booth is our fourth. We have learned much and learned more at this one.

2. Cross promotion. The most active participants--of course--reaped the greatest benefits.

3. Caring participants. Example: Virgil Jose who exhibited only (as opposed to signing) came to help on Saturday morning. His publisher Fat Cat Press sent little shopping bags with handles which he handed out to fairgoers, using them as a way to open conversations with them about what he calls "moider mysteries" to pre-screen them for a free CD gift he gave out, a copy of his e-book, "The Examined Life." When he wasn't in attendance on Sunday, his bags were stuffed with his promotional materials by our volunteer staff and handed out right down to the last flier, the last bag.

4. Booth volunteers who were not authors and did it only for the love of books or the love of the participating authors. They were Nate and Nora Faulkner, Rose Schneider, Carmel Faulkner, Connie Beesley, Natalie Bandlow's mother and children, several of Marcus Hart's pals, Lance Johnson and Jean Jose. They stuffed, passed stuff out, hammered, wired, computered and built stuff like crazy.

5. A great location and very visible double booth.

6. Effective lighting which few booths provide--a retail trick that works.

6. Our value-added promotions like our booksellers' catalog, CD, Kathy Gogolewski's festive picture taking promotion (children stuck their heads through beautifully designed and painted character boards), goody bags, a drawing valued at more than $1,000, and our free gifts with purchase.

7. Huge numbers of fair visitors, thanks to professional fair planners at the LA Times and UCLA.

If, I've forgotten anyone or any reason that our fair was a success, let me know. I'll add it in a special place later. My brain is fried and my muscles ache but I am…

Your Happy Fair Booth Planner
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm

A last minute report , a bit of fun. and a reminder here!

The LA area is beginning to feel the influence of our fair. Every LA Times dispenser (on seemingly every corner in the city) sports their poster-logo, there are full page ads in the paper almost every day including great ones to attract young readers and we're hearing about it on the news and more. The official guide (published by the LA Times) will soon be out and that will include info on our booth as well as a special listing of our website--something only the big-guy-booths pay to have done. So, it's time for you to put that website address in your signatures, etc. so that people (even ones not coming to the fair) can go see your review, you ad, etc. on the site. (http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com)

Your catalog featuring your titles (the one going to press and bookstores) was mailed yesterday. Nate Faulkner and Joyce Faulkner did a beautiful job. Marilyn Peake and Bill Peake did a very professional job on the CD (for those who participated in that project) and Kathe Gogolewski has them in safe keeping ready to give out to media and others at the fair. Natalie Bandlow has the raffle basket about ready to go. Ditto for the goody bags.

We have light wood bookshelves a la Ikea, and lighting (rarely done in booths but because I was a retailer in a past life, I know how important this is). Our banner has been ordered from the fair and, as you recall, we will make a big splash at booth #610 (in a very good area at the fair--one of the best!) with a double booth. Those interested in seeing where this booth is located will find a map at http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/special events page.

All is in order excepting that I haven't received materials from some of you. Below is the list of people who have mailed me their books or other materials (with notes if material is incomplete). If you aren't on this list, I haven't received your book, your poster, your business cards or bookmarks, or your order forms/informationals.

Sandra Williams
Diana Chambers
Beverly Scott (postcards only--no book or materials)
JoAnn Kelly
Milli Thornton
Virgil Jose (will bring his materials with him to fair--he is helping set up the booth and my thanks to him!)
Milli Thornton
Allyn Evans
Marilyn Peake (no support materials)
Hugh Rosen (Hugh also sent little acrylic stands for his business cards--very nice!)
Peggy Ridgeway
Natalie Bandlow
Deron Douglas (Audio Classes for Writers)
Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Of course there may be some books en route but I didn't want to let this wait too long to remedy any oversights.

Last thing:

If you haven't sent out media releases (or plan to) to your Web contacts and local media, you are not getting the most out of the booth. (There is a template for you on this blog, http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson ). Please do so--it is the cross-promotion aspect of an event like this that is most important. Ditto for invitations to ANYONE you know in the entire Southern California area. This fair draws from the Mexican border to Santa Barbara and beyond.

Thanks to all of you for your support. I'm very pleased with how this is going. With each fair we keep learning and learning, getting better and better.

Your Getting-Tired Mother Hen
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm

Dear All:

Regarding: Festival of Books bookmarks (nice!) and your bookfair invitations/reminders/chance to expose your title again!

Now is the time for all Authors' Coalition authors(http//:authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com) to send out a flier/invitation/announcement to press, readers, personal lists, fanbase, etc. All book fair participants should do this. Even if they won't personally be at the fair, their titles will be!

People in YOUR town, any town--even the ones in Colorado, Idaho, etc.-- will be impressed by an author's being at the huge and prestigious Los Angeles Times/UCLA Festival of Books (http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/ ) Isn't this another chance for authors to remind everyone of their titles and their little author-selves???

I received the official bookfair bookmarks today. I would be happy to send participating authors some to include with your flier/invitations (plus a few for your library), but I'm mostly interested in their being inserted into your snailmail invitations. I'll need to know how many. Help me out with your address and send them to be my private e-mail, OK?

If our Authors' Coalition authors elect to do their own fliers, that's OK, too, but please include something about Authors' Coalition (http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com ) where those who receive them can go to find your book's ad, your favorite review (as members of the booth you all qualify for that page!) and other authors are welcome to join Authors' Coaltion and so qualify for that honor! Of course, the site will include info on the fair itself.

If you have ideas on this project to share with others, please make them permanent by adding them to comments (click below) so your ideas will help out other authors who will be doing fairs in 2006.

Pass the word along, please. We are The Authors' Coalition Blog (http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson ) It is fair season and the suggestions you find in this blog will help make any fair a successful one!

Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson (http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm )
Author of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T, winner of the Irwin Award and USA Book News' Best Professional Book of 2004.