Pen Names and Book Signing

I doubt many people show up trying to sign other people's books.

When I personalize the book in the banner below this post I sign it with my real name, then print "aka Cabo Bob" beneath it.

I use a pen name. So far I haven't had any problem convincing people I wrote my book, but then I suppose I haven't really tested it out enough. I haven't gotten to the book signing in a store stage yet.

Have you considered trying this a gaming stores? Or on the sidewalk in front of theaters playing Bourne/Bond style movies?

Seriously. What the hell. When you're independent and working a niche, you go where the action is.

That's a pretty cool site you have there. I hope you are working to market it. Draw people to it, that is. It's a fine art in itself and well worth learning. Even if you someday move into writing for traditional publishers the skills and in-place structure to do this stuff is valuable.

Dustry Joe said:

Have you considered trying this a gaming stores? Or on the sidewalk in front of theaters playing Bourne/Bond style movies?

Seriously. What the hell. When you're independent and working a niche, you go where the action is.

That's a pretty cool site you have there. I hope you are working to market it. Draw people to it, that is. It's a fine art in itself and well worth learning. Even if you someday move into writing for traditional publishers the skills and in-place structure to do this stuff is valuable.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm trying to market it, but I don't know if it was the Christmas period or something (my book came out in November though), but so far, although people have shown interest, they haven't always gone that next step in actually buying the book. Maybe if it was in stores itself rather than just online that might be different. I have also advertised it on an actual Bond forum where I post, but they don't seem too interested there - maybe they want Bond and no-one else? lol.

Of course, sometimes the problem with telling people it's similar to the Bond genre is that they can then think that it's purely all mindless action and gadgets etc. While there is action and the usual trappings of a spy novel, the story is very character driven and underneath it all is actually a completely different, much deeper emotional story about people's search for meaning or wanting everything to be perfect in life and learning how to come to terms with an imperfect world. And there are other emotional themes and character arcs inherent in the story too. So there is that aspect of it, but that's probably not as easy to market that side of it when the first impression you get is that it could just be either very plot driven or like some pop-corn flick, which might not necessarily appeal to everyone, even though the book isn't really like that.

Have you found books that are in the same general gesture as yours? "If you like Elmore Leonard, you're sure to like....." is line that sells a lot of books.
"On the same shelf with (Cussler, Thomas, Perry, Clancy, whoever)" is a good one, too.

Good luck