• Is your message clear?
• Are you confusing your audience with multiple messages?
• Your brand logo and your book cover need to be easy to read for every occassion, whether as big as a billboard or as small as a business card.

Consistency

• From cover to cover, and everything in between, does your book follow the same theme?
• Beyond your book, does your overall branding have the same core “look” as it is expressed across multiple markting outlets (website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)
• Over time, your fans should be able to recognize your books and your brand because of its consistency.

Professionalism
A professional presentation is a must. Nothing screams amateur more than these five pitfalls:

• Low quality photo or illustration used for your cover. A snapshot from your last beach vacation might not be the best option. A good photographer or illustrator pays attention to composition, horizon placement, drama, light and dark, film grain, color selection and more.
• Boring or irrelevant visual composition. A photographer, illustrator, or designer can take your concept and develop something custom that is unique to your book.
• Low resolution. It is imperative to start with a high resolution photo or scan for every image used in your book and your marketing materials. Using proper software to layout your project will keep
• the resolution high when it is sent to press.
• Pre-press errors. While printing is not an exact science, there’s a
• lot that has to done to the file in order to get the most optimal print quality possible. Failure to do any one item poses the potential for a complete printing disaster. A professional designer knows exactly what needs to be done in order to get your book (or any printed material) to be the treasured keepsake it was meant to be.
• Fonts. Font selection is important. There is an unpublished library of fancy fonts that are overused and abused. You will recognize many of them since they come preloaded on your computer. If you want to make your designer cry, pick one of these notorious fonts:
  
  Trust your designer to help you pick fonts that are fresh and in alignment with your branding message, there are hundreds of top-notch fonts to choose from.

Memorable (there’s no shortage of average books) 

• Pull your audience in with unique visuals.
• Connect with your audience’s emotions.
• Keep their attention with compelling copy.
• Show them something they haven’t seen before.

One of the best ways to sell books is through the one-on-one contact that occurs with book signings. That’s why we’re recommending you check out P. A. Ritzer’s instructional guideon how to sell books at a bookstore book signing. P. A. Ritzer has sold thousands of copies of his first book, the award-winning historical Western Seven Ox Seven, Part One: Escondido Bound, at over 175 bookstore book signings (over 165 at Barnes & Noble stores alone). He has written Love and the Art of Bookstore Book Signing as an answer to authors, bookstore personnel, distributors, and others in the book business who have sought to know how he does it.

Ritzer does not just detail a method but goes to the heart of the matter. He exposes the real basis of his success in interacting with customers and the people who help him sell books. In Love and the Art of Bookstore Book Signing, Ritzer shows that an author need not be a celebrity to make book signings rewarding for himself and the stores and their customers. Rather, he can create the kind of experience that inspires customers to buy his book and managers to invite him back for 18 or more successful signings of the same book at one store.

Reviews

“This is a one-of-a-kind book on jumpstarting your book sales. P. A. Ritzer has achieved remarkable success in bookstore book signings. In ‘Love and the Art of Bookstore Book Signing’ he shares the principles and practices that have led to that success. It is a valuable read and resource for any who would like to make their book sail up the charts.”— Dan Poynter, author, The Self-Publishing Manual

“If P. A. Ritzer is open to sharing his passion for bookstore signings, we should listen carefully. His signings are a phenomenon the likes of which I have not seen in my 35 years in publishing and book distribution.”— Chris Bell, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Midpoint Trade Books

“P. A. Ritzer, author of Seven Ox Seven, is one of the best authors for a book signing for many reasons. First and foremost, he has a terrific work ethic. . . . He becomes and is a presence in the store. . . . Mr. Ritzer is versed in the art of a book signing and wields his knowledge and experience well.”— Joel McCree, Store Manager, Barnes & Noble, Colorado Springs, CO

“P. A. Ritzer has the art of author bookstore signings down to a science. His consistent sales results through in-store book signings are truly remarkable.”— Alexander M. Kampmann, Director, Trade Sales of Midpoint Trade Books

“P. A. Ritzer is an author, yes, but it is because of his great ability to engage our customers like a neighbor and a friend that he is also a regular bookseller in our store. I wish all authors would approach and sell to customers like he does. He has been by far the most successful author to sign and sell books in this store. He knows how to move books, and that is what the retail environment needs from authors today. Because of his gifted ability to sell, P. A. Ritzer has been and continues to be a tremendous asset to our team.”— Eric Welch, Store Manager, Barnes & Noble, Fort Collins, CO

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