
I’ve done tons of events—book festivals, comic cons, craft fairs. I know how to set up a table, give my pitch, and sell in person. But when I was the main attraction? I was a wreck, y’all.
This post is NOT a tutorial on how to host a book signing—there are plenty of those out on the net. Instead, this is my tell-all-behind-the-scenes look at how my first-ever book signing went.
An Idea Emerges
I went to my local Barnes & Noble, as one does, and was pleased to see my author friend B.L. Mostyn there with copies of her debut novel, Heroes of Another Age. After gushing over her book’s gorgeous cover, snagging some bookmarks, and wishing her luck for the day, an idea started forming in my head.
Chat, I was locked in.
I had been wanting to plan something to mark the launch of my upcoming Puzzling Escapes book. I could do another online launch party like we did for Starship Blunder but was wanting something in-person. However, a launch party would need a venue—hopefully outside of my house—along with snacks/food/beverages, some form of entertainment (maybe a puzzle demo?), and a big stack of books to sell. I’d need to plan and pay for everything myself as well as handle sales transactions during the event.
It sounded like a big headache.
However… I could do a signing at a bookstore. My local B&N has a café, so I wouldn’t need to worry about snacks. Plus, the store would handle ordering books and processing sales. At a signing, people are welcome to come and go as they please, so I wouldn’t need to prepare anything or do a reading. (On that note, how does one do a reading for a puzzle book?)
After mulling it over, I decided to reach out to Mostyn and get her thoughts.
Dear B.L. Mostyn,
I want to copy you and plan a signing too. Please show me the way.
Love, Beth Martin*
She quickly replied, saying,
DO IT!*
* This is not our actual email exchange; I’m just summarizing for pacing and humor.
We exchanged a few more emails, where Mostyn gave me helpful information and encouragement, convincing me that a signing would be easy to set up and totally chill.
But I would not chill.
Getting on the Schedule
After getting more encouragement from other author friends during our weekly writing sessions at a coffee house, I stormed into my local B&N with the one-page summary Parragon had put together of the Puzzling Escapes series, a business card, a couple bookmarks, and a puzzle pamphlet which I had forced my D&D group to test play the previous week.
I walked up to the register, where there were a couple of staff and introduced myself as an author and asked who I should talk to about the possibility of scheduling an author signing.
Any initial hesitation on the staff’s behalf melted quickly as I began talking about my books. Even though I try to be a humble person, you have to admit, the Puzzling Escapes series is really cool. The assistant manager snapped pictures of my stuff to show the manager and gave me the email for the person I needed to contact to set up the signing.
My author friend quickly replied, saying, “DO IT!”
I agonized over the wording of that email, and once it was perfect, I hit send. Then all I had to do was wait.
Naturally, I began freaking out as the days went by and I hadn’t received a reply. I began formulating backup plans in case B&N decided not to host me. I could ask a coffee shop to host something. Maybe I could plan an event at an escape room place. I could book a different bookstore. I meticulously listed out my plan B, C, and D just in case.
When enough time had passed, I emailed my local B&N again, hoping they just needed a nudge and hadn’t completely forgotten about me. The very next day, I got a message back stating they’d be happy to host my signing.
Phew!
No One Will Come
Recently, a woman’s post about no one showing up to her book signing at a local teashop went viral on TikTok and X. She’s not the first to have this happen, and certainly won’t be the last.
I told myself that no matter what happened, I would host the best book signing I could.
I’ve been to a few bookish parties, and I know that it’s completely up to the author to drive interest in the event. This is part of why I was afraid to host a solo book signing. The venue and my publisher might promote the event a little bit, but if no one came, I could only blame myself.
Even famous and prolific authors have held signings to lackluster turnouts, so I wasn’t taking any chances. As soon as the date and time were confirmed, I spread the word like my life depended on it. I told everyone I knew to come say hi. They didn’t even have to buy a book—just stop by, take a picture, and gush with me for a moment.
I promoted the event on social media and announced it through my newsletter. I rallied my friends, asked my writing critique group for help, and hopped onto Discord to share the news with my online writing crew. If this thing flopped, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying.
Copies Come in the Mail
Nothing hits quite like the first time you see an actual print copy of your new book. Although I knew what The Haunted House Mystery would look like, I had a hard time imagining all the elements put together. Seeing the books for the first time, with the spiral binding, tabbed dividers, and gorgeous artwork, was so special.
I immediately emailed Parragon to gush about how gorgeous the books were. I also mentioned that I set up a signing soon after the launch. A whirlwind of awesome followed that—they put out a gorgeous book trailer, one of the staff reached out to B&N to help organize details for the signing and ensure the store ordered enough books, and their local rep contacted other bookstores willing to host signings. It felt like me and my book were actually a big deal, and I couldn’t wait until the book launch.
The Other Author
Everything was finally coming together. My first traditional book launch was approaching, and I had planned a launch event, posted about it on my social media, shared it in my newsletter, and bought a banner and bookmarks specifically for the event.
Chat, I was locked in.
I got an email from my Parragon liaison. Another author would be doing a signing at the same place, day, and time as me. Was I cool with that?
Absolutely not.
After crying to my hubby, friends, writing group, and Chat GPT, I responded asking that they pretty please move the other event. I didn’t want to be a diva, but this book had been SEVEN YEARS in the making, and I wanted my one day.
Rationally, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. Both authors could simultaneously hold signings. In fact, it could be a good thing! People who came in for the other author might also be interested in my book, and vice versa.
If no one came, I could only blame myself.
I told myself that no matter what happened, I would host the best book signing I could. I made sure to order plenty of business cards and bookmarks, printed out cute signs for my table, ordered new tablecloths, and put together an outfit that balanced spooky haunted vibes with I’m totally a pro author.
The Day Comes
I asked another amazing author friend of mine, J.L. Birchwood, to help me set up. I didn’t need help setting up (which she keenly pointed out while still agreeing to come), but I knew I’d be a ball of nerves, and she’s the kind of person who gets things done and would keep me on track.
We arrived way too early and ended up killing time for a few hours before we could actually set up my table. I enjoyed chatting about all things writing and reading, and then we grabbed a quick bite for lunch before returning to Barnes & Noble to decorate my signing table. There, another talented author, Melisa Peterson Lewis, met us and offered her help as well.
As we set out bookmarks and fairy lights on top of the dark blue tablecloth, the B&N staff wheeled out the copies of my book they had ordered. I had heard tales of other authors selling out the ten copies of their novel they brought to a signing. Apparently, the bookstore staff had been confident that they would sell more than ten copies of my book, and I stared in a mixture of horror and delight at the huge stack of 50+ copies of my haunted house-themed puzzle book.
I was in for a really good day... or a very bad one.
It’s Go Time!
My friends and I hadn’t quite finished setting up when a crowd of people began flocking to my display at the front of the bookstore. I still needed to take pictures of my pristine setup and post on social media! But more pressing was the line of excited people who wanted me to sign a copy of my new book.

See, it turns out, when you host a signing that lasts from 1 PM until… some other time… and you know a lot of punctual people, quite a few of them will show up at 1 PM on the dot. It was such a rush chatting with that first wave of readers, signing book after book, making sure to thank every individual for coming while still keeping the line of book-lovers moving.
Most of the event, I was too busy chatting with bookstore customers, gushing about my book, and greeting my many friends who showed up to worry about hard selling my book, achieving a certain number of sales, or the other author doing a signing event elsewhere in the store. As I talked to people about how I crafted a puzzle book which included hints and solutions to ensure that readers never got stuck, I saw bookstore patrons flip through copies of my book, tackling the puzzles while lounging in the café. The pile of books the store provided for my signing quickly dwindled until only a dozen or so copies remained.
There’s one thing I know for sure: I’m not done.
By 5 pm, I was pretty damn tired and ready to wrap up. Some of my friends and members of my writing group helped me pack up my cute banner and stuff my remaining bookmarks and the fairy lights into my tote. We migrated to the Mexican restaurant next door, where many margaritas were consumed.
Conclusion
So, what did I learn from my launch event book signing?
First off, I have amazing friends and an S-tier writing group. I was really counting on them to help make my event a success, and they went above and beyond to support me.
As for the things in my control:
Write the best god damn book you can.
Pour your heart and soul into it, and edit the shit out of it until it’s something you can be truly proud of.
This whole author journey thing has been exactly that: a journey. If I’m only known for my puzzle books and not my quirky anthologies and thought-provoking fiction, I’m okay with that. But there’s one thing I know for sure: I’m not done. In fact, to quote Backman-Turner Overdrive,
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.”