Basic Tradeshow Information for Authors
PNBA welcomes all authors to our annual shows. If you are selected to fill featured spots at the show you are one of the show's "celebrities," and the PNBA staff and volunteers will do our best to make sure that you have a great time, learn something, and leave hoping that you are invited to attend again when your next book is released.
Below you will find some quick answers to some of the more common questions that authors have about our shows. Elsewhere on our website, we have posted other information, some of it specific to particular events, and we hope that you will have the time to look over those that sound like they may be pertinent to you so that you will be in good shape to understand how you can get the most out of the shows.
If you have already accepted an invitation to be a featured author at the PNBA show, your publicist should have provided you with the links appropriate to your event, and should have sent you specific instructions on where you are to be, by what time, with what materials. The explanations below are meant to go beyond the info that you have received from your publicist; but none of it should contradict the information that your publicist provided.
What Can I Do to Receive an Invitation to Be Featured at the PNBA Show?
The process for proposing an author for the show requires only an email from the book's publicist to PNBA with this info: Author Name; Book Title: And Subtitle; Imprint/Publisher; release date; genre and the city where the author resides. PLUS, we need links to the Edelweiss Catalog page for the title and the ISBN number. All of this info will be compiled and sent to our Selection Committee shortly after the deadline to propose authors. A week later, the Selection Committee will send to PNBA staff their prioritized list of those authors. By the beginning of June, staff will begin inviting authors to the show, starting at the top of the Selection Committee's list and inviting the top vote-getting authors to fill keynote slots. After those spots are confirmed, we move down to the next twenty authors on the Committee's list and invite them to participate in the Feast. That process continues until all of the spots available for authors at the show have been filled, usually by the end of July.
95% of the authors who are invited to our shows were proposed to us by the publisher. Because we are a small non-profit, we have to charge "promotional fees" for each author appearance to help pay for the room and equipment rentals, the food, the sign production and coordination, the training and supervision of the volunteers who help with the authors, and the many other details that cost money. Most publishers devise budgets for their books, some of which are devoted to publicity, from which our fees are paid. Publishers understand the value of matching their authors with our booksellers to the potential success of their new books, and they are happy to pay our relatively low fees to make those connections happen. Self-published authors who also have a budget devoted to promotion are welcome to propose your own appearance at the show, but will need to be prepared to pay the fees and to donate the books necessary for signing and giving to the attending booksellers.
How Do I Know Where to Go When I Arrive?
No matter where the show is held, PNBA always operates our own registration desk. The front desk at the hotel can tell you exactly where our registration desk is. Come to our registration desk first to pick up your badges and tickets. The staff at the PNBA registration desk know where every event will be held and will have copies of the show program. That staff will help you find your destination and will be able to tell you who will be in charge of the specific event in which you will participate.
At all of the author events at the show, PNBA will supply a group of trained, experienced and friendly volunteers who know what needs to be done and who will offer to help you, if you would like.
If you arrive at the site of the show after the PNBA registration desk has closed, you should go directly to the room in which your event will be held, and tell the first person you see there who is wearing a staff badge that you are an author at that event and would like to meet the event coordinator. That coordinator will have your badge(s) and ticket(s), and will explain exactly what you should do.
If you are bringing your own books for your signing, those, too, need to be taken to the PNBA registration desk (or brought with you directly to your event) when you arrive. Our volunteers will then make sure that they are delivered to the exact spot where they will be needed.
How Should I Prepare for My Appearance at the Show?
Wear comfortable shoes. Wear casual business clothes. You will be meeting booksellers who, if they wear a jacket, will do so with their jeans.
If you are a Northwest author and you are interested in the possibility of visiting some of our member stores for promotional events, it would be wise to bring at least fifty single-page info sheets about you and your new book to hand out to booksellers and librarians who may be interested in hosting you. The sheet should have all your pertinent personal and book information, including a contact phone and email, your website address, and a brief explanation of what kind of presentation you will be prepared to make.
Before coming to the show, make sure that your website is "independent bookstore friendly." That means that your site should not look like you want everyone to "buy the book" from Amazon. If you truly want to support independent bookselling, your site should reflect that enthusiasm with a highlighted link to buy your books from your favorite, local independent store. This will tell all booksellers, whether they are the store you emphasize or not, that you know how important those links are to the indie market, and it will encourage the indie store owners and staff to give you and your book more attention than they otherwise might.
Can I Bring a Guest?
Yes, if you are a featured author speaking at an event, PNBA is happy to welcome one guest to attend for free with you, but we ask that you tell us that person's name before the show, so that we can have her/his badge and tickets ready before you arrive. In most cases where an author will be participating in a meal event, we will also provide a free ticket to that meal for your companion. The exception is for the Signature Dish event--because of how that event works, we cannot accommodate guests.
I Have Been Invited to Speak at the Show. What Should I TALK About??
Authors are encouraged to talk about whatever they want. We do have a few suggestions, based on our experiences and understanding about what it takes to get the booksellers to (1) READ the book, (2) STOCK it in their stores, and (3) TALK to other people about it, so they can sell them.
First, we suggest that authors NOT read to us. We will read it, if you tell us something intriguing. Second, tell us something catchy, maybe a story about the choice of subject, or process of researching, or difficulties with writing the book; something not found in the book itself, but something that will tell us more about the author or the book and make us curious and want to read it. Then, finally, we highly recommend humor. If the speaker is humorous, that alone will encourage us to read the book and want to talk to other people about it.
One of our favorite stories of an author learning to speak is of Chuck Palahniuk. We gave him his first award for his first book, Fight Club in 1997. He seemed scared when he got to the podium to accept it, and seemed to have never spoken in public before in his life. The first few minutes watching him were agonizing to watch. Then he told a short story about his parents, and how they taught people how to pronounce their name, and he had us all laughing. Ever since, his talks have all been filled with that kind of little story and laughter. He now makes big bucks for speaking.
Can I Sell My Books at the Show?
No. Because our shows are not open to the public, we have no onsite sales of books. Only booksellers and librarians will be there to meet authors, and they are accustomed to receiving free copies of books at the shows (or Advanced Readers' Copies, "ARCs"). Publishers give these books to reviewers, librarians and booksellers in hopes that they will read them before the books come out, order them for their stores and libraries, and then talk about them to their patrons or customers, who--we all hope--will buy them. The best that anyone can hope for, in terms of "selling" books at the show, is that those who are exhibiting will receive some orders for their books--orders which will be shipped later and paid for after they have been shelved in the stores.
Below you will find some quick answers to some of the more common questions that authors have about our shows. Elsewhere on our website, we have posted other information, some of it specific to particular events, and we hope that you will have the time to look over those that sound like they may be pertinent to you so that you will be in good shape to understand how you can get the most out of the shows.
If you have already accepted an invitation to be a featured author at the PNBA show, your publicist should have provided you with the links appropriate to your event, and should have sent you specific instructions on where you are to be, by what time, with what materials. The explanations below are meant to go beyond the info that you have received from your publicist; but none of it should contradict the information that your publicist provided.
What Can I Do to Receive an Invitation to Be Featured at the PNBA Show?
The process for proposing an author for the show requires only an email from the book's publicist to PNBA with this info: Author Name; Book Title: And Subtitle; Imprint/Publisher; release date; genre and the city where the author resides. PLUS, we need links to the Edelweiss Catalog page for the title and the ISBN number. All of this info will be compiled and sent to our Selection Committee shortly after the deadline to propose authors. A week later, the Selection Committee will send to PNBA staff their prioritized list of those authors. By the beginning of June, staff will begin inviting authors to the show, starting at the top of the Selection Committee's list and inviting the top vote-getting authors to fill keynote slots. After those spots are confirmed, we move down to the next twenty authors on the Committee's list and invite them to participate in the Feast. That process continues until all of the spots available for authors at the show have been filled, usually by the end of July.
95% of the authors who are invited to our shows were proposed to us by the publisher. Because we are a small non-profit, we have to charge "promotional fees" for each author appearance to help pay for the room and equipment rentals, the food, the sign production and coordination, the training and supervision of the volunteers who help with the authors, and the many other details that cost money. Most publishers devise budgets for their books, some of which are devoted to publicity, from which our fees are paid. Publishers understand the value of matching their authors with our booksellers to the potential success of their new books, and they are happy to pay our relatively low fees to make those connections happen. Self-published authors who also have a budget devoted to promotion are welcome to propose your own appearance at the show, but will need to be prepared to pay the fees and to donate the books necessary for signing and giving to the attending booksellers.
How Do I Know Where to Go When I Arrive?
No matter where the show is held, PNBA always operates our own registration desk. The front desk at the hotel can tell you exactly where our registration desk is. Come to our registration desk first to pick up your badges and tickets. The staff at the PNBA registration desk know where every event will be held and will have copies of the show program. That staff will help you find your destination and will be able to tell you who will be in charge of the specific event in which you will participate.
At all of the author events at the show, PNBA will supply a group of trained, experienced and friendly volunteers who know what needs to be done and who will offer to help you, if you would like.
If you arrive at the site of the show after the PNBA registration desk has closed, you should go directly to the room in which your event will be held, and tell the first person you see there who is wearing a staff badge that you are an author at that event and would like to meet the event coordinator. That coordinator will have your badge(s) and ticket(s), and will explain exactly what you should do.
If you are bringing your own books for your signing, those, too, need to be taken to the PNBA registration desk (or brought with you directly to your event) when you arrive. Our volunteers will then make sure that they are delivered to the exact spot where they will be needed.
How Should I Prepare for My Appearance at the Show?
Wear comfortable shoes. Wear casual business clothes. You will be meeting booksellers who, if they wear a jacket, will do so with their jeans.
If you are a Northwest author and you are interested in the possibility of visiting some of our member stores for promotional events, it would be wise to bring at least fifty single-page info sheets about you and your new book to hand out to booksellers and librarians who may be interested in hosting you. The sheet should have all your pertinent personal and book information, including a contact phone and email, your website address, and a brief explanation of what kind of presentation you will be prepared to make.
Before coming to the show, make sure that your website is "independent bookstore friendly." That means that your site should not look like you want everyone to "buy the book" from Amazon. If you truly want to support independent bookselling, your site should reflect that enthusiasm with a highlighted link to buy your books from your favorite, local independent store. This will tell all booksellers, whether they are the store you emphasize or not, that you know how important those links are to the indie market, and it will encourage the indie store owners and staff to give you and your book more attention than they otherwise might.
Can I Bring a Guest?
Yes, if you are a featured author speaking at an event, PNBA is happy to welcome one guest to attend for free with you, but we ask that you tell us that person's name before the show, so that we can have her/his badge and tickets ready before you arrive. In most cases where an author will be participating in a meal event, we will also provide a free ticket to that meal for your companion. The exception is for the Signature Dish event--because of how that event works, we cannot accommodate guests.
I Have Been Invited to Speak at the Show. What Should I TALK About??
Authors are encouraged to talk about whatever they want. We do have a few suggestions, based on our experiences and understanding about what it takes to get the booksellers to (1) READ the book, (2) STOCK it in their stores, and (3) TALK to other people about it, so they can sell them.
First, we suggest that authors NOT read to us. We will read it, if you tell us something intriguing. Second, tell us something catchy, maybe a story about the choice of subject, or process of researching, or difficulties with writing the book; something not found in the book itself, but something that will tell us more about the author or the book and make us curious and want to read it. Then, finally, we highly recommend humor. If the speaker is humorous, that alone will encourage us to read the book and want to talk to other people about it.
One of our favorite stories of an author learning to speak is of Chuck Palahniuk. We gave him his first award for his first book, Fight Club in 1997. He seemed scared when he got to the podium to accept it, and seemed to have never spoken in public before in his life. The first few minutes watching him were agonizing to watch. Then he told a short story about his parents, and how they taught people how to pronounce their name, and he had us all laughing. Ever since, his talks have all been filled with that kind of little story and laughter. He now makes big bucks for speaking.
Can I Sell My Books at the Show?
No. Because our shows are not open to the public, we have no onsite sales of books. Only booksellers and librarians will be there to meet authors, and they are accustomed to receiving free copies of books at the shows (or Advanced Readers' Copies, "ARCs"). Publishers give these books to reviewers, librarians and booksellers in hopes that they will read them before the books come out, order them for their stores and libraries, and then talk about them to their patrons or customers, who--we all hope--will buy them. The best that anyone can hope for, in terms of "selling" books at the show, is that those who are exhibiting will receive some orders for their books--orders which will be shipped later and paid for after they have been shelved in the stores.