My First Book Signing Tour!!!

By Debby Giusti





When my agent and award-winning author Deidre Knight asked if I wanted to be part of a book signing tour, I jumped at the chance. The weekend was delightful, and I thought you might be interested in what I learned.

The photo right shows all of us (left to right): Maria Geraci, Debby Giusti, Jennifer St. Giles, Shannon K. Butcher and Deidre. Deidre's assistant Jia Gayles (in photo below right) made sure everything happened on time. Thanks, Jia, for all your hard work!

Booksellers are wonderful! At each stop, the booksellers made our signings special with posters and wonderful displays of our books. They were as excited as we were. In the future, I’ll be more apt to schedule signings, knowing how much they appreciate authors who interact with their readers. The photo below shows Deidre (middle) and Debby (right) with Jonathan Tonge, owner of Dog Ear Books, in Madison, Georgia.

Give a talk on writing prior to the signing. Many of the folks in the audience were writers who wanted to learn how we got published. Each of the authors gave a short pitch about our own writing journey, and then we opened it up for questions. All of us—writers and readers, alike—learned from the Q&A.

Send out lots of publicity. The authors blogged about the tour prior to the weekend, and the various bookstores sent information to their database of readers. I also sent a special email to writers I thought might enjoy meeting my agent. Many of them came to support me, but they also were able to talk about their work to Deidre. I was thrilled when she asked a number of them to submit their manuscripts to her agency.

Bring promotional items. Readers are often shy about meeting authors so I like to get out from behind the signing table and introduce myself to them. Having a bookmark, candy or other giveaway helps to break the ice.

Make it fun! Jia brought balloons. One of the bookstores provided beverages for those who attended. Each night the authors went out to dinner. Of course, we talked about writing and our favorite books. On Friday, we celebrated Shannon’s birthday with a yummy chocolate cake.

Spend the night. To cut down on driving, most of us stayed in Madison, Georgia, home of The Knight Agency. Having our hotel close by kept us well rested and ready for the next event.

Book tours are easy to do and lots of fun! Next time I have a book coming out, I’ll contact some of my author friends to see who wants to go on tour. Shoppers swarm the malls at the beginning of the month so I’ll schedule the tour with that in mind. Hope to see you there!!!

Happy writing! Happy reading!

Wishing you abundant blessings,
Debby Giusti
http://www.debbygiusti.com/
http://www.ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com/

PROTECTING HER CHILD
By
Debby Giusti

“WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?”

Wealthy heiress Eve Townsend is close to death. But before she dies, she has to know: what happened to the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-four years before? Did she inherit her mother’s life-threatening disease? Medical researcher Pete Worth is ready to find answers by tracking her down. And when he finally locates Meredith Lassiter, he finds her widowed, pregnant and on the run. The loan sharks who killed her husband want her dead…and Pete is the only one standing in their way.

Winner of the 2008 Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Suspense, medical technologist Debby Giusti writes spine-chilling Christian fiction for Steeple Hill. PROTECTING HER CHILD, her fifth book and the second story in her Magnolia Medical series, was released in May. CHRISTMAS PERIL will feature her novella YULE DIE in December, and KILLER HEADLINE will follow in February 2010. Her first three books, NOWHERE TO HIDE, SCARED TO DEATH and MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA are available in hardcover by Thorndike. In addition to full-length fiction, Debby has written articles for numerous magazines, including Southern Lady, Woman’s World, Our Sunday Visitor, Army and Family. For over twelve years, she served on the editorial advisory board of ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory and wrote extensively on emerging infectious diseases for that magazine. For more information about Debby and her books, visit her web site at: http://www.debbygiusti.com/.