How to Really Be Ready for Your Next Author Event

 

By Heather Weidner

Over the years, I have scheduled many author events and programs in a lot of different, if not unusual, locations. The signings and book talk venues ranged from outside at the Poe Birthday Bash in January to a field at a winery’s book festival in the middle of July. Even if you’re in a nice, climate-controlled environment, you still need to be prepared. I’ve learned to pack a small bag for those “just in case” moments. 

Here are some things to have handy in your emergency bag:

• Extra pens – At my very first book signing, I left my purse in the car, so I didn’t have to juggle so many things. Well, my one and only pen died, and I had to borrow one from my mother.
• A bottle (or two) of water and a snack – I have been to some venues where there wasn’t access to food or drinks.
• Tissues and a small first aid kit
• A nailfile
• Paperclips, scissors, and a black marker – You never know when you’ll have to make a sign.
• An extra tent card with my name in case one is not provided.
• A roll of painters’ tape – You never know when you’ll need to hang something, and this tape doesn’t stick to the walls or furniture. I’ve also had to tape things down to the table for outside events on breezy days.
• A tablecloth – I can’t tell you how many events I’ve been to where the venue just provided a table that had seen better days. A tablecloth can tie into your branding.
• A small dish for candy or giveaways – And don’t take chocolate in the summertime. I took Hershey’s Kisses once to an event in August. No one wanted melted mush that turned into a big mess.
• A phone charger
•  Business cards – You never know who you’ll meet. Networking happens everywhere.
• A box of books in the trunk of the car – Book orders get delayed, or you could sell out! It’s always good to have some books with you.

What else do you pack in your emergency bag?

Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries.

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.