What’s hot now might not be hot once a new product is released. What’s cold, might be the next hot best seller. It all depends. What does it depend on? Luck? Timing? Yes, of course luck and timing play a role, but mostly the leg work performed by an author makes the difference between selling thousands of copies of a title, as opposed to selling only hundreds.

As a seasoned fiction writer, I know my field is highly competitive. Walk into any Barnes & Noble across the country and you will immediately see why. Aside from aisles and aisles of fiction titles stacked on shelves spine-out, there are floor and tables displays covering every useable inch of space allowed. Please, let’s not forget the mark-down displays. Those tables are filled with hardcover books from best selling authors for below paperback prices. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you when I shop books I shop the mark-down display first.

If I go to a bookstore, hungry for literary entertainment, but don’t have a particular title or author in mind, what is it that makes me select a book for purchasing? Again, I won’t lie. One of the first things I look at is the cover. Forget the old saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. The saying might be true. I’ve been misled many, many times. If the lesson is there to be learned, I’ve yet to appreciate the value.

I start my hunt for fiction by scoping out the book’s cover. Always. Next, I’ll read the synopsis blurb on the back of the book, or inside flap of a dust jacket. Lastly, I’ll read the first chapter. If an author can’t hook me by the end of the first chapter (or first several pages, in some cases), then I set the book back down, and slowly back away.

Personally, I am prone to trying books by unknown authors, or unknown to me, anyway. For nearly a decade I’ve written book reviews for a number of publications and websites. Most of the books sent for review were by authors I’d never heard of. What I found in most cases was that I enjoyed the thrill of discovering new and notable talent.

The only time I might deviate from the set-in-my-book-shopping ways, is when I walk into a bookstore and see an author doing a book signing. Maybe because I’m an author and have spent countless hours sitting at similar tables anxiously waiting to scrawl my John Hancock onto the pages of the baby I’d created, that I immediately wander over to see what the writer has written. What the author doesn’t know is—I’m a sure thing. I’m buying a copy of whatever is being sold. This doesn’t mean I won’t make the author work some to get the sale.

Let me switch sides of the table here. Doing a two-hour book signing is tough. I average 30 to 40 each year. There are days, many, many days, when I spend most of the two-hour stint focusing my attention on my pen as if it were the most incredible object I’d ever seen.

There are “tricks” to holding a successful book signing. Here are some things to keep in mind:

Dress professionally. The general public believes writers are elite. Don’t shatter that image. (I will generally wear jeans, with dress shoes, dress shirt and tie).

Don’t be preoccupied—even by your pen. I’ve seen authors at signings who sit back at their table and flip through a magazine, or worse, bring their laptop and click away at the keys. Doing things like this make you unapproachable.

Try to arrange to have your signing table at the front of the store, or main entrance. At signings where I have been on a second level, or tucked away down the fiction aisle, I knew sales would be low and usually were.

Greet everyone that walks by with a “hello,” or “Hi, I’m so-and-so, author of …” I can’t tell you how many times I have been mistaken for an employee of the store I was signing at, and have been asked, “Where can I find …”

Have a sign to hang on your table, or a poster to display on a stand that announces you are an author here for a signing. This helps clear up confusion about why you’re seated at a table surrounded by copies of a book(s).

If someone makes eye contact, but looks hesitant, make the first move. These are shy people. They want to know more, but aren’t sure how to ask. (See Step No. 4 above).

When someone stops to talk with you, offer them a copy of your book while you engage them in conversation. It is much harder for someone to hand you back your book once they have it in hand.

It may be up to you to start the conversation. You might get a, “So, you wrote this …” The ball’s in your court. Keep the conversation simple, but sell them the product. I might start by saying, “Yes. I’m Thomas Phillips.” Shake hands. “This is a thriller set in … it’s about …” from there, questions should follow. “How long did it take you to write this? Was it hard getting published? You do this full time?” Consider it an interview. Smile.

Freebies. People are a sucker for anything free. This can be from bookmarkers to a bowl of Hershey Kisses. Be creative, but don’t wreck your budget.

If the potential customer looks on the fence, move in for the sale. “I’d love to sign a copy for you. My email’s in there. I’d love your feedback.” Make them important to your future success. After all, they are important to your future success.

If there is no sale, offer a business card with your information on it. They may look you up at a later date, or pass the card on to someone who might better appreciate the kind of book you’ve written.

Be prepared. Come with more than one pen. I like fine tip black sharpies. The ink doesn’t bleed through the page, dries quickly.

What are realistic sale expectations at a book signing? It all depends. Not a solid answer, I know, but an honest one. If you sign books at small independent stores, expect to be treated like royalty—but maybe not to land as many sales. If you sign books at a store in a mall, sales tend to be better. The weather is always a factor. If your signing is in a mall, bad weather is better. People have nothing to do outside. They go to the mall. Nice days tend to be book-signing killers.

Premium signings occur around holidays. The months of November and December will be the bread and butter events. People buy up signed books for gifts. Suggest them as gifts for those friends and family that are tough to shop for. Summer months are tougher on authors. Nice-day-syndrome comes into play once again.

Hopefully, signs have been hanging in the store for weeks prior to your event. This helps spread the word about your book, and your name. If at all possible, write ups in local papers, or interviews on local radio and television stations run on the day of, or prior to the event. Any one sale makes a signing a success for these reasons. One sale can easily translate into more sales by word-of-mouth publicity—word-of-mouth is free, and sometimes the best marketing an author can hope for—if the person who bought your book shares it, and tells others about it after reading your work. Then those people tell others, and others tell others . . . You get the idea.

Are doing book signings worth the time an author invests? Absolutely. Book signings are not just worth holding, they are essential. So, good luck and happy book selling!