Spotlight Profile
January-Febuary 2004
Chester Campbell, set up for a book signing at B&N
Chester Campbell graduated from the University of Tennessee with a major in Journalism. He worked as a reporter, a speechwriter, a freelancer, started Nashville Magazine and served as Executive VP of the Tennessee Association of Life Underwriters. He also served as an Air Force intelligence officer during the Korean War and retired from the Air National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel. He and his wife Sarah have learned how to make a successful book signing and he’s going to share some of what they’ve learned with us.
Welcome to the Spotlight, Chester Campbell!
IC:
Member Lonnie Cruse has raved about your book signings and you have shared some of your success stories with the list. What do you think is the number one ingredient for a successful signing?
Chester:
I’d say the number one ingredient is a two-parter. First, you need people. If there’s no traffic in the store, it doesn’t matter what else you do, so try to pick a time when there’ll be lots of shoppers around. Second, you need to sell your book, not wait for people to come and buy it. As I’ve pointed out before, my wife Sarah greets people coming into the store with, “Do you like mysteries?” If they indicate they do, she gives them a small folder about my books and me. If they stop to read it, she ushers them toward the signing table where I hand them a book and talk about it. I like to say we don’t do book signings, we do book selling.
IC:
I’ve read several times that it’s almost impossible for a small press author to stage or even schedule a signing at the big chain bookstores. You’ve had some success in that area. How did you approach them?
Chester:
The chains I’ve worked with are Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. It’s best to start with your local stores, then you can tell the others, “I’ve already done signings at…”
With Barnes & Noble, I call the store and ask for the name of the Community Relations Manager. You can get addresses and phone numbers by clicking on the store locator at www.bn.com. Then I mail the CRM a letter about my interest in doing a signing, enclosing a press kit. I give them a week to get the mailing and read it, then call and ask when can we do a signing? Most are happy to set up something. I’ve had a few want me to take part in a multiple author event which conflicted with my schedule, but they indicated they would do something with me later.
At Books-a-Million, you must talk to the manager, and they’ll want to know if your book is available through their distributor, American Wholesale Books. Get your publisher to be sure AWB has them. Unlike B&N, Books-a-Million will do signings in December, and you’ll sell tons.
IC:
Has your publisher been able to help you with your promotion schedule at all?
Chester:
He set up a signing in Dallas, where he’s located. And he has promised to get me a spot in the Men of Mystery conference in California next year. Otherwise, I’ve done it all myself.
IC:
Do you send a full press kit to the stores you have signings scheduled with? If you do, what do you include?
Chester:
What passes for a press kit in my mailings are copies of a newspaper review, an article I wrote for the University of Tennessee Alumnus magazine, an article about me in the MWA Southeast Chapter newsletter, a sheet of review blurbs, copies of my small promo folder and bookmark, and a Fact Sheet on the book (ISBN, price, publisher, wholesalers, etc.). I probably should do a more professional looking job, but what I’ve done seems to work.
IC:
Before a signing, do you send out postcards or press announcements or do the stores handle the local publicity for you?
Chester:
Where I have mailing lists, like around Nashville and a few other Tennessee cities, I mail postcards. Unfortunately, I have not found them to be too effective. With the second book, that should change. I’ve been collecting names at signings and should have a ready audience this time. In many cases, I have sent press releases, though I’ve seen only one article out of it. A few stores have helped. B&N in Bowling Green, KY referred me to a local TV station where I made two appearances. Some get my signings in the coming events list in the local paper.
IC:
How extensive has your promotional tour been? Have you kept it close to home or have you done extensive travel?
Chester:
Tennessee is a long state, and I’ve covered it from one end to the other. I’ve also hit the bordering states of Kentucky and Alabama. And when we’re traveling for any other reason, I try to line up signings. I did two in Pennsylvania when a grandson graduated from high school, I did two in Florida after SleuthFest, and I did two in Mississippi during a trip to Perdido Key, FL. I’m writing this at Bouchercon and have two Texas signings on the way home.
IC:
We’ve all been told a good relationship with independent booksellers is one of the keys to gaining readers and name recognition. Has your signing schedule done that for you?
Chester:
I have done only six indies, with another coming up in San Antonio. They’re great people to work with, and I’m sure it’s helping to get my name around, though slowly.
IC:
Are you already planning your promotional tour for the second book in your Greg McKenzie series? When will it be out?
Chester:
On the Perdido Key trip I mentioned, I talked with the CRM at Barnes & Noble in Pensacola about a launch party for Designed to Kill, which takes place in the area. The book will be released in March. I lined up some library events down there, also. And I’m looking into additional stores to hit.
IC:
Okay, even the King of the Book Signing has had to have had a clunker. Can you share a book signing disaster with us? Did you learn anything from that experience that has made your other signings better?
Chester:
The clunkers have been plural, I’m afraid. The first one taught me to avoid the early part of the week. It was a rainy Tuesday in November in the East Tennessee Mountains. And even worse, I realized too late, it was election night. I sold six books (three to a friend), but I’ve tried for weekends after that, preferably Saturdays. The other disaster was in Mississippi. I appeared at two year-old bookstores, which obviously had big plans (both ordered 30 books). They did local promotion but almost nobody came. We sold three books at each but signed lots more. Hopefully they will hand sell many of them.
IC:
When you’re dealing with the public, they say expect the unexpected. Have you had any unexpected or funny situations during or leading up to a signing?
Chester:
Sarah gets all kinds of comments while passing out the promo folders. One woman replied, “I can’t read today -- it’s raining.” And I don’t know who they expect to be signing Secret of the Scroll, but people will look at the photo on the back, then stare at me in surprise. “That’s you!” Not funny but certainly fun have been a couple of occasions where people started buying books before the store could get the table set up.
IC:
One final question. Can you give us a quick run down of how you plan your book signing tour? Kind of a step-by-step list of what to do when?
Chester:
First, you need to plan two or three months ahead to get preferred dates. Then I sit down with a calendar and try to schedule time and travel. Next I start making book store contacts. You have to be flexible as some won’t be able to accommodate your schedule. B&N and indies will do their own thing, but I send Books-a-Million a small supply of posters with the book cover and date and time. I call a few weeks out to be sure everything is set. I also mail out news releases at least two weeks ahead (you can get newspaper addresses off the internet).
I go through a checklist before leaving home: sign-up book for buyers, 11x17 cover poster and easel, pens, promo folders, bookmarks, Tootsie Scrolls (pun intended) and basket for table, tablecloth, camera, store contact and directions, and, most important, books—sometimes shipments haven’t arrived, a few times we’ve sold out and gone to the car for more books.
IC:
Thanks Chester, for taking the time to share your hard-earned knowledge with us. I know I’m going to keep this information tucked away for the day when I can finally set up a signing of my own. And for any of you that haven’t yet read Secret of the Scroll, what are you waiting for? Secret of the Scroll, the first Greg McKenzie novel, proves once and for all that age is all in the mind. Retired Air Force OSI agent and former investigator for the Nashville DA’s office, Greg McKenzie is tough and funny and can still get his licks in. Check it out if you get a chance. The second Greg McKenzie book, Designed to Kill, will be out in March of 2004.
For more information, check out Chester’s website at www.chesterdcampbell.com.
This interview was conducted during the month of October 2003 for SinC-IC
by Kadi Easley.
E-mail Chester
E-mail Kadi
Read an earlier Spotlight Profile
