Feature: Preparing for a Large Author Event like Love N. Vegas
I have never attended Love N. Vegas but I have my fair share of mega author events under my belt. BookCon, Book Expo America, YallWest, YallFest, Indies Invade Philly…and more! So I am going to bring you some tips from this tried and true, signed book obsessed, blogger. Love N. Vegas takes place at Planet Hollywood from October 27th-29th! Tickets are still available! For more details check out the website and for travel booking check out Las Vegas Travel Deals!
What to wear?
I personally think comfort is the most important for the main signing day. Wear a top you want immortalized in photos, I love seeing fan made tops for their favorite authors attending. I highly recommend that you wear your most comfortable shoes. This changes person by person, so think of the signing event as a 5 hour walk on concrete.
Love N Vegas has a meet & greet party, where you can dress up and look fabulous! There is also a costume after party – so be prepared with a fun costume!
Preparation Tips:
I personally remove all dust jackets from hard covers before I leave for an event to reduce the risk of rips and scuffs. I also recommend putting your books in plastic bags individually to prevent scuffs and scrapes. If flying go the extra mile with bubble mailers, on the outside of the mailer write the author name so they are accessible and easily identified without having to remove them.
Pre-flag all your books with your name on a sticky note and place it on the page opposite of the title page (so there is no need to remove it and risk the author getting it wrong), or a blank sticky if you don’t do personalization.
If you pre-ordered books, print and bring your receipt with you for ease of picking up at the event.
Make a plan on which authors you will want to see first. I personally think you should hit the authors with the longest lines first, or base your plan on the layout of the event tables. Sort all your books in a rolling cart in order of your plan of attack, of course things may change but you will be prepared anyway!
If you don’t or can’t have a rolling cart, I highly recommend something more comfortable than a tote bag, unless you only have a few books to bring. I do always bring a tote or two for stashing swag as well as putting in a few of the already signed books to keep them out of the way of the next books to be signed, until you have time to reorganize your cart.
Bring a couple extra sharpies, especially a silver or gold metallic one if you have any books with a dark title page. I recommend a range of colors if you have a poster board/art work/tote bag that you want signed, because a multitude of colors looks better than just black (IMO).
Event Time:
Bring a few snacks and a bottle or two of water.
Arrive a few hours early for a good place in line.
If there is an onsite bookseller, get there early, either to wait in line before it opens shop, so you can be back and waiting in the signing line as soon as possible!
Bring cash – many of the authors who are selling their own books probably prefer cash, but also be ready with a card for those that prefer those, sometimes the software can make taxes easier, and no need to worry about change if someone runs out! But know your spending limit!
Well I hope these tips help out some first-time event goers, and most of these can be extrapolated to other big events. The most important thing to remember is to have fun!
