I am so excited to have been invited to participate in this year’s Rose City Romance Conference as a signing author! As this will be my very first author signing event, I couldn’t be happier that it is in my hometown of Windsor, Ontario. I hope you’ll join us, if you’re free and love a little romantic escapism – the author signings are on Saturday, April 11, 11 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, April 12, 11 am to 2 pm at Caesar’s Windsor.
I thought I’d take you through some of the prep that goes into getting ready for something like this. Whenever I go to a signing event, I am in awe of the beautiful table set-ups that the authors have created to showcase their books, and I have to admit that I felt woefully underprepared to participate – and on short notice as well! I didn’t get the invitation until the beginning of February, leaving me only two and a half months to prepare!
Helpful Author Community
But I needn’t have worried! The authors who are organizing and participating in the event have been so free with their time and advise, I am overwhelmed by their kindness and insight into what works. From my first inquiry of Renée Gendron (https://www.reneegendron.com/), to the video that Sarah L. Rose (https://sarahlrosebooks.com/) posted for all of us newbs and her help with specifics after that, I have felt completely accepted into this fellowship of authors.
First things first…I had to have books to sell! So I put in an order for 30 books, only to hear that last year, many first time authors sold 40 or more books! So I order 20 more just to be safe. And what about my ebooks? How was I going to sell those? I remembered an author last year who gave out a download code when you purchased her ebooks, so I learned how to do that…so I will have ebooks available for sale.
Then I had to figure out how to take payment! Square seemed to be the company I’d seen used most often at these events, so I downloaded that onto my phone, configured it, and learned to use it. Between that and a float of cash, I should be good to go.
But I didn’t want to sit behind an empty table, and I had no idea how to set up my tiny space (I will be sharing a 6 foot table with another author) to draw people in. Sarah helped with that a lot. She is not only an author but also an artist and designer (if you check out her website, I believe it’s her artwork on her book covers!) and had marvellous tips on using height and the rule of three to create interest in the table. I designed a banner for the front (with Sarah’s help) and I was ready to go!
Here’s my banner design, in case you’re looking for me!
In our group chat, there were ideas being floated for collaboration videos with several authors, so I’ve participated in a couple of those (you may see my face in some of the Rose City advertisements).
Glitches
Not that there weren’t glitches along the way – the shelf I bought to display my books needed some stability (it’s meant to be attached to a wall, which I didn’t realize when I bought it) – I struggled to find something to give out for the scavenger hunt, but decided, in the end, that I wouldn’t participate this year and find something fabulous for next year – I greatly overestimated the size of the print for my ebook download instructions (it’s pretty tiny!), so I will have to provide another printout to customers for that information.
But all-in-all, it’s been a positive experience so far. I’ve received everything that I ordered and it’s all looking good. I have a couple of raffle prizes to contribute with my branding engraved on them thanks to Norm at Express Impressions (https://shop.expressimpressions.net/), and I have a PA to keep me company and help with everything in the moment. (thanks, Victoria!)
When Dragons Wake – Book 1 of Dragons Shadow Duology
Now I have to get down to brass tacks – March is edit month for my next novel, When Dragons Wake, Book 1 of the Dragons Shadow Duology, which is why I hesitated at first to participate in this conference as I have set very ambitious timelines for this release. Unless I have a setback, I should be releasing When Dragons Wake before the end of April. Check it out here: https://cecilemsheff.ca/when-dragons-wake-coming-april-2026/
So this has been “Behind the Scenes with a Newbie Signing Author.” I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at everything it takes to present a polished, professional image at one of these events. AND I hope to see you there! Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss information on my next author signing.