What Should You Bring To An Author Event?

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If you’re like me, you need a quick and easy method to remember the essentials when you travel. The same holds true for author events.

After two years, I finally made my first in-person appearance at the Collingswood Book Festival. Most of my supplies had been stored away for a while, so I had to refresh my knowledge of my inventory.

Naturally, after so much time, my supply list had vanished and I had to start from scratch. Not a big deal, I’ve done numerous events, so composing a new list wasn’t difficult.

Image by Shahid Abdullah from Pixabay

Here’s my Handy-Dandy List:

1. Table

2. Table cloth

3. Chair

4. Canopy

5. Weights for the canopy so it won’t blow over

6. Pens

7. Sharpies

8. Business Cards

9. Clipboard with email sign-up list

10. Banner with logo

11. Books

12. Book Swag: bookmarkers, etc.

13. Paypal or Square credit card reader

14. Any Passwords you might need

15. Dollar bills for change

16. Plastic bags/reusable bags for customer purchases

17. Snacks

18. Water

19. Book Stands

20. Velcro

21. Index cards

22. Sticky Notes

23. Blank Paper

24. Phone or camera

25. Tape

26. Scissors

27. Check the weather so you can dress appropriately for the event

Other Tips To Remember:

Be sure to order your books well in advance of your event to ensure you have them in time. Many publishers are experiencing delays in production and shipping.

Also, check out Venmo. I just learned about this alternative form of payment and I’m so glad I did.

My Paypal Here card reader wasn’t working and Venmo saved the day. I didn’t lose any sales when customers didn’t have cash to pay.

Do you have any items to add to the list?