by Sara Peters

The most important thing is to be organized. We recently had Lee Strobel and Max Lucado here—on separate occasions, of course—and we worked with the publishers weeks in advance to make sure that we had quantities of books shipped to us on time.

We asked all of our volunteers to give their time for the weekend, and we had specific posts for them, as a book runner, a door greeter or an autograph-line host. Arrangements were also made with the author if they were able to pre-sign books. And we worked closely with our events ministry to route customers effectively who were waiting for the books to be signed.

For a local author, we place them in a visible place in the store that will encourage customers to see them. Authors appreciate simple courtesies such as bottled water and regular checks to see if they need anything.

A couple of weeks in advance we place signage in the store that announces the signing, and our staff encourages customers to come back and visit the author.

-Sara Peters is manager of The Living Word bookstore at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky.

To read the complete article, go to http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/a.php?ArticleID=17014.

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