I have arranged to provide for a book signing at a local bookstore. The last time I had one was when I provided the copies of the book, and the store owner charged retail and we split the proceeds down the middle. That meant that I ended up with a bit less, since the cost of the books themselves came out of my pocket. This time, the bookstore propose a sixty-forty split. Should I insist that they deduct the cost of the books from the proceeds before we make the split, or should I absorb the cost of them? I don't know what the standard procedure is here, and I'm hoping that people could share their experiences with me.
I have no clue about standard procedure, but I'm curious as to how much the cost of the books is, as a percentage of the sale price.
I've heard/read about how this works somewhere online, but, sorry, can't remember the address. The info is out there for Googling, I know that. Anyway, what a nice problem to have! Congratulations!
The agreement should not cost the author out of pocket for each novel sold. I was just at a signing event this weekend, and it was an 80/20 split, with 20% going to the bookstore. That is the absolute best I've come across, but I have a longstanding relationship with the bookstore. The 'worst' I've had is 60/40 with 40% going to the bookstore. I get novels through my publisher at 50%, so a 50/50 split would make less sense for me. One could argue 'exposure' and 'hooking readers for future novels' but there is no reason an author shouldn't make at least a small monetary gain for each book sold. The bookstore doesn't have to do much. Maybe provide a table, chair, and some space. I guess if they did some major advertising via newspapers, they would be out money. But really, any additional books sold, either directly by the author, or by the author drawing some traffic, is a plus for the store.
I have had more informal book signings at restaurants, even the gym at which I am a member, and have sold 80 copies in two months. The deal I make is the venue is free, I bring my own cash box and credit card swipe, and the restaurant/gym helps with the publicity/facebook. They don't get involved with cuts on the books at all.
