Seagull/DB/Costco Reminder

Today's post is dedicated to reminding authors of something that is outlined documents and conversations. And yet, all it takes is one or two authors acting innocently or inquisitively to stoke a fire that makes the subject need to be addressed repeatedly.

That subject is this: DB, Seagull, and Costco want all signing requests from Cedar Fort authors to come from me, and me alone. This means, if you are wanting to sign at a Seagull, Seagull doesn't want you going to or calling the store to request the privilege with the manager. If you want to sign at a Seagull, they want you to contact corporate and get approval before bringing the subject up in the store.

This is true even if you want to hold a great, fun event there that you think the manager should be in on approving. Even in that case, Seagull corporate would like me to ask them if it is okay before the idea is brought to the store.

Additionally, remember that Seagull will only be interested in a signing if your book is featured in their current catalog. Doing this is actually a favor to you, because it means that loyal customers who come in will have already had an exposure to your book.

Similarly, Costco's current business model is to invite strong-selling authors to do signings as they place orders for books. Of course, Cedar Fort encourages them to both carry your book and host you for signings, but both decisions are made on a corporate level, not by store managers. Contacting stores directly to request signings is not appropriate, whether they are carrying your book or not.

The short message here: Do NOT contact a DB or Seagull about a signing unless you've spoken to me about it first. And do not contact Costco at all.

Conversely, B&N, Borders, and other stores are happy to work with you on a store-by-store basis! For those of you who haven't seen it yet, B&N even took the time to make an instructional video for you on what they're looking for from a signing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boamWGoSMZk

Thanks for all your hard work. Learning the ropes in a new industry can take time, but the Cedar Fort team is working hard on your behalf to make each book as successful as possible.

All the best!