We had a lot of fun at the book signing in Carlsbad, debuting The Legend of El Patron:  A True Story at the Living Desert State Park.  You may be working on a book signing, too.  Here are a few ideas of things you may want to take with you.

• Books.  I took extra books just in case the venue ran out of them.
• Post-It notes.  These were incredibly important.  I asked each person to write down the name of the person(s) they wanted their book inscribed to.  So many names are spelled phonetically these days that I never would have guessed the spelling of even some of the more simple names.
• Pens.  I brought several fine point Sharpie pens to sign books and write down important information.
• Business cards.  I had business cards printed with the book’s cover as well as all of my contact information.  Should someone want to contact me in the future, they have all the information they need.
• Postcards.  Because The Legend of El Patron is a square book, I chose to print square postcards.  I printed the book cover on the front of the postcard.  The back of the postcards contain purchasing information for single purchases, quantity purchasing information, a brief synopsis of the book, and my contact information.
• Stickers.  Because my book is for children, stickers were a perfect give-away item to create interest in the story.  I wanted something fun and different on the stickers.  Because the book’s storyline is about saving the outlaw bear, El Patron, I decided to print “save the bear” stickers.  If you’ve written a book for adults, printed bookmarks are a great give-away item.  A word of caution:  Swag (also called promotional items) are an easy way to build interest in your book but can be costly.
• Tablecloth.  I chose to bring my own tablecloth to cover the standard folding table to make certain it complimented the book colors.
• Tabletop easel.  I used the tabletop easel to display one of my books.  Many authors enlarge their book covers and display them as posters.
• Journal.  I set an open journal on the table so that visitors could add their name and email address for future mailings.
• Camera.  I had my husband take a few candid shots so that I could post them on social media.  (See my Instagram account: Instagram.)
• Stuffed bear.  A friend gave me the stuffed bear as a gift after she read my story.  He was a perfect add to my table, helping to focus on the subject matter of the book.
• Tape and scissors.  Because you never know when you’ll need them!