How do I sell books in person?

Decide who does the selling first: you, the event organizer through a bulk order, or a local bookstore that brings stock and a till. If you sell yourself, bring copies, a single round price, a card reader or a phone that can take tap payments, and a helper so you can sign and talk. Check your state's sales tax rules before the event.

Do I need a permit to sell books?

Often, yes, for sales tax. States set the rules. Texas, for example, says anyone engaged in business in Texas who sells tangible personal property there needs a sales tax permit, and allows two to three weeks to receive one. Look up the revenue department of each state you will sell in, or let a bookstore or the organizer be the seller. This is not tax advice; ask an accountant about your situation.

How many books should I bring to a book fair?

There is no reliable published sell-through rate, so base it on what you know: the expected audience, whether the book is part of the talk, and your own past sales. Bring enough that you will not run out, keep spares in the car, and order author copies early, since printing and shipping take time.

How do I sell books at a book fair?

Confirm in writing who handles sales and payment, whether there is a table fee or a revenue share, and whether the fair or a bookseller collects sales tax. Then treat it like any event: a short reason to stop at your table, one clear price, card payments, an email sign-up, and someone to help so you can talk to people.

How do bulk book orders work?

An organization buys a set number of copies at an agreed price, usually for every attendee, client or employee. As the author you can buy author copies at your printing cost and resell them, or have a bookstore fill the order. Agree the quantity, price, delivery date and who pays shipping in writing, and include it in your speaking agreement if it is tied to a talk.

How to Sell Books at Speaking Events and Talks

	You sell (back of room)	Organizer buys in bulk	A bookstore sells on site
Who handles payment	You	The organizer pays you or a bookseller once	The store
Sales tax	Your responsibility	Depends on who sells and who buys; ask	The store's
Books in hands	Only buyers	Every attendee	Only buyers
Your income per copy	Price minus your printing, shipping and card fees	Agreed price minus your costs	Royalty through your distributor, if the store orders from one
Your time on the day	High, unless you bring a helper	Low: you sign	Low: you sign
Best when	Small rooms, your own events, books you have on hand	Corporate and association events where the book is the takeaway	Public talks, conferences, events near a store

Many authors use all three. A company keynote comes with books for the whole team; a public talk has a bookstore table; a small workshop has a box of books in your car.

Building books into your speaking fee

If the organizer buys a copy for every attendee, everyone leaves with the book, nobody queues to pay, and you sign rather than sell. It is easiest to agree when you are negotiating the talk, not the week before.

Offer it as part of the package. Quote your fee, then an option that adds a signed copy for every attendee at a stated price per copy. Some organizers have a separate budget for attendee gifts or materials, so ask who controls it.
Know your cost per copy. If you publish through KDP, author copies cost the author price: the book's print cost times the number of copies, plus shipping. KDP's printing cost page sets a black-ink paperback of 110 to 828 pages, in a regular trim size sold on Amazon.com, at $1.00 per book plus $0.012 per page. A 250-page paperback therefore prints for $4.00 before shipping.
Put it in writing. Quantity, price per copy, who pays shipping, delivery address and date, whether copies are signed, and what happens if attendance falls short.
Allow time for printing and shipping. Order early enough that a delay does not leave you without books on the day, and ship to the venue only after confirming someone will receive the boxes.

A book the whole room holds can become part of the event itself. Ron Thurston's story describes 700 store managers who hold up his book at a Boot Barn keynote, and Ashley Welch and Justin Jones count 400 AT&T sellers trained using the book. Bulk orders can also keep coming long after launch: Chris Heivly's Build the Fort is, 3 years later, still selling in bulk. These are single authors' results, not typical ones.

Letting a bookstore sell for you

Many independent bookstores run off-site sales programs. They bring the books, a till and a bookseller, take payment, handle sales tax and returns, and you get to stand at the signing table. Three stores' published terms show how these programs vary:

Skylark Bookshop (Columbia, Missouri) usually sends one bookseller, handles ordering and returns, needs a table, chair and network access, charges no fee, does not split sales revenue except occasionally for large events, and wants at least a month's notice.
Schuler Books (Michigan) lends the host a sales kit with a tablet and card reader, then pays the host 20% of qualified purchases. Staffed events do not receive proceeds. It needs at least 5 weeks' notice, or 8 weeks for large events and book fairs.
Women & Children First (Chicago) accepts requests up to three weeks before the event, charges no flat fee, and agrees a minimum number of sales with the host; if sales fall short, it asks the organization to consider buying the difference at a 10% discount.

Two things decide whether this works. First, the store has to be able to order your book on normal terms, usually from a wholesaler such as Ingram; the bookstore signing guide explains those terms. Second, the request usually comes from the event host, so ask the organizer to contact the store, or offer to do it with their permission. Give the store the date, the title and ISBN, the address, the expected attendance, and whether the event is open to the public.

Selling at the back of the room yourself

When you sell your own copies, the talk does most of the work. A few things make it easier for people to buy:

Mention the book in the talk, once and naturally. Tell a story from it, then say where the table is. Ask the organizer whether you may, since some events limit selling from the stage.
One round price. A price with no coins keeps the line moving if anyone pays cash.
A helper at the table. Someone else takes payment so you can sign, listen and take photos.
Sticky notes for names. People write the name they want in the book while they wait.
A way to stay in touch. A sign-up sheet or QR code for your email list catches people who do not buy today.
Count before and after. Note copies brought, sold and returned, so you know your own sell-through for next time.

Rooms of the right people can sell a meaningful number of books. Mike Brunel's Selling is Not Optional sold 100 copies at his launch, and he then booked a talk series. Eddy Arriola's launch at his childhood bookstore in Miami sold out: 175 seats in under an hour. One author's result each, not a typical one. The book launch ideas guide has more ways to use a speaking audience at launch.

Payments and sales tax

Taking payment

Most buyers will pay by card or phone. A card reader or a phone that accepts tap payments is enough. As one example, Square's pricing page lists in-person tap, dip or swipe payments at 2.6% + 15¢ on its free plan, and says Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android takes contactless payments with no extra hardware. Compare providers yourself; the fee comes out of each sale. If you might be somewhere without a signal, check whether your provider supports offline payments, and test the setup before the event.

Sales tax

When you sell books directly to people, you are usually the seller for sales tax purposes, and each state sets its own rules. We cannot give tax advice, but these are the places to look:

Your state's revenue department. The Federation of Tax Administrators keeps a list of state tax agencies with links to each one.
An example of what they say. The Texas Comptroller says to apply for a sales tax permit if you are engaged in business in Texas and sell tangible personal property there, and to allow two to three weeks to receive the permit.
Events in other states. Selling at a talk in another state can bring that state's rules into play. Check before you travel, or let a local bookstore or the organizer be the seller.
Bulk sales to an organization. Whether tax applies can depend on who the buyer is and where the books are delivered. Ask the organizer and your accountant.

Keep a record of every sale: date, place, copies, price and tax collected. It makes filing simpler and tells you which events are worth repeating.

What to bring

[ ] Books, with spares in the car, and a box cutter for the cartons
[ ] Two or three pens you like signing with, and sticky notes for names
[ ] A card reader or a charged phone set up for tap payments, plus a charger
[ ] A small sign with the price and the payment options
[ ] Your sales tax permit or details, if you are the seller
[ ] An email sign-up sheet or QR code
[ ] Something to take away for people who do not buy: a bookmark or a one-page summary of an idea from the talk
[ ] A tablecloth or book stand, if the venue does not provide one
[ ] A tally sheet for copies brought, sold and returned
[ ] A helper

What most authors get wrong

Raising books after the contract is signed. The bulk option belongs in the first conversation about the fee.
Running the table alone. You cannot sign, chat and take payment at once.
Ignoring sales tax. Check your state, and any other state you sell in, before the event.
Ordering books too late. Printing and shipping take time; a missing carton is a lost room.
Not asking for the next booking. Mike Brunel's launch led to a talk series. Ask organizers and attendees who else should hear the talk.

The launch planner adds speaking and event steps when you have an audience for them, and dates each one for your launch. Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells book publishing and marketing services; if you want a person to look at your plan, book a free consult.

How to sell books at speaking events and talks

Three ways to sell, compared