 Author praises Florida church for ‘raising the bar’ in signing sessions
A church bookstore has been singled out as a model for hosting author events. Diane Moody sang the praises of Charis Christian Bookstore after visiting the outlet at First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Fla., to promote her first book, Confessions of a Prayer Slacker (Sheaf House).
Moody contrasted the stellar effort of the store with the reception she had received elsewhere, including at a “major bookseller” in her Nashville hometown where her name was misspelled on the last-minute sign put up to promote her visit. Writing about her experiences in a blog posting, “Book Signings: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” Moody told how Charis staff contacted the distributor ahead of time to ensure the store had plenty of copies of her book and promoted the event in the church in its newspaper, on TV screens and in the bulletin. In addition there was an endcap display in the heart of the store, a table for signing copies and a place for signing when she spoke to women’s groups elsewhere in the church later. Moody’s previous experiences had been less happy, including visiting a conference center bookstore where the staff “wasn’t the least bit interested in making the event successful.” There was no signage or advertising, and the manager turned down an offer of bookmarks to hand out in advance. “She set up our table in the most off-the-path location on campus” and scheduled the event during the dinner hour. At First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Moody sold 85 books at the in-store signing alone. She applauded Charis Manager Martha Brangenberg for “setting the bar high.” The store went beyond its walls for another successful event. It ran a special Sidewalk Sale as part of the church’s annual country jamboree that drew visitors and members of the congregation. The event also coincided with the store’s two-day Munce Group sale, brought forward from the usual after-Thanksgiving slot because the church campus was due to be closed then.
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