Help! Scared by a book signing

[Jennifer Kirk]

I'm booked to do my first ever "some-one-else-arranged-this" book signing at Waterstones in Darlington on Saturday. I have other signings in the weeks up until Christmas, but this is the first one. Is it bad to admit that the idea scares me? I have visions of me sat there like billy-no-mates with customers studiously ignoring me.

Can any old hands offer any advice? Should I dress up smart (the book is sci-fi/horror) or go as a slacker in black T-shirt and Jeans? At the end of the day, defacing a book by writing my name in it seems wrong and evil. I've already been told not to sign them like I sign cheques ("the punters want to be able to know it says your name, not some inconprehensible squiggle").

Any advice would be gratefully received.

 

[Toby Frost]

It scared the hell out of me, especially when they kept saying my name over the tannoy. Ok, here's what I was told:

Go along, sit behind little desk with books on, be prepared to answer questions. As with anyone behind a desk, people will want to talk at you. The staff will move anyone too tricky (I've had 1 in 2 years). Most people are interested at the idea of a real life author, even if they have no intention of buying. Always be friendly, since they may tell their friends.

It helps to have something to say when people ask "What's it like?" 2 or 3 options depending on the person may help. For me, younger people may not know who Dan Dare is and older ones may not get "steampunk". The staff should get you some tea and perhaps a sandwich (if you're really lucky).

Don't expect massive sales. It's best looked on as an awareness-raising exercise, not a literal selling one. Hence I'd avoid a hard sell. Certainly don't go up to people and ask them to read it (I doubt you were planning to, but just in case). I know other authors do it but I personally find it really annoying.

I tend to wear shirt and my "I am an author" velvet jacket, so smartish is probably good. I was told to write my name not on the very first leaf but on the bit that has the big title on the right and the technical info on the left. My handwriting is terrible so I have to be careful here too. You may want to ask if they want it written out to anyone (To X, best wishes from... etc). And well, that's it. Sometimes it gets a bit boring, but it's all good stuff. I take a pad and write on it if it's dull, but try to keep looking approachable. I've never been sure about taking another book to read though.

Incidentally, ask at the end whether the store want you to sign the rest of the copies. Sometimes they will do.

Good luck!

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Some authors have a gift for drawing customers to them. Their personalities just shine out and they have a knack for starting conversations with passing strangers. Perhaps you are one of the personable ones, in which case you will have no trouble attracting customers to your table. Is your avatar a picture of you? If so, being gorgeous won't hurt.

But for the rest of us, the shy ones, the ones who sit there trying to look natural and only succeed in looking uneasy, who may only sign a handful of books, I was told that it is really about getting the staff at the bookstore to become enthusiastic about your book, so that they will promote it when customers ask them to recommend something to read. Make friends with the people who work there. They'll be setting you up and coming round to see you, so the opportunity will be there. And definitely volunteer to sign all the books that they have in stock. A book that has been signed is less likely to be returned to the publisher.

 

[Boneman]

Not done one m'self, but did go into Waterstone's about 6 months ago and there was an author doing signings of YA stuff. He was very proactive, and actually approached me (I was looking at the SciFi section) and said: "Hi I'm Bob Strangeways (can't remember his name) and if you're interested in Fiction, you might like to look at my book, which is a story about teenagers growing apart and finding themselves again, and I'm doing some signings over there".

And that was it. Very personable, good smile, no hard sell, and he walked away and sat behind his desk. So I did pick up his book and leafed through it, and decided it wasn't for me, so I carried on looking at the Scifi bits. He repeated this patter as I stood there, and people actually bought his book, and got him to sign it. It's often been said that writers aren't salesmen, but he got it just right (for me anyway). There was a reall lull in people in the shop, so I had a really good natter with him, about himself, his writing etc, and wished him a lot of luck. Throughout, he was interested, interesting and most of all, had a quiet confidence, that was never pushy. I'm going to try and emulate him when my time comes.

Good luck with it! Let me know when you're in Waterstone's in Crawley, and I'll come and buy a copy...

 

[Parson]

Good luck! And do let us know how it all went.

 

[Jennifer Kirk]

Thanks for the advice! It's on Saturday, and I've just been called to confirm the time they want me to turn up. As far as I know, 20 sales at a signing is considered out of this world, and I get the impression that more realistically the store is expecting at most ten. I shall sharpen my Biro and see what happens.

 

[Vladd67]

Here's a little song to cheer you up
YouTube - Signing in the Waldenbooks by Parnell Hall

 

[Jon Sprunk]

Just enjoy the experience, Jennifer. Forget about sales. Dress however you feel comfortable. And smile.

Good luck! (They get easier.)

 

[Parson]

Vladd, that was Hilarious! I'm not sure it was designed to help Jennifer, but should have brought a smile.

 

[Ursa major]

Sadly for Mr Hall, he doesn't have ultimate recourse to a portable layout, so has no choice but to play with his pen or pose uncomfortably next to a bookshelf.



More seriously: Good luck with the signing, Jennifer. If your book bears a passing resemblance to China Miéville's work, folk will want a signed copy of it.

 

[J-WO]

Is your avatar a picture of you? If so, being gorgeous won't hurt.

Yup, I'm living proof of that.

 

[chrispenycate]

Just enjoy the experience, Jennifer. Forget about sales. Dress however you feel comfortable. And smile.

Good luck! (They get easier.)

Yes, your mother's advice wasn't at all bad. Make them feel you like them, and you're halfway there (always assuming there are some in the shop to charm. If the place is empty except for assistants you might as well chat and drink tea. Under Murphy's law that anything you've planned for going wrong, something else will.

Just been to another site I visit (yes, they do let me out from time to time) Where Lois M. Bujold was saying how at a signing she'd sold all the copies in the store, plus two she had in the car, and more people had come in with copies they'd bought on line…

It can happen.

 

[Memnoch]

Is it weird I find authors sat at a book signing intimidating! Especially when it's quiet and I feel guilty for walking past and trying to avoid eye contact, yet can't help trying to see what they write and who they are, from a covert distance of course!! Guess the fear works both ways ha ha. Yet I'm usually a very chatty person, I think due to my passion for books it's like meeting a sports hero or T.V. personality in a way?? Weird.

Good luck for Saturday, how exciting for you, enjoy every minute.

 

[dustinzgirl]

Wear comfortable shoes and underclothes.

No, really.

Picture everybody with piggy noses. Its funnier than picturing them naked.

Congratulations on your success!

 

[Xelah]

No no, stick with the picturing everyone naked. If need be, I can attend and provide visual assistance in the faculty. However, when the police arrive, I'll need you to tell them that you're my Aunt Sarah and that I must have forgotten to take my medication for this.

On a more serious note, kudos on the book signings.

 

[Jennifer Kirk]

More seriously: Good luck with the signing, Jennifer. If your book bears a passing resemblance to China Miéville's work, folk will want a signed copy of it.

Thanks - the china Miéville similarity comes from what the first few people who read the book said.

Is your avatar a picture of you? If so, being gorgeous won't hurt.

Thanks - yes the picture in my Avatar really is me - it's a publicity shot gleaned from my brief time doing work as a model. It was taken on a cold Sunday morning in Trafford Park on a disused railway line.

I am a naturally nervous person who is very shy. Why else would I hide behind a keyboard in a darkened office to make a living? It's one of the reasons I would have loved to have got an agent by this stage, but they turned out to be harder to get than publishers.

I shall certainly offer to sign all remaining stock. As far as I know, the branch has between ten and fifteen copies of the book - though I won't know for certain until I get there. The publisher has thoughtfully added a sealed case of 44 copies into the boot of my car "just in case they are needed" so the chances of running out are zero.

 

[chrispenycate]

Good publisher. I remember a signing in Lyon (LPs, not books) after a Laser/dancing fountains/varilight show on one of my bosses musics. The show was two successive days, slung a hundred LPs into the boot, and drove the three hours to get there (and the extra hour to find the gig and park near it) End of the first evening every single disc sold, and a page of dedications to be put on discs and posted.

Quick snack, midnight back to Geneva, load three hundred discs into the car, back on the road before the customs inspectors are properly awake, ready for the sound checks at nine…

 

[Jennifer Kirk]

I've received word that due to a delivery issue, they have no copies of my book. I'm in durham at the moment staying with relatives prior to heading to Darlington tomorrow. How glad am I that I have 44 copies ready in the boot of my car?

 

[Glitch]

Good luck with it. Sounds lucky the publisher gave you a reserve stock to dip into.

 

[Jennifer Kirk]

Today went really well! I think Michael Macintyre (who was doing a signing up the road in Newcastle) might have just beaten me on shifting paper, but I did all right.

One thing is for certain - it's tiring work signing books, smiling and chatting to the public. I think I did all right though