OK, not really my first. I threw a launch party for my new Branding Basics book and have done signings at workshops and such at which I have spoken. But this was my first official book store signing, at the Borders in Downtown Seattle.
Paul suggested I share this experience. As he stated, "Not everyone has gotten to experience a book store signing, so share it!"
It was, in a word, educational.
I solicitied my local bookshops to carry my book with the offer to come in and do a signing. I figured that, like local food, local authors might be pretty trendy right now. I ran into some glitches with the stores being able to carry the book, but Borders downtown was totally down with it and agreed.
Not knowing what the heck to expect, I coerced my intern into attending with me and keeping me company. It was between 11 am and 1 pm on a weekday and we were hoping to get foor traffic from the businesspeople sweeping in on their lunch hour. My mother in law joked, "Will it be like Tony Blair and tons of people there, perhaps throwing things at you?" Um, no. But the "tons of people" part may have been fun.
So we sat at the table with the little sign that said, "Meet Author Maria Ross!" The books took over 40 minutes to get out to us from the back room - something about a pricing sticker that needed to be placed, which ultimately never made it on to the books. So we chatted and twiddled our thumbs.
Then the crazies started coming out. I love doing things downtown during the week.
One guy chatted us up about his Green Libertarian party. He was interested in brand in context of his cause, and I initially engaged with him because I thought he was lookng to create a brand for his movement. He tried to explain how the two ideologies can co-exist but all I remember is something about "not throwing people in jail for marijuana use because it's a waste of resources" or something like that.
Then another guy showed up with his backpack. He hovered for a while then started asking what the book was about. He told me he was a writer, too and chit chatted aimlessly for a bit more. Then he came back later and started critiquing my cover design, my title ("Should have called it Branding Basics for ALL Business and deleted the S-M. Would make it more appealing to a larger market." Wow.) He kept on rambling, and I told him he could make those decisions for his own book when he writes one. To which he got very defensive and said, "How did you know I was writing a book?" I said, "Because you told me you were a writer." Then he smiled and pulled out a poem he'd written on notebook paper, lovingly placed in a protective plastic cover. I didn't read it because I didn't want to encourage him any further, but I did not it each line alternated in blue and red ink and it was something about his passion for being a romantic with women.
As I furtively glanced around for security - which was doubtful since they were so understaffed that day, the Events Manager was making lattes in the cafe - he asked us to watch his backpack so he could get his coat. As he bounded upstairs leaving a dubious looking ratty bag next to our table, I started sweating. He had a coat on already, so was he just leaving us a bomb?! With relief, I saw his toting a trench coat (of course) as he approached to once again retrieve his bag and, mercifully, left.
Other than a very nice father and son visiting from out of town (dad ran a marketing agency and son was a copywriter) who actually bought a copy of the book, we didn't make any other sales that day. I signed 5 more copies that they adorned with an "Signed by Author!" sticker and we said our goodbyes. The manager said we could come back again any time to schedule another signing but I don't think so.
I have another signing set for when I go home to Ohio at Thanksgiving. We'll see. Right now, I'm thinking that unless I have handlers, a promotional blitz for the event and an agent, maybe I'm not really big time enough to draw a bookstore crowd...yet. But it was a fun experience to have and I know, like Paul says, not everyone gets to say they had a book signing!
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