A Good Book Signing

In the age of the Internet book signings have taken it on the chin. Everybody pretty much hangs online and the book signing of old might go away eventually. But right now they are the  independent booksellers best friend and for good reason; they still bring readers and authors together. I had a signing last night in a great store in Oak Park called Magic Tree bookstore. The chairs were set up with a table in front and the books were stacked. Then you wait.

To have a good signing you need people. Ten is a nice number. You settle for five or even four. And if you hit twelve or thirteen you are doing really well. People are busy and going to a bookstore on a Thursday night is not a priority. But there they were.  Fifteen braves souls sitting in the wooden chairs and an author up front. And then it begins and you have all those great questions about writing and how the book came about.

And that magic dynamic happens beyond the Internet and chat rooms and every other disembodied experience that comes from interacting with a screen. It is actually very American to sit in a small town in a small bookstore and have a literary event. It speaks to a healthy culture. And you even sell a few books.

And then it is over and you are left with a great feeling. It's not just the book signing or the selling of books. It is the fact you just bumped up against your readers and had a great time. And that is priceless for any author.

www.williamhazelgrove.com
The Pitcher
 

On the Other Side of a Book Signing

I was  making my way down the North Shore of Chicago with my new book hitting the Independent bookstores. I do this to make sure that the book is there and show support and it's just really good PR. I bumped into a friend of mine at The Book Stall and he told me there was a signing with George Pelecanos that evening and I had to stay. Ok. Sure.. So I went to Starbucks to kill a few hours and came back for the signing.

I sat in the back row as the place filled. George has eighteen books out and wrote for HBO on The Wire. I talked with a man in the back row when a dapper bearded man poked his head out between the books. He talked with the other man and I put it together this was George. Sitting on the other side of a book signing you are in awe of the author. I watched him field questions about writing and his books and working on The Wire and I thought...wow...it would be pretty cool to be an author.

And I listened to George talk about his method and his rigid work schedule and working in Hollywood and again I was like wow...this dude how does he do it? And I found myself wanting to ask a question but there is a code. Let the author be the dude. Not that I would upstage him...you just don want to interfere with the careful dynamic between author and reader.

And then it was over and George signed a book to me and thanked me for coming. I walked out and drove home thinking...man, some day I should write a book. Maybe I will.

www.williamhazelgrove.com
The Pitcher