Sometime back in the Dark Ages, or maybe it was 2005, I went for the first time to a signing at Houston’s Murder By the Book. Prior to that, most of the signings I’d been to (at least those of other authors) fell into three categories.
1. There was a reading, during which an author sat or stood, read from his or her work, fielded a few questions from the audience, then got down to the business of signing books.
2. A celebrity author, or a hugely successful author, did a signing without a reading and without a Q&A session. Mostly this consisted of people lined around a block or two hoping to actually meet the author before it was time to be at work the next morning.
3. An obscure author with a hesitant smile was tucked into a corner of a bookstore at a table with a stack of unbought books and maybe a poster (paid for by the author) to prove that he or she wasn’t there to give directions to the restroom or the cookbook section.
Since Tim and I don’t want to read, and because there are often four of us present to sign books, we have always eliminated the reading part. Timmy once endured the obscure author horror (luckily, he was not alone, but had a Famous Author with him so they could at least enjoy berating authors who weren’t present), but when the TJB writers have signed together, or when Tim and I have signed, we’ve been very fortunate to have enough friends and loyal readers show up so that it’s not depressing. And of course, we had two signings in bars, where the atmosphere was too noisy, busy, and alcohol-tinged for us to feel uncomfortable–plus we had a lot of friends there, too. Not that I’m saying all our friends are drunks.
My point is that most authors who aren’t Anne Rice or Hillary Clinton aren’t really sure what the hell they’re supposed to do at a book signing if they don’t read from their work. I wasn’t, and then I went to that signing at Murder By the Book, where authors Harley Jane Kozak and Randy Wayne White showed a deftness with the crowd that awed me. (Later, I saw author Dean James do the same thing, but HJK and RWW were the first.)
Of course, Harley Jane Kozak is an actor with performances in theater, television, and movies under her belt. She’s trained to look poised. But I suspect that when she’s standing** in front of a crowd talking about her own work, as opposed to interpreting someone else’s, it’s not any easier for her than for any other untrained soul. Her genius is that she makes it look effortless. She makes people laugh. She shows the right amount of humility and gratitude. And even if her books didn’t already prove it, her discussions of her novels show that she clearly loves writing.
I completely enjoyed her previous Wollie Shelley mysteries, Dating Dead Men and Dating is Murder, and I’m looking forward to having time to read the new one, Dead Ex. If any of you writers ever get the chance to go to one of her signings, grab it. Like me, you’ll probably learn a lot that will help you with your own signings.
But I still don’t want to do it alone. Ever.
The enchanting Harley Jane Kozak signing her new one
at Murder By the Book last night.
**STANDING. As Harley explained, in theater classes, she learned that having to perform sitting down, or even worse, lying down, gives the audience permission to sleep. Trust me, no one sleeps at her signings!
An obscure author was tucked into a corner of a bookstore at a table with a hesitant smile and a stack of unbought books, with maybe a poster (paid for by the author) to prove that he or she wasn’t there to give directions to the restroom or the cookbook section.
That reminds me of something out of that book Mortification about the various humiliating experiences authors have gone through. I really have to get that book.
If you ever do a signing, I will make sure you aren’t alone, as others on your LJ list will make sure of as well.
I still think you need to do a Lucy thing (just charge more):
a single signing…sheesh fingers and brain are not connected today. DOH.
You know, during my tortured college career, at one point my roommate was addicted to Guiding Light, and since it was his television, I could only watch General Hospital when he was in class. Anyway, my favorite character on Guiding Light was played by Harley Jane Kozack. I lover her (although I have since forgotten her character’s name) but she was funny, sharp, spunky and sassy. I am delighted that she has since found success as a writer–if she writes half as well as she acted on that show….
One of my favorite stories she tells is when her character was offed on Santa Barbara by being crushed under a huge “C” (for Capwell–her character was pregnant by her lover Mason Capwell at the time).
She’s also terrific in Parenthood.
Parenthood was filmed right down the street from my ex’s home in Winter Park, Florida. When they had the horse scene, apparently, the horse got away from the crew.
She’s also terrific in Parenthood.
Indeed she is. She’s in my favorite scene too!
When I was in high school *cough* back in the 1970’s
I heard that there would be a book signing by two of
my favorite poets. I got excited as only a 15 year
old poetry lunatic could and got my mom to drive me
to the bookstore. There were James Dickey and James
Wright, waiting for someone to show up. I was the
someone! I was too afraid to say a word to them —
I shoved my books at them and they signed. Then
Dickey hit on my mother!
Good times!
Ha! Great story.
What a cool post!
I’ve never read any of her stuff, but I remember when she was in town because stopped by the store to do a quick stock signing. She was really nice, talked about her book tour, the cover art for the the new book, and how they were going back and releasing the old books to match the new one. Definately not the usual stock signing where the authors comes in, signs and runs for the door.
Yeah, that “sitting all alone at a card table being ignored” thing sucks. Fortunately, I insist on having lines wrapped around the block, or else I refuse to do the signings and stay in the green room with my carefully sorted red and yellow M&Ms.
Then again, you’ve no doubt seen my standard contract on The Smoking Gun, so none of this comes as a surprise.
–Famous Author Rob Byrnes
I never saw your contract, but I do remember seeing the video on TMZ.com of your big meltdown over the blue M&Ms. It wasn’t pretty.
Good lord…just have sex with her and get it over with.