A new first--last Saturday I sold and signed four DEATH OF BIGFOOT & OTHER TALES books. That might not seem a huge thing to some people, but it was a milestone for me. Now I have sat on the other side of the table and autographed books for readers. Wow! And wow, again.
Before the event, the Ozarks Romance Authors' conference, all these questions ran through my mind: Who am I to be signing books? What if I spell a person's name wrong? What if I don't sell any books? What if I run out of books? What if I can't think of anything to write in the book?
"What ifs" are a writer's occupational hazard, because our creative minds are filled with those questions. I know mine is, but sometimes we have to turn off that little voice, or we may end up hiding in the corner with our hands covering our heads.
What I learned is prepare as much as possible, then breathe, smile and enjoy the moment. It is kind of like waltzing: learn the one-two-three steps, hold your form, and feel the music. Go with the flow.
I'm happy to say I did not spell names incorrectly, not did I make a huge, misshapen scratchy mess of what I wrote. My signature is even legible, and that really is amazing. Even more amazing is I am looking forward to the next book signing event at Wordfest on Saturday. Psst, hey there. Want to buy a book? Have I got a deal for you. :)
Congrats on your book signing! Autographing a book is harder than people realize. Suddenly signing your name feels awkward and you don't want to make a mistake in someone's book.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes, I could see myself spelling a word wrong and having to scratch it out. Awk! Glad it didn't happen. Of course, if it had I would have slipped a different book out and signed it. :)
DeleteYour first book signing! How exciting! Sounds like it really went well.
ReplyDeleteIt did--I had a positive experience. Of course, I was surrounded by a positive atmosphere and people at the Ozarks Romance Authors' conference...95 of them! Thanks.
Delete