Signing in the Waldenbooks by Parnell Hall
Thursday, May 27th, 2010 at
10:15 pm
A mystery writer’s lament
Duration : 0:2:40
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Tagged with: authors • book signings • Mary Higgins Clark • mystery • mystery writers • Parnell Hall
Filed under: book promotion
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Oh man, my …
Oh man, my condolences. I have a friend who just got published to some excellent reviews, and the publicist that her publisher provided her with is AWOL. Bookstores have advised against signings, because her genre (biography) supposedly does awful at signings — while chick lit and mystery do much better!
Congrats on the Edgar nom, by the way.
“While i stand here …
“While i stand here talking to the guy who came in to buy john grisham” Looool
HA! I can relate. …
HA! I can relate. This is why we have friends descend to keep us company in case of desolate signing tables.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! …
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Only a writer can truly understand the humor in this video, LOL!
Oh, this is awesome …
Oh, this is awesome! The life of a writer is surely fraught with disappointment.
Oh my goodness. I’d …
Oh my goodness. I’d go with the suggestion to bring your guitar next book signing. Also, bring a laptop and play the video at your table.
Excellent video. …
Excellent video. Has it helped your book sales. I hope so. I’m about to have my first book published. Do I really have this to look forward to???
This is just too …
This is just too funny!!!
Haha, so awesome.
Haha, so awesome.
It’s not just …
It’s not just authors, and it’s not just book signings. I remember listening to a radio phone-in with comedian and naturalist Bill Oddie, when nobody at all phoned in. And I had a good long chat with designer Kaffe Fassett at an exhibition where he was clearly feeling lonely because nobody was visiting his stand (I suspect nobody else even knew who he was — my gain, because I love his work).
Wonderful! We’ve …
Wonderful! We’ve all been there! (Well, those of us who have published books, anyway.)
Ouch! Funny because …
Ouch! Funny because it is so painfully familiar.
Great video.
When …
Great video.
When I went to the RT con in 2007, no one knew who I was. There was an author with a huge lineup in front of me, so my husband handed out my bookmarks to people waiting in line. I had several people come by asking for the book and I sold out. (It was only about 15 books, but, hey, I thought that was great!)
Now when I do bookstore signings, my husband hands out book marks at the door and tells people I’m signing. Sometimes I only sell 1-2 copies, but often I sell 10-15.
Great video! Thanks …
Great video! Thanks for the laugh… it’s good to know other authors have the same type of experiences.
Too funny. This …
Too funny. This song could be about me, too. I’ve been placed next to NYT bestsellers at Romantic Times, and watched their lines grow. I’ve done group signings where two customers entered the store all day. Thanks for sharing what it’s like in the trenches.
When I signed at …
When I signed at one of my local book stores, the owner said that a NY Times best selling author hadn’t sold one book. Sometimes it helps to put a local spin on it. Sometimes, nothing helps! Loved the video. Off to share it with my fellow authors!
Hysterical. Try …
Hysterical. Try doing a signing for a fantasy novel in a town where the median age is 64. Wow. A good idea is to get some shills to show up and attract attention…have you tried that? It does work…one of my friends went around B&N handing out bookmarks and telling customers where I was stationed. This is a great video! Definitely inspired. Great humor! I wish you the best!
Been there. Thanks …
Been there. Thanks for the chuckle.
Romance author …
Romance author signings are similar. Thanks for the chuckle.
Thank you for this …
Thank you for this poignant video. I can relate, too.
I own a bookstore …
I own a bookstore and always try hard for a successful signing, but sometimes the sun comes (we live in the Northwest) out and no one comes in. I won’t ask you to do a singing, but I will be sure that we have all of your books in stock and play this video for our customers. Thank you for the laugh.
Oh, Paul, I am so …
Oh, Paul, I am so there with you and I’m sure so many other authors are too! I often appear on panels at conventions (I’m a literary agent as well as an author) but I never do book signings at conventions because I know there’s no point.
I love this video. …
I love this video. Been there, done it. Why I now directly upload my stories to Amazon for their Kindle and each day I check the stats. Lo and behold someone is buying them!
Collette Thomas
What a great video! …
What a great video! I can relate to this.
I think Parnell’s …
I think Parnell’s promoter was Artie Fufkin