On the road . . .

Michael Haskins

I signed "Free Range Institution" on Saturday at the famous Houston mystery bookstore, Murder by the Book. If you check out mystery bookstore websites, you should Google this store. It feels like someone's living room with shelves and shelves of books, but that doesn't take away from the feel. It is what a bookstore should look and feel like, as far as I am concerned.

As you can imagine, I didn't draw a Texas crowd. Six people, and one of them was the daughter of a couple sailing the Caribbean that I am good friends with. But everyone

counts!

There were four pre-sales, by Internet or phone, and six sales to those that sat through my

half-hour talk.  I read somewhere that the average sale at a signing is ten books. The purpose of the book singing is to meet readers and let them meet you. Supposedly, those at the signing will talk up (or down) how the signing went, how the author was, friendly, talkative or whatever, and that will drive people to buy your book (or not).

Dennis Lehane was a speaker at SleuthFest this year and he told of a signing where only three people showed up. Of course, he was disappointed, but later, thinking about it,

he realized he should have put as much into that signing as if it was a packed house. Three people gave their time to him.

I looked out at the mostly empty seats and thought of Dennis' statement. I hope I presented my story of the book, the back-story to the cover design and the reading of the

opening two pages as if I was at the Grand Ole Opry and the place was packed. People stayed afterward and we talked more personally.

I began at 4:20 pm and left the store about 4:45. The last fifteen minutes was signing stock. If I am lucky, the store will keep four or five copies and the rest will be sent

back. If you are looking for a signed copy, contact the store via its website, they have a few sitting around collecting dust.

Off to the Los Angeles Times Book Festival this coming weekend and three more book signings in the LA area. If you live on the West Coast and want to know where I'll be, go

to http://www.michaelhaskins.net/ and check out the events page.

And, if you are somewhere between Houston and Los Angeles, please drive carefully, the life you save maybe mine. (I stole that from a James Dean promo he did just before he

died in a car crash).

Will write about the book festival and signings in two weeks.

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