Preparing for the First Time You’re Asked for Your Autograph

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Anna Scott: Oh, signed by the author, I see.

William Thatcher: Um, yeah. Couldn’t stop him. If you can find an unsigned one, it’s worth an absolute fortune.

Notting Hill

Rufus: Can I have your autograph?

Anna Scott: Sure. What’s your name?

Rufus: Rufus. [She writes on a scrap of paper and hands it to him.] What’s it say?

Anna Scott: That’s my signature and below it it says, “Dear Rufus, you belong in jail.”

Rufus: Right. Good one.

Notting Hill

There is nothing quite so humbling for an author as the first time you are asked for your autograph. I distinctly remember my first time. It was just a few weeks after I’d released my debut novel and it was a guy who worked with my mum. But since I’d released Enemies Closer as an ebook only, I couldn’t sign a copy of my book for him. Instead, I printed a copy of my one and only professional head shot, wrote a message about how this was the best I could do until I did publish the book physically, autographed it and emailed it to my mum so she could forward it on to him.

For some, though, being asked for an autograph can also be a little bit frightening. After all, if you haven’t prepared for that moment, it can be flustering. Why? Here are a few reasons.

Your Autograph Is Not Your Signature

Unless you want every unscrupulous fan out there to attempt to steal your identity, your autograph must not be the same as your signature. You know that scribble that got you your credit card, your home loan and went on the contract for your house when you finally bought it? Yeah, that one. It’s the power to be you officially (and usually has money and assets attached to it). The fewer people who know what your signature looks like, the better.

So You Need to Prepare a Different Scribble to Be Your Autograph

In 2017, I took my nephew to a football clinic run by his chosen AFL club and after about 200 kids were put through their paces by the players, they all lined up to get hats, jumpers and autograph books signed by their favourites. Predictably, the well-known players were swamped and the more junior or slightly less feted players stood around awkwardly waiting. My nephew wanted every player’s autograph (he even got autographs from the few women players who were there – in the first year of the AFLW, so even though he doesn’t know it, he’s got a significant piece of history there) so when we got to those junior and slightly less feted players, there was a little bit more time to chat.

“Do they send you to some sort of class to work on developing your autograph?” I asked one of them, tongue firmly in cheek.

“No, it just sort of happens.” And to demonstrate the unthinking ease with which the autographs flowed from their hands, he pointed to the teammate standing next to him, a recent transfer from another club, and continued, “For a while, Caleb kept signing his old number.” (Many AFL players include their number so that the kids can remember whose autograph was whose.)

Mine has evolved over time from my entire name (a sort of lightning strike for a joined together “L” and “T” and then “ouise” on top and “ruscott” on the bottom) to now just my first name in a very cursive, loopy, easy-sign-over-and-over-again script. I’m a doodler from way back and I was always scribbling loops so it makes some sense that the “L” in my autograph is very loopy. And apart from the dot on the “i”, my autograph is also one quick and continuous line. I could sign it a hundred times and barely break a sweat or need to shake a cramp out of my hand.

It’s an important consideration, especially if you’re planning to hold book signings where people don’t want to be kept waiting forever for their mini moment with you.

You Might Also Want to Think About Your Handwriting

Some people don’t just want an autograph, they also want a personalised message. I can’t say I do a lot of handwriting anymore (unless you count scribbled reminders and shopping lists that end up going into the recycling). But when I published Project January and gave a few copies to family and the designer who did the cover, I wanted to personalise each one and to say, “Thanks.”

You would not believe the stress I went through trying to decide which version of my handwriting I should use. I practised and practised and practised and decided on one. But after using it on the inside of the first book, I changed my mind because even after that practising, I didn’t like how it looked. All the inscriptions in the books after that were in a different handwriting.

You might think I’m just a bit of weirdo but I know I’m not alone in spending all this time worrying about my handwriting. When my sister proudly handed out copies of her thesis to family members, she didn’t autograph them. And when I asked why, she said she wanted to keep them pristine, not desecrate them with her terrible scrawl.

And Don’t Forget You Need Copies of Your Book to Sign

Unless you’ve broken into the stratosphere of uber-famous authors (and by that stage, you’ve probably already worked your way through all your autograph uncertainties), most people are going to ask for you to sign a copy of your book, not an autograph book or a random piece of paper. For this you are going to need copies of your book. Lots and lots and lots of copies of your book. You can direct people to online places to purchase but by the time they’ve ordered and received their copy, either you’re long gone or their interest in having you sign their copy is. And you can’t sign an ebook, can you? Or can you?

There is software available that allows authors to electronically sign an ebook but it’s not quite the same thing. And since I’m writing this in the same week that Albert Einstein’s scribbled note to a Tokyo bellboy (in lieu of a tip for which he had no cash at the time and which read, “A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it”) sold for $1.7 million, I’m thinking about both the immediate joy that the recipient of a physical autograph has as well as the potential financial benefits in the future of some lucky inheritor of it. (We can dream, can’t we?)

*****

If you prepare a little (and if you’re not a weirdo worryhead like me), being asked for your autograph can be a lovely experience. I wish you all many autograph seekers now and in the future.