Throwing Glitter at the Screen (My First Book Signing)

“Writing is like giving yourself homework, really hard homework, every day, for the rest of your life. You want glamorous? Throw glitter at the computer screen.”

― Katrina Monroe

Monday night, I had my first book signing event. It was fantastic. I wore a fancy dress. I saw old friends. I met new people.

There were some things I would’ve done differently, and a few things I’d keep the same.

First, the things I should’ve done:

Created An Email Sign-Up List

I should have made a sign reading: Sign up for the monthly email newsletter and you’ll be entered to win a handmade bookmark. Instead, I had a little piece of paper with a handwritten note and some other pieces of paper for people to write on. I might have gotten more sign-ups.

Practiced My Pitch

Yeah, Thanmir War is about a guy… I seriously stumbled through my pitch and book description. Talk about embarrassing. At least the first people were gracious enough to ask further questions to help guide me along.

Eaten

I was running on Red Bull and adrenaline. The only thing I’d eaten was a package of ramen for brunch. I took a sip of wine and that went straight to my head. Good thing my husband was there to drive me home. (Seriously, I only had one glass.)

Checked My Card Reader

The first card transaction worked. All other subsequent ones failed. Not sure what was wrong, if it was my phone, the connection, the app, or the reader, but after trying and trying, I resorted to cash only transactions.

Have Change

It should’ve been the first thing I checked, but yeah, I didn’t have cash to give change. >_< *groan* I live in a digital world. I'm not used to these little things called dollar bills. Thankfully the establishment hosting us was able to break bigger bills.

Taken More Pictures

I love him dearly, but my husband is a horrible photographer. I have only a couple of non-blurry pictures during the actual event.

Taken More Books

Call me a novice, I took 10 with me and sold them all. I should’ve taken at least 15. Sherry was far more prepared. She took 50. I’ll know better next time.

Had Personal Business Cards

I had the parent company business cards, but nothing

Things I’m glad I did:

Worn Flats

I’m not sure about Troy and Sherry, but I was on my feet almost the whole time. I sat down to sign books, but mostly (call it a nervous habit) I was standing.

Took My Husband

I had worried my husband would be bored or feel uncomfortable spending the entire time at the table with me. He didn’t stand around nearly as much as I’d thought he would. Mutual friends visited and chatted him up. And not only did he encourage me, he carried my box of books and gave me his coat.

Custom Crafts

I hand-made bookmarks and decorations for the event. It added a bit of extra flair and allowed me to pass out some goodies (besides the wine and appetizers). Plus they looked great.

I owe my sis-in-law BIG TIME for watching the kids. She said the night started with two screaming children and three howling dogs. *sigh*

After all is said and done, I’d have to say the night was pretty darn glamorous (this is me throwing glitter at the screen).

Do you have any glamorous writing moments? Have you done an author signing? Can you offer any suggestions?

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