Just some thoughts on Signed Books
I have hundreds of books in my personal library, and its constantly growing. I couldn't count them if I wanted to. It seems like I'm buying another bookshelf every couple months. But my favorite thing to do besides reading a book, is having it signed. I find it a lot of fun to go through the used books in a thrift store or a garage sale, and find something signed by the author. Sometimes they have inscriptions in them that have a story behind them almost as good as the one in the book. I have one signed by legendary comedian Bob Hope that says, "To Paul Z, You already know all of this. -Bob H."
I also love getting books signed in person, and getting to meet and talk with authors about their past, present, and future projects. Just the other day I met LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek fame at a lecture he was giving a few days ago, but unfortunately I didn't have a copy of any of his books with me. Being that he inspired me as a child to read, which directly resulted in a love of writing, I decided to ask him to sign my own book. After I explained this to him, he looked at the cover, opened it, signed the title page, then said, "The Cold Dead, eh? Whats it about?"
When LeVar Burton asks you about your book, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You better have a good response prepared. I did not. I froze and stuttered my way through a brief synopsis, and he was nice about it, "Well, there you go."
I've also seen some authors offering free signed bookplates, to stick to the inside cover or title page to turn your copy into a signed copy, to people who can't make it to the author's events. It's usually a form to fill out on their website, or an email address to send your address to. I love this idea, since I don't travel much, and authors never seem to come here unless its part of a major convention. I always look for this feature when visiting an author's website. I also offer free signed bookplates on my website as well, to anyone, whether they've bought my book or not. It seems to work as a promotional tool, especially for me. If an author sends me a bookplate, whether it's completely free or with a small fee, I go out and buy their book immediately if I don't already have it. This works for me when I get the occasional email from someone who stumbled onto my site or was referred by a friend, whatever the case may be, and is interested in a book. I've sent bookplates to people who hadn't bought a copy yet, and had them order a copy.
There's been a few times where I contacted an author about the possibility of receiving a bookplate, and I've gotten mostly positive responses from it. Stuart Woods (or the person representing him) was unnecessarily rude about it. Even though I explained I couldn't go to a signing, and even offered to cover all shipping and handling expenses, they told me to go to a signing a buy another copy of a book I already own, but not so politely. Others, like David S. Brody, hadn't offered them before, and gave me their address to send a bookplate of my own. I included a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope, and he signed and returned it quickly. Since then, he and some others, have started offering them.
Additionally, if you prefer the book itself signed (rather than a sticker inside of it, which seems to be the case with most people), some authors offer signed copies directly through their website, or have links on where to order them. My site has the option to buy one directly from me. It seems like it costs more on my site, but I have to cover shipping as well. A few even have an address listed online just so people can ship their physical copies to the author to have signed. This is a little messy though, as the return shipping has to be covered by you, and sometimes the postal service is unreliable. It's no big deal when a bookplate that's not worth anything gets lost or damaged, but when your brand new hardcover that cost $30 or more never comes back, it's pretty frustrating.
This was kind of a random blog post. I'm still a little excited after meeting one of my idols, Mr. Burton, and just wanted to talk about signed books. I did get a bookplate signed by Mr. Burton as well, because the copy of Aftermath I ordered didn't make it here in time. I grew up as an avid reader, and an avid sports fan. I starting collecting autographed sports memorabilia around 20 years ago, and it was only a matter of time before the two world's collided. I currently have over 50 signed books, and probably a lot more that were left behind at my parent's house when I struck out on my own for the first time as a young adult.
Anyway, that's it for now. Happy Valentine's Day. Or not, if you're one of the many who seem to hate it.
I also love getting books signed in person, and getting to meet and talk with authors about their past, present, and future projects. Just the other day I met LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow and Star Trek fame at a lecture he was giving a few days ago, but unfortunately I didn't have a copy of any of his books with me. Being that he inspired me as a child to read, which directly resulted in a love of writing, I decided to ask him to sign my own book. After I explained this to him, he looked at the cover, opened it, signed the title page, then said, "The Cold Dead, eh? Whats it about?"
When LeVar Burton asks you about your book, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. You better have a good response prepared. I did not. I froze and stuttered my way through a brief synopsis, and he was nice about it, "Well, there you go."
I've also seen some authors offering free signed bookplates, to stick to the inside cover or title page to turn your copy into a signed copy, to people who can't make it to the author's events. It's usually a form to fill out on their website, or an email address to send your address to. I love this idea, since I don't travel much, and authors never seem to come here unless its part of a major convention. I always look for this feature when visiting an author's website. I also offer free signed bookplates on my website as well, to anyone, whether they've bought my book or not. It seems to work as a promotional tool, especially for me. If an author sends me a bookplate, whether it's completely free or with a small fee, I go out and buy their book immediately if I don't already have it. This works for me when I get the occasional email from someone who stumbled onto my site or was referred by a friend, whatever the case may be, and is interested in a book. I've sent bookplates to people who hadn't bought a copy yet, and had them order a copy.
There's been a few times where I contacted an author about the possibility of receiving a bookplate, and I've gotten mostly positive responses from it. Stuart Woods (or the person representing him) was unnecessarily rude about it. Even though I explained I couldn't go to a signing, and even offered to cover all shipping and handling expenses, they told me to go to a signing a buy another copy of a book I already own, but not so politely. Others, like David S. Brody, hadn't offered them before, and gave me their address to send a bookplate of my own. I included a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope, and he signed and returned it quickly. Since then, he and some others, have started offering them.
Additionally, if you prefer the book itself signed (rather than a sticker inside of it, which seems to be the case with most people), some authors offer signed copies directly through their website, or have links on where to order them. My site has the option to buy one directly from me. It seems like it costs more on my site, but I have to cover shipping as well. A few even have an address listed online just so people can ship their physical copies to the author to have signed. This is a little messy though, as the return shipping has to be covered by you, and sometimes the postal service is unreliable. It's no big deal when a bookplate that's not worth anything gets lost or damaged, but when your brand new hardcover that cost $30 or more never comes back, it's pretty frustrating.
This was kind of a random blog post. I'm still a little excited after meeting one of my idols, Mr. Burton, and just wanted to talk about signed books. I did get a bookplate signed by Mr. Burton as well, because the copy of Aftermath I ordered didn't make it here in time. I grew up as an avid reader, and an avid sports fan. I starting collecting autographed sports memorabilia around 20 years ago, and it was only a matter of time before the two world's collided. I currently have over 50 signed books, and probably a lot more that were left behind at my parent's house when I struck out on my own for the first time as a young adult.
Anyway, that's it for now. Happy Valentine's Day. Or not, if you're one of the many who seem to hate it.
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