The Sellsheet & Signings

I hate booksignings. But the event and the act are important. I arrange booksignings all the time as a publisher but I still hate them!

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I was delivering some Santa Fe Bucket List books to Kim’s Hallmark in Santa Fe. I had gone out of my way to get them signed by Pat Hodapp first. They were very moved that I had done that and they knew it was easier to sell the books.

It made me think about booksignings. I hate booksignings. But the event and the act are important. I arrange booksignings all the time as a publisher but I still hate them!

Some people buy only signed books to resell. They think the signature increases the value of the book and it probably does. However, for big names like Tony Hillerman, a lot of the signatures are fakes. Buyer beware.

I do confess I get books signed when I go to an event. Not to resell the book but to remember the event. It is my way of putting value on the time used by me. It also is a way of sharing friendship with the author.

So I try to get the books we publish signed when I take them to a store to sell. We do have a tradition, when the author gets the first books of a new edition, we have them sign a book to us commemorating the event. We also try to have a few signed books on a shelf so if someone wants or needs a signed book, we have it. They are great for auctions — almost all shows we do have an auction to raise some extra money. For a special auction like the Writer’s Dinner in Santa Fe, March 2, they are perfect.

Signed books are just part of the author game!


Barbe Awalt

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