Book Signings - Past and Present

Book Signing at Barnes & Noble New Town Williamsburg, VA

When my first novel, Hearts Across Forever, came out in 2001, I was thrilled and excited to set up book signings. My first major signing was scheduled at a Barnes & Noble in Richmond for the night of September 11, 2001.

The whole world changed on that date, so you know what happened with my signing. Although the excitement diminished for me, I continued the scheduled book store events. When my Hotels to Remember coffee table book was released the next year, I had signings for both it and my novel in Barnes & Nobles in cities like Savannah, Georgia, Jacksonville and Brandon, Florida, etc. I even had one in Oahu, Hawaii. I also set up signings in Waldenbooks, Borders, as well as little independent book stores in various cities including Sedona, Arizona. I was getting my name out, as some people mentioned.

I never fully appreciated the importance of those signing opportunities until recently when people made comments about "hitting the big time" with the B & N signing. I know they were merely teasing, but I started to think that sometimes I take too much for granted. I, also, miss the special little bookstores like Twice Told Tales in Gloucester, Virginia that has gone out of business in recent years. I wonder if the little bookstore in Las Vegas, Nevada, where some of the Oak Tree authors, including me, had a book signing event a few years ago, is still around.

With nine novels and many other non-fiction books a part of my experience, I am looking forward to promoting An Artful Animal Alphabet in bookstores. What have been your experiences?