B is for Book Signings

As a writer, the thought of doing a book signing has always terrified me.

For one thing, I fit the stereotype of the introverted author pretty well. The idea of sitting in the middle of a bookshop, behind a desk, trying to attract people to come over and buy my book so I can sign it, is foreign to everything in my nature. I'm quite happy for people to just click on a link at Amazon, honestly. I'm getting better, because we can't get away with hiding behind our screens anymore, but I will never be an in-your-face marketer no matter how hard I try.

For another, the horror stories I hear from other writers make me cringe. It takes me back to high school. Not only am I forcing myself out there, but people are walking past ignoring me! Or, worse, giving me the wrong sort of attention. In these cheerful reminiscence sessions, writer friends have reported being asked what they write before being told "Oh yeah, I don't like those", told off for being too expensive, mistaken for someone else and then hearing "Oh... damn" or, on one memorable occasion, being asked where the toilets are. Having heard far too often that as an erotic romance writer I am a filthy slut, the last thing I want is to sit in the equivalent of the stocks to be insulted. Or mistaken for E. L. James.

Of course, since I'm primarily in ebooks at the moment, this hasn't been an issue so far. But we do have one method of signing now - Authorgraph. I signed up early on and wrestled gamely with the mouse to create a signature that bore some resemblance to my own, in the hope that somebody somewhere might want one.

So far nobody has. But hey, I can live with being rejected on the internet. I can sit comfortably, wear a dressing gown, and nobody can tell if I stick my tongue out at the screen.