The First Author Signing Event Of 2023...Is In The Books

 My phone said the drive would take around two hours...two hours from my small town to an even smaller town in southeast Idaho.

And I was relatively close.

Last fall I spoke with another author who lives in Montpelier, Idaho. I first met her when her family lived in Utah County, Utah, but they moved north years ago. I got an e-mail asking if I'd like to participate in an author signing event mid-April of 2023. I said, "Sure." Always nice to be invited and I generally enjoy hanging out with fellow authors. There are things all authors share (like being a little insane...) and being together is an uplifting activity.

I made the drive, stopping only at Costco to buy some candy (to lure in potential buyers...) and I made the drive in just under two hours. To be honest, the "Flooding Warning" on my phone and the "Road Closed Ahead - Local Traffic Only" sign as I entered the road taking me over the pass had me worried, but I trusted GPS to not lead me into a flood. Thankfully, I had an uneventful trip...there and back.

Montpelier is a human oasis in a land void of others. Last year my wife and I drove to a community just west to attend a family funeral. You could see Montpelier from the hillside cemetery. This time I drove all the way into town. A movie theater was showing The Super Mario Brothers Movie, storefronts, gas stations...the basics to keep the residents alive lined the street as I made my way to the event.

I sold a couple of books, which is good for me. It certainly didn't pay for the gas to get me there, but I sort of knew I'd be losing money when I took it on. The best part was meeting the people and letting them know that they mattered to a bunch of writers. They were worth our time.

My friend who invited me and who organized the event sent out an e-mail yesterday thanking us for coming. She admitted the numbers were down from the event held the year before, mostly because the community's had such a hard winter that the weekend was one of the first times all the roads leading to and from were clear for people to finally run their much-needed errands.

I've done a fair author signings in my day, more than some, not as many as others. This one was special, even though the sales totals weren't stellar. There are other reasons to do these, after all.

Author Signings...It's Been A Long Time

 Amidst the chaos of FanX, the comic convention held in Salt Lake, I had the opportunity to participate in a book signing. Me and several others were at the Immortal Works Publishing booth on Saturday, the last day of the con. Those running the booth allowed me to participate.

Boy--it brought back memories.

Back when FanX began in 2013 (it was known as Salt Lake Comic Con at that time...), my number one goal was to get books in which I was an author into the hands of as many people as possible. I participated on panels and at the end of those panels, I would tell people where they could find me at whatever booth allowed me to try and sell my books.

Times have changed.

Since 2013 I've taken more of an administrative roll in the convention. Trying to sell my books has taken a back seat, or no seat at all. I brought my my box of books to the convention, but I didn't even get them out of the car.

But, last Saturday, I had the opportunity to try and talk to people and to see if they wanted to read my book. I forgot how difficult it can be at times. I kept looking for families with younger kids who might want to be more interested in books than video games or trying to look like their favorite superhero. Needless to say, I didn't spot a lot of potential buyers.

Even tough hawking books is tough, I enjoyed it. I've missed it, to be honest. 

Of course, some things haven't changed. I didn't sell or sign a single book.

Maybe next time...