Tag Archives: book

The physics of book signing

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autographing booksI’ve done a fair bit of book signing over the years. In fact, I just did one this past weekend. I always enjoy these events, mostly because I get a chance to meet my readers, and chat with them. That said, when you sign books for a long period of time it can be—believe it or not—exhausting. I’ve known more than one writer—popular to be sure—who developed carpal tunnel syndrome from book signings.

At the risk of being absurd, let me suggest the physics of book signing.

First, the pen. It should be a rollerball ink pen. One wants to minimize the friction of pen to paper. The paper in books today, (hardback and paperback) is pretty cheap, rough stuff, and the flow of pen on paper can make an enormous difference. Never use quills.

The height of the signing table. It should not be table height, but typing table height, about 27 inches from the ground, so that the angle of the arm is down, never up.

The chair in which the author sits. The best is an adjustable one, (with a back rest!) so (see above) the arm angle is down. Stools are awful!

The name of the person you are signing to. These days you can never assume the spelling of someone’s name. Amy. Amee. Amie. Amé. And so forth. And if you ask a child his/her name they often (particularly if young) spell it out letter by letter in a very measured fashion, with an occasional glance at their guardian to check if it’s right. A bit of paper with the person’s name printed is a vast help. It also means you get the name right away and therefore can chat with the person.

The inscription. “To whom would you would you like me to inscribe the book?” I asked. “To the East Maplethrope Our Gracious Mother of God Middle School Fourth Grade Reading Group and their Beloved Teacher Mrs. Edna Nerobnicky.” I kid you not.

The photo op. With the ubiquitous cell phone—with camera—“Can I have a picture with you?” is a very common request. Here, a volunteer IT person standing by your side is a great advantage. But, if that volunteer stands too close, your reader, often out of shyness, talks to the volunteer, not the author. They need to be close, but not too close.

Finally, if you are doing an evening reading, let the kids come first, adults second.

When I get the first copy of a new book …

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Sophia's WarFrom the time I first contemplated the story that would become Sophia’s War, and the moment when the published volume came into my hands, it has been more than three years. By contract, I get some copies of the book, which usually arrive about one month prior to the official publication date. 

What do I do when I get the first copy in my hands? I look at it. This is to say I get a sense of the physical book, the binding, the paper, the cover, the printing. (There is good printing and bad printing.) Does the book open flat enough? Is the gutter wide enough? How is the font? What does the book look like under the dust jacket? In this case I looked at the maps, because I had not seen them in place before.

(Once I discovered a huge printing mistake in my first copies of The Man Who was Poe, so bad the whole print run had to be called back, and redone!)

Then, what I always do is take that first copy of the book, sign the title page, add the date I received it. It then it goes on shelves of similarly signed books—and it just sits there.

Charlotte Doyle signed 90In all probability—unless there is a particular reason to do so—I won’t read the whole book again. I have, after all, read it a few thousands of times. Yes, I may be called upon to read excerpts at various occasions—as I just did in NYC—and I enjoy that. But now, the book belongs to readers.

Besides, I’m working on something new.

Making a movie

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The Fighting GroundFaria, of Valley Stream, NY, writes, “I really like your book called The Fighting Ground. I think you should make a movie of it.”

I get lots of letters from my readers telling me that they think I should make one of my books (one that they have read and enjoyed) into a movie.  I take this as a compliment, and like to think that have I provided enough vivid descriptions so that the book sometimes feels like a movie. But of course I can’t make a movie of one my books, let alone any other book. I don’t know how to do it. Film-making, and book-making, I think, require very different skills and talents. Then too, look at the credits at the end of a movie and count the number of people involved. You can see that the making of a movie is a vastly more complex project than the making of a book. It also requires a great deal of money, a lot more than I could imagine having. Yes, from time to time I am approached by film-makers. Projects start, and then stop. There are a few in process even now. I stay as far away as possible. To be sure, I enjoy going to the movies. But from what I have seen, it’s the rare film that is as good as, much less better than, the book. So truly, I enjoy reading much more. Besides, the pictures in my head stay longer. 

Blurbs

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RoseA very fine editor/publisher, and a very fine friend, sent me an e-mail: “I have a huge favor to ask—huge not because of the labor involved, but because I know how you feel about blurbing.”

She was asking me if I would write a blurb for one of her forthcoming books, and she knows I dislike blurbs.

What is a blurb? The word, according to the Oxford Unabridged Dictionary, “is said to have been originated in 1907 by Gelett Burgess in a comic book jacket embellished with a drawing of a pulchritudinous young lady whom he facetiously dubbed Miss Blinda Blurb.” The OED goes on to define a blurb as “A flamboyant advertisement; an inspired testimonial. 2. Fulsome praise; a sound like a publisher… On the ‘jacket’ of the ‘latest’ fiction, we find the blurb; abounding in agile adjectives and adverbs, attesting that this book is the ‘sensation of the year’.”

Blurbing is a very common practice in publishing. Pick up a new book and, sometimes on the front, more often on the back, are comments from a variety of sources. They may be excerpts from reviews. But they are often “fulsome praise,” from an individual. They may well be sincere, but I always discount such personal comments, insofar as I think they are the writer’s friends. But, as in my current case, that’s not so. I know nothing about the writer whose book I’ve been ask to blurb.

Mostly, I don’t like to blurb good friends’ books because I fear losing the friend. After all, what if I don’t like the book? Or the “fulsome praise,” is not forthcoming? So I don’t ask for them, and don’t like to do them. In short, they make me nervous.

That said, I have blurbed books on a few occasions, mostly because I was asked by people (writer friends) whom I felt I could not refuse. Happily, in those few cases, I really liked the books.

As for the current request, I said yes. In return, my publisher friend said, “You are a rose.” To which I replied, “Ah, just remember, roses have thorns.”

Rejected!

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rejectedI have published a lot of books. I have lots of readers. I have won a lot of awards. But I have never sent in a new book—as I have just done—to an editor without feeling nervous, and worried that it might be rejected. And I have been rejected.

Once upon a time I submitted a book. The editor called and said the book was no good. “Is there anything that might be salvaged?” I asked. The editor thought for a moment and said, “You could keep the title.” 

Then there was the time the book was accepted. Or so I thought. A day later the editor called and said “I changed my mind. I don’t want it. You bullied me into taking it.” 

Then there was a book that was rejected because, “It’s too scary.  It will do your reputation no good.” 

I suppose it’s also a rejection when the editor says, “I need to think about it,” and never calls again. Another line. “What’s the matter with it?” I asked. “Not enough salt,” said the editor.

It has been reported that Charles Dickens, in his role as an editor, rejected a novel titled, Pearls on a String. His rejection letter (in its entirety) said, “Too much string. Not enough pearls.” That wasn’t my book, I’m glad to say.

Anyway, here I am waiting to learn my new book’s fate. Stay tuned.