The book signing was a couple Thursdays ago, but I am still jazzed from the event! I got some good feedback and I even sold 7 books. I had been hoping to sell some more, but for my first official book signing I think it was a good turn out.
The signing was held in a small room at my school’s library. The room had shelves of beautiful, old books and some cozy furniture. People milled in the room, mainly the library employees and some friends from SAI. My poetry professor made an appearance and that made me very happy. It was clear she genuinely wanted to be there which was lovely.
I am not a fan of talking at people. The library director had a podium for me, but I declined and chose to sit in one of the comfy chairs. I like talking to people. I’m much more comfortable talking when I am at eye level versus standing and looking down on people. I want to be approachable but professional, and I think I achieved that.
I began with a brief history of my writing life. Starting from my attempted novels at the age of 10 to actually starting The Healing Pool and up to its completion. I outlined the battles and steps of self-publishing since most people there were unfamiliar with the process. I then talked about the book and read two chapters near the beginning to give them a sense of the characters. After the reading I opened the floor to a Q & A. Not many people had questions, but the questions they had were interesting. My professor of course asked me about the difference between writing poetry and writing novels in terms of how I organize and edit my decisions. In short, poetry for me is generally a one-and-done deal. It has to be in the moment, otherwise it will not likely exist in the future. Novels are easier to come back to since there are so many moving parts to work with.
Afterwards I had a table set up in the back with books to sell and sign. My roommate was kind enough to loan me her mini travel suitcase so I didn’t have to carry 40lbs of books across campus! The feedback I got from everyone was positive. People liked how I spoke and how I read. My friends wanted me to keep reading! One thing I want to do for the website and for advertising the next book signing is have a sample audio book. I need to learn how to use technology, but at least I read well!
The library took pictures of the whole event. Check out the link below! My trusty mascot Rhodes was also present and quite helpful. 🙂
https://www.flickr.com/photos/seeleyg/sets/72157648114843443/
Linnea Garcia 