Going to a book signing - when you already have the book

Not uncool at all. I've had it happen to me a few times, and another time I pre-bought the book before I attended an author's signing.

In fact, some authors love seeing a fan come in with a well-worn copy of one of his older titles. Shows how much you've enjoyed reading his book.

Barb D said:

One of my research sources just got her own book published, and it came out last week. I immediately bought a copy from Amazon, and I have it in my hot little hands. She's having a book signing tomorrow and I'd love to go. Is it uncool to bring a pre-purchased copy to a signing at a book store?

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I don't think so. I've brought pre-purchased books to book signings and haven't had a problem.

True, those copies tend to be the careworn kind, edges rounded off, pages crinkled because it was dropped in the tub.

But I don't think she'd be offended if you were "so excited about the book that you had to have it NAO and couldn't wait." If I were on that side of the table, I'd be pretty flattered.

It's perfectly fine, but you do have to tell the store that it's pre-bought already. That happened to me a couple times. In fact, I brought my copy to Allen's signing.

The book store where she's holding the book signing (assuming it's at a book store) might want you to purchase it there--for obvious reasons. For me, I would feel odd bringing in an "outside" book into a book store (like bring my McDonald's sandwich into a restaurant), and I'd purchase something--perhaps the author's earlier book or another book.

If I were the author, I'd be tickled someone bought my book, regardless where they purchased it. Likely the author wouldn't know whether you bought it at the book store or elsewhere, unless that bookstore has the signing line set up whereby you purchase the book right next to the author.

My humble two cents.

I've taken pre-purchased books to book signings. No one ever seems to care. After all, you DID purchase the book!

However, I can't go to a bookstore without buying a new book, so the store always still makes a profit off my being there.

Smish

maestrowork said:

In fact, I brought my copy to Allen's signing.

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I've never heard of a bookstore having a problem with someone bringing in a book they'd bought elsewhere to be signed. It wouldn't make good business sense.

Only author that I know of who had a problem with books bought from another place was Louis L'Amour. He absolutely, positively, and often in forth-right terms, refused to sign a book of his that was not published by Bantam House (his publisher). He has a lot of books that are out of copyright and published with him receiving nothing for it. For some reason, he refused to sign those books.

I've had people bring in my book to signings they bought someplace else. It's very flattering. And one place that didn't have a problem was a fund raiser where part of the funds being raised were from the sale of my books. The people running the thing were excited when someone showed up with my book for me to sign. We incorporated that person into part of the talk I was giving. (Most of my signings were as part of an educational program.) She'd actually read the book (that still shocks me -- that people actually read stuff I write without a gun being held to their heads) and provided the listeners and me with some useful insight on what she'd learned from my book.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Snowstorm said:

The book store where she's holding the book signing (assuming it's at a book store) might want you to purchase it there--for obvious reasons. For me, I would feel odd bringing in an "outside" book into a book store (like bring my McDonald's sandwich into a restaurant), and I'd purchase something--perhaps the author's earlier book or another book.

If I were the author, I'd be tickled someone bought my book, regardless where they purchased it. Likely the author wouldn't know whether you bought it at the book store or elsewhere, unless that bookstore has the signing line set up whereby you purchase the book right next to the author.

My humble two cents.

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I think it's totally cool. BUT I was at an Anne Rice signing once where people were being told the books they brought into the store would NOT be signed. If they wanted a book signed, they had to buy it then and there. But you're probably fine...it's probably a smaller signing then Ms. Rice's. (-;

My two cents: I would call the bookstore and speak with the manager. Explain you bought the book elsewhere as soon as it was available, and before you knew about the signing at their store. I would think they would be OK with it as long as they knew, and you checked in with them when you arrive so they know not to charge you for the book you already paid for. One independent bookstore here will only allow copies of the current release purchased from them for signings. I've never heard of a store objecting to books from the back list. I have taken back list books to signings myself, including one at the aforementioned independent.

MM

Barb D said:

One of my research sources just got her own book published, and it came out last week. I immediately bought a copy from Amazon, and I have it in my hot little hands. She's having a book signing tomorrow and I'd love to go. Is it uncool to bring a pre-purchased copy to a signing at a book store?

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No. It is kind of a compliment.

KTC said:

I think it's totally cool. BUT I was at an Anne Rice signing once where people were being told the books they brought into the store would NOT be signed. If they wanted a book signed, they had to buy it then and there. But you're probably fine...it's probably a smaller signing then Ms. Rice's. (-;

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It was the same at the Guillermo Del Toro signing. You wouldn't get a wristband (for signing) if you didn't buy a copy right at the store. Now, once you had a wristband, you could ask him to sign anything (well, except body parts, I suppose)...

It's up to the bookstore. Some bookstores are fine with it, others are not.

I personally think it's kind of rude, because you're taking advantage of the bookstore's effort in producing the signing while the profit from the sale goes to Amazon, but that's your call to make.

Another option would be to buy a second copy as a gift for a friend, and have both copies autographed at the same time. You'd have to work that out with the bookstore in advance, though, just to avoid confusion.

I have been to two book signings in the past year. The first I took my copy of an older book and purchased a copy of a new release. The author, Kate Grenville, was happy to sign both for me. The second signing was with Emily Rodda, and I took my 11 year old son and his battered copy of the Deltora Quest series. She was lovely, signed my son's book and chatted with him, and even posed for a photo he could take to show his class, who had been reading Rohan of Rin for their literature studies.

maestrowork said:

It was the same at the Guillermo Del Toro signing. You wouldn't get a waistband (for signing) if you didn't buy a copy right at the store. Now, once you had a waistband, you could ask him to sign anything (well, except body parts, I suppose)...

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This is what I had to do when I went to a Ray Bradbury signing. The guy is old, he can only sit there for so long, so they gave priority by giving you a number when you bought a book. So people who bought books on site, and came early, got their books signed. People who didn't buy anything probably didn't get up there before Mr. Bradbury got worn out and had to go home.

Anyway, I bought a book to get the number... then I asked him to sign my old, beaten up paperback of Martian Chronicles.

I personally think it's kind of rude, because you're taking advantage of the bookstore's effort in producing the signing while the profit from the sale goes to Amazon, but that's your call to make.

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It goes both ways, though. The publicity is obviously good for the author but it's also good for the bookstore because it brings people in. Sometimes it's not about the sales, it's about getting people inside--it's the same reason so many bookstores take a hit throwing midnight book release parties a la Harry Potter. It gets people in the store and hopefully they'll buy something else while they're in. And depending on who the author is, the bookstore itself may have put in very little effort to make the signing happen.

IceCreamEmpress said:

I personally think it's kind of rude, because you're taking advantage of the bookstore's effort in producing the signing while the profit from the sale goes to Amazon, but that's your call to make.

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In every case where I've taken a pre-purchased book, it was because I had purchased and read it before the signing. If it's an author I really want to meet in person, chances are good that I'll want to read the book the first day it's released, and not wait for him/her to come to my city for a book signing.

If I already had a copy, I'd most likely buy another book at the bookstore in question. You can never have too many of 'em, right?

Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

I once brought a book to a signing that had a big "Half Price Books" sticker on it. The author and the bookstore have both gotten more than a few purchases from me since, so it's all good now.

Nicole

NicoleMD said:

I once brought a book to a signing that had a big "Half Price Books" sticker on it. The author and the bookstore have both gotten more than a few purchases from me since, so it's all good now.

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Although I would probably feel a bit weird since "Half Price Books" sales don't go toward the author's royalties. So it'd feel more like taking a Big Mac to a Wendy's -- not only are you not buying Wendy's, but you actually bought from a competitor...

Most authors would probably be fine with it. But occasionally you may offend someone.

I was doing a signing at Waterstones once and a young woman came in with a rucksack full of all my books; I was stunned. Nobody cared that she'd bought them somewhere else in some cases several years before, she was a reader, a book buyer and, most delightfully for me, a genuine fan. It would be a very stupid bookseller who was anything but pleased to have an enthusiastic book buyer in store and a I can't imagine any writer not being thrilled to sign every book in that rucksack.

I have no problem with that. I like it and always thank the readers for buying my books!

I've also had readers coming in with a bag of my titles to get them signed. It's great when others see I've done more than one book.

The ONLY time I ever saw it banned was when Anne Rice signed at a Louisiana romance convention.

Her publisher said she could only sign books that had been bought at the conventions. Apparently it was in her contract with them.

Fans who had paid one hell of a lot of money to get in just have their own books signed were shite out of luck and very PO'd about it. They had little choice but to buy yet another copy of a book they already had so they wouldn't go away empty.

Several were hard-cores who had been her fans from the first and had treasured first editions to sign. Well, too bad, move along, you're holding up the line.

I can understand the publisher wanting to make money selling books there, but it was a public relations disaster.

It didn't help that she had recently put on her crazy hat and had sent cease and desist letters to every fanfic writer who dared to scribble Louis/Lestat fic. She was still a few years away from posting rants on Amazon, but the seeds were there.

After that, I vowed to become a complete slut about giving out my autograph. No one gets turned away! Everyone gets a big smile and a sincere thank you. I never forget that they didn't have to buy my book.

Everyone keep that in mind. Don't ever get uppity with the people who buy your food and pay your mortgage!

I've never felt any reluctance asking an author to sign a book I already own and I've never heard of an author being reluctant to sign it.

I agree with the poster who wrote if you get me in the bookstore in the first place, it's likely I'm not walking out without purchasing something.