Getting signed books in a bookstore

[MaggieTheCat]

Joi's thread reminded me of this, but I didn't want to threadjack.

I am a big fan of an author by the name of Brian Jacques. He is a British children's author and is most known for a series called Redwall. I haven't read his newest work lately, but I used to always run down to a local bookstore (this was before Amazon was a big deal) to get his latest book in hardcover when it would come out.

Once I got home with my new book and opened it up...to see that he had signed it. There was no note or anything, just his autograph. I was ecstatic. From then on, every time I got his new book, I checked every copy on the shelf to see if his autograph was in it, but it never happened again.

Has anyone else ever had this happen to them?

[Sheldonrs]

I've seen it a few times. Usually it's because the author had a book signing at that store and he or she signed extras for the store to sell as well.

[CaroPhoenix]

Sheldon's correct. I used to work in a bookstore (ages and ages ago) and we'd have some local authors who'd come in and autograph a few. We always put a sticker that read "Author Signed" or something like that to let the buyer know it was autographed.

I like to get author autographed books. They are awesome. However, the ones I've gotten signed are all from when I've been to their book signings/book readings.

I love to meet the authors. I just wish Kinky Friedman would come back to this area.

[JoitheArtist]

Brian Jacques!!! i LOOOOOOVE his books!


Once in a library booksale, I found a signed Bradbury for $0.25. Joi was very happy that day.

[Sheldonrs]

I found a signed copy of the Bible once. I looked up the author's name. Turns out he never wrote anything else.


Ona more truthful note, when i worked at a college library in NJ, I used to go through the trash bins where they would throw out any books, etc. that they did not want for the collection. (State colleges and Universities can't sell or give them away) Over the years there I found an autographed copy of Isadora Duncan's autobio, a program from the 1936 Olympics signed by the entire US team, including Jesse Owens and 400+ plays, some signed by the original broadway casts.

[MaggieTheCat]

Well, the town I used to live in is tiny, and the bookstore I got the signed book in was REALLY tiny. It was a locally-owned place, not a big box chain, and they only ever had local authors for book signings. Jacques was definitely not a local. And he'd never been to the area, and the book didn't have a sticker that said it was signed on it, so I just assumed that he signed a few books before sending them out, and I just happened to get really lucky and got one of them!

[AdminAssistant]

Just found out Jen from Cake Wrecks is coming to the area for a book signing...and I'll be in rehearsal.

[JoitheArtist]

Just found out Jen from Cake Wrecks is coming to the area for a book signing...and I'll be in rehearsal.

Augh!! Torment!

My dad used to be a librarian, for a town where few people read. He got to MEET Jacques. There was a 3-book signing limit. He got one for each of his dadgummed libraries, and none for me!!

I'm working on forgiving him...

[MaggieTheCat]

Augh!! Torment!

My dad used to be a librarian, for a town where few people read. He got to MEET Jacques. There was a 3-book signing limit. He got one for each of his dadgummed libraries, and none for me!!

I'm working on forgiving him...

Oh man, I wouldn't forgive him either. Jacques was in Chicago several years ago, and I was living in northern Wisconsin at the time, so my parents and I went to his book signing. It was pretty sweet. I was one of the oldest "kids" there (aside from all the parents, but they were mainly with little kids.) I learned that "Jacques" is pronounced with a long "a", like the name "Jake" (I had always said it like "jocks", rhymes with "socks") and "Eulalia!" is pronounced "you-LAY-lee-ah" as opposed to "you-LAH-lee-ah." I was also way too shy at the time (I was either in middle school or early high school when we went...which actually makes this story at least 10 years old, jeez, didn't realize it was that long ago) and didn't ask to have my picture taken with him, which other people were doing, and I so WISH I would have.

Anyway, I think he only had a 2 book limit at that signing, because he has either arthritis or carpel tunnel in his writing hand, and his hand would cramp up if people would come in with their entire collection of Redwall books. So, I got Redwall and Martin the Warrior signed by him.

[ZumZum]

I had picked up a copy of "Stardust" from Neil Gaiman.
It was signed.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I saw that on Cakewrecks...the closest she'll be to me is in New York, at the B&N in Greenwich Village. Oh well.

It's possible that he signed them for a bigger event, then the books that didn't sell were returned to the publisher/distributor and later got sold to the store you got it at. But yeah, we used have authors sign a stack of extras so people who couldn't make it to the event had a chance at a signed book.

I found a signed copy of the Bible once. I looked up the author's name. Turns out he never wrote anything else.

It's gotten some decent reviews....

(Customer Review #6)

Posted July 25, 2005, 2:53 PM EST: This obscure little book turned out to be rather interesting. I found an old copy in the basement along with some of my father's ancient blueprints and decided to give it a read. I was later surprised to find out that it's still in print even though none of the events that take place are even remotely recent. I assumed it would be hard to find being so old. I can only assume this is due towards the recent trend for old and obscure books. Some chapters are a little dry and others seem to be suspiciously similar to some recent movie plots. I hope the author of this book doesn't get sued because of this. After I finished the last chapter I wanted to know what happened next and found what I assumed was the sequel - 'The New Testament.' The title of that is a bit misleading since there's not much that's new. Infact, the entire book is practically the same as the ending of the 'Bible.' Another mistake I made was to assume the 'New Testament' was a revised version of the 'Old Testament.' It would have made more sense if the two books were titled 'The Bible: Part 1' and 'The Bible: Part II.' Don't expect to be able to finish the 'Bible' in a weekend, it's too densely packed for that.

(I have this one on my cube wall at work.)