Erica O'Rourke

Notes from A Book Signing: The Do-Overs

Honestly, things at the signing went so well, I feel uncomfortable calling this list "Don'ts". But there are a few things I would have done differently, or additionally. And you can bet I'll be doing them next time:

Take five minutes to freshen up before the crowd arrives.

 
In my defense, people started arriving at 1:15, and the signing started at 2. There wasn't really time for a touchup. But I was acutely aware that my hair needed a last-minute fix, that my lipgloss had slid off early on, and that a little pressed powder would have gone a long way. The thing is, no one would have been offended if I'd run to the restroom and put myself together before the official start. It was my own nervousness -- I must be here and entertaining the entire time -- that tripped me up. Next time, at the 1:15 mark, I'll excuse myself, fluff up a bit, and return feeling a little less frazzled.

Have a bottled water and mints nearby.
Smiling and chatting for 2+ hours is thirsty work. To avoid cottonmouth, have a bottle of water -- with a lid, just in case -- close at hand. The mints are a nice touch, and I did have some, but I had to dig in my purse for them. Put them close at hand so you don't interrupt the flow of the signing.

 

 

 

Bring extra Sharpies.

I use silver Shar pies, which look great and are less likely to give you a contact high during prolonged use. But they tend to dry out more quickly than the standard black Sharpie, and mine died halfway through. Happily, the staff had some extras, but if I could do it over, I would have tucked a few more into my bag.

Think about displays.
My cover flat for BOUND was exactly that -- laid flat on the table. It would have made a bigger impact if I'd propped it on a stand and wrote "On sale June 26 -- preorder now!" on a little sign underneath. Similarly, I would have had a stand to hold my speaker brochures, just to give them a little added oomph. Anything vertical is easier for passers-by to spot on the table.

Memorize this saying:
"I'm so sorry, we sold out of that book. But if you ask at the service desk, they'll order it, and I'll be sure to personalize it when it comes in."

This is a much more gracious thing to say than, "Oh, you can get it online." People came to your SIGNING. They wanted a book SIGNED by the author. Give them a reason to come back, and let them see you're willing to make an effort for them. Only good can come of this. Of course, you do have to hold up your end of the bargain -- be sure you're able to go back and sign the new copies.

See? Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing make-or-break. Just little things that would have made my event flow even more smoothly. Feel free to take (or leave) any of these suggestions, and let me know how your own signings go.

(Looking for Part One, The Dos? Click here.)

Random Tuesday Stuff: Songwriting, Eleven, Lists, Avian Agression, Petty Theft

There are authors out there who can come up with coherent blog posts, masterpieces of eloquence and thematic unity, lucid and powerful treatises that illuminate the very nature of humanity, while they are on deadline. I am not one of them. Hence, random Tuesday stuff:

1. Spring Break is OVER. Thank GAWD.

Last year, I spent Spring Break here:

 

(Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego.)

This year, I spent Spring Break taking boxes to recycling center and watching my kids discover the joy of cat videos on YouTube. In years past, I have loved Spring Break, so much so that I made up a song about it, to the tune of Born Free.

Spring break!
And now we can sleep late!
And we can make pancakes
Whenever we want!

It was a more innocent time, I guess, because school started again yesterday, and let me tell you -- I was ready to write another song, this one an ode to the schoolbus. I spent the morning working, just me and the cats and a very large cup of coffee, and also a cookie for breakfast. You can't have a cookie for breakfast with kids underfoot. They want you to SHARE. Farewell, Spring Break!

 

2. Since I am under deadline, it would be foolish to wish this month away. I have Much To Do and Little Time In Which To Do It. And yet...I cannot help wishing that April 23rd would get here just a little faster. Because on April 23rd, I will be parked on the couch, ready to enjoy the season premiere of Doctor Who. I haven't seen a new episode since CHRISTMAS, people. I am starting to go through withdrawl.

I have THOUGHTS about the new season, THEORIES, if you will. I've discussed them at length with Eliza. Foremost among my thoughts? Go home, Rory. Also, that the Neil Gaiman episode might make me explode with geeky happiness. And lastly, that this season is going to absolutely terrifying. Take a look:

  

Discuss among yourselves. And with me.

 

3. I love lists, and one of my favorites is the one I have running over at TeuxDeux. Clean, pretty, and it rolls over your list to the next day if you don't cross off an item. Of course, that means if you are having a week where you don't get much done on your list -- say, Spring Break Week, Friday's list looks pretty unmanageable. It's web-based, which allows you to pull it up anywhere. If you've got an iPhone (sadly, I do not) there's an app available, too. Rumor has it the app version is lovely, but I would not know. Alas.

 

4. Speaking of apps, and my phone, which is a Droid, I recently took advantage of the new Amazon Appstore, which offered me a free download of Angry Birds Rio. I don't know what the hell Rio the movie is about, except that it involves birds, so I get the connection. And I'm a big fan of the original Angry Birds, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. But let me tell you something. The game is terrfiying. The monkeys in level two have sharp teeth, and they're very resistant to killing, and I am pretty sure they hold a grudge. And in the last level, you have to KILL ANOTHER BIRD. The hell? I was okay with killing the pigs -- after all, they were egg thieves, they knew what was going to happen, and they were smug, to boot. But this seems like cannibalisim, and I don't care what the storyline of the movie dictates (I assume the bird in question is a traitor, the Benedict Arnold of cockatiels, and so the idea is that he deserves his fate) the idea of using those little bluebirds to kill another bird is unnerving. To be honest, this game scares the crap out of me, and yet I can't bring myself to delete it from my phone, I am so addicted. This is a bit of a quandry.

 

5. I accidentally shoplifted this weekend. In front of my kids, no less, and my mother-in-law. But it wasn't my fault! My day-to-day bag is a timbuk2 messenger bag which I love for many reasons, but my two issues with it are that there is no mesh side pocket for a water bottle, which would be handy, and also that the hook side of the velcro is on the body of the bag, instead of the flap. If you are lazy like me, sometimes you forget to latch the bag shut, and the hooky velcro sticks to things, like your sweater. Or your kids' hair. Or, perhaps, a ball of yarn at the local fancy yarn shop.

And then, as you're walking down the meat aisle at the local grocery store, you notice you're trailing a ball of pink sock yarn, and have been for the last half-an-hour.

And then you realize the yarn shop is closed, and you are leaving town in an hour, and you have to beg your mother-in-law to return the yarn later this week. Sigh.

SO. If you don't hear from me for a while, you can assume I'm either frantically revising Tangled for the last time, or I've been hauled off to jail for stealing an eight dollar ball of sock yarn. If it's the latter, someone please send me a cake with my laptop baked inside. I have work to do.