So this weekend, Tracy and I took a trip to St. George. I’d been invited by the Utah Library Association to be an a Teen Author Panel, and since I have a long history with libraries—my first job was shelving books at the Sandy library—I was happy to say yes. And since I hadn’t yet been that far south in my book signing travels, I figured it was a good chance to stay all weekend and sign at the Barnes and Noble and the Deseret Book in St. George and the Deseret Book in Cedar City.
The ULA conference was a lot of fun; I got to meet some great people and talk to librarians from all over the state. I also got to sit in the audience for the morning session of the Teen Author Panel and visit just a bit with Bree Despain and Emily Wing Smith. They are both such nice people. My panel was later in the day and I enjoyed sitting with L. E. Modesett, Jr. and Philip Jones. (James Dashner was also supposed to be on the panel, but I think something must have come up at the last minute because he wasn’t able to attend.) One thing I really enjoy about being on panels with other authors is to hear their views and opinions about writing, reading, and books. I always seem to learn something new.
My three book signings were a lot of fun, too. I had a steady stream of people coming up to see me or ask about my books. One lady had even come all the way from Beaver to Cedar City (about 100 miles) just to have me sign her books. That is both flattering and humbling at the same time. In St. George, I got to meet one of my fans, Rachel, who had come to see me between her performances of Grease, Jr.
It’s a long drive from Taylorsville all the way to St. George and back again. But I did my best to make the time in the car count. I worked a bit on some editing projects, and I thought a lot about Abby and Dante. And somewhere on the outskirts of Kanosh, I figured out something important about Forgotten Locket. And, oh, yeah, it’s gonna be good.
Balloons. Chocolate. Prizes. Yep, it was a party through and through.
When The Hourglass Door came out last May, I invited some friends and family to a party at the park to celebrate and followed it up with a book signing. This year, for the release of The Golden Spiral, I had two book signings scheduled, so I had to skip the party in the park. It worked out okay, though, since my family and lots of my friends came to see me anyway. (Plus, last year the weather was windy and cold; this year, the weather inside the stores was warm and dry.)
As far as I’m concerned, the launch party day was a complete success. I sold lots of books, signed some that people had brought from home, and handed out probably more than 100 bookmarks. I was tickled to sit down at the table that held three stacks of my books: Hourglass in hardback AND paperback and Spiral in hardback. They looked so good sitting next to each other. I can’t wait until I can add The Forgotten Locket to the row and have the whole story out for people to enjoy.
One of the things I have learned after a year of marketing outreach is that I actually really like book signings. Maybe it’s because I cut my employment teeth working in a bookstore that I feel at home there. Maybe it’s because I love any chance I get to be surrounded by books. But I think a big part of it is that I really like meeting people and talking about books and writing. And if we want to talk about my books, so much the better.
I’ve meet a lot of wonderful people from my signings. Many come to see me at multiple locations. Many are my friends on Facebook. Many are writing books of their own and ask my advice about writing and publishing. Many are simply browsing and take a bookmark and move on. And that’s okay too.
Beyond the number of books sold or bookmarks handed out, what made the day a success for me was seeing the smiles on the faces of so many people who had come out to meet me and tell me that they love Abby and Dante as much as I do.
So thank you to all the people—my family, my friends, my fans—who came to see me on Saturday, May 8th, to celebrate the release of The Golden Spiral. None of this would be happening without you.