Author Signings

I am excited about going to NY Sheep & Wool this weekend. There is bunch of authors signing on Sunday. But I am going on Saturday.

I have to confess, I am just not that into signed copies. As a book fan, it seems like I should be.

This morning it clicked why I don't care.

Part of it is that I work in publishing. So I don't get too wowed about authors in general. They are just people. In some rare cases, people lucky enough to earn a living doing it.

I also realized a good part of it is the distaste I have for signings. I had just started with Putnam. I was with the company maybe 2-4 weeks when I had to attend an author signing during the work day! They gave us money to pick up copies of the book and get them signed.

Why? Because the author is a nut job. They figured she was going to freak out if there weren't a ton of people at the signing. *shakes head* Mind you, she is a bestselling author. And despite this being 11 years ago, I think she was at the time too. She really shouldn't need her ego stroked more. It left such distaste in me that I think it just made me never want to go to one of these things voluntarily.

Rationally, I know most authors are nothing like that woman. Most of the authors I have met are actually pretty good people. But still. I have never really gotten why people want autographs in general even before that. So maybe it is just me. Wouldn't be the first time I was just weird. *chuckle*