Today is National Bookstore Day and I give thanks to the very special people who own and operate bookstores, though they might claim they are owned and operated by their bookstores!
Cover for Teed Off!
Some of my faves are Prime Crime in Ottawa, The Sleuth of Baker Street in Toronto, Greenwoods Bookshoppe in Edmonton, Whodunit in Winnipeg and Tanners in Sidney. I have signed books in most of them and they are incredibly supportive to Canadian authors.
In their honour, I offer this little tale of a book signing horror story, originally published by one of the great news/reviews sites, The Mystery Reader.
BTW, this did not happen in any of the above stores!
Book Signing: A Swing and A Miss:
Ahh, book signings — the very essence of the glamorous life of an author.
NOT!
My first mystery, Teed Off! has a pro golfer/coroner as protagonist and women’s professional golf as the backdrop. Being a shameless self-promoter, I attended a number of bookstores and trade shows (golf and women’s) to flog my swinging whodunit.
Picture this, me smiling at my booth, supported from behind by a huge, colourful banner which reads “New Murder-Mystery Novel” plus a few juicy quotes and in front by a table laden with copies of the book and promo material.
Time and time again, a visitor — sucked into the vortex of my pitch “Are you a mystery fan?” — would cautiously approach my booth, then stand, uncertainly, staring at the piles.
Finally, gaining courage, she/he would touch then pick up a paperback only to exclaim “It’s a book!” as if this were a revelation.
“Of course,” I’d reply, hiding my dismay and warming them up with a catch-all spiel, “It’s like Agatha Christie meets the Ladies Professional Golf Association.”
To which, many would reply “Who?” or slicing even deeper into a writer’s heart, “Oh…I thought it was a game.” Or “What a great idea!” In every instance, the book is gingerly replaced followed by “Sorry, I don’t read.”
It’s enough to make you wanna take a five iron to your keyboard.
So, why not visit your favourite bookstore today? And please, tell them I said “Hi”.
