Book signing etiquette

February 7, 2006 7:03 AM

Is it tacky to ask an author at a booksigning to sign a book that s/he is not "touring" to promote?

I'm going to a reading and signing by one of my favorite authors who will be reading from her new book, and I would like to bring a different book of hers to have signed. Is this generally frowned upon? Is it possible she will only sign copies of the new book?

posted by archimago to Society & Culture (22 answers total)

How many people are going to be there? Generally, the bigger the signing, the stricter the bookstore staff about only getting the new stuff signed.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:05 AM on February 7, 2006 [1 favorite]

Depends on the author and the event. Often with popular authors the event-runner will lay out ground rules for this before the signing.

But it's certainly not a general taboo. I was at a John Crowley reading last year and he was happy to sign dog-eared books. It's certainly good form to buy his/her new book, though.
posted by selfnoise at 7:07 AM on February 7, 2006

I have found in the past as long as you also purchase a copy of the new book they will also sign old stuff. That being said what Pink SuperHero said is also true...
posted by UMDirector at 7:08 AM on February 7, 2006

If it's being held at a bookstore (as most signings are), they have a vested interest in you buying the book from them. In the past I've noticed that the advertisements/flyers for most signings contain a note about this; usually something to the effect of "Mr. King will only be signing his new novel, and only to those with a receipt from this store" or the like. Contact whomever is hosting the signing, or go to the author's website to see if they have a stated policy regarding signings. Some writers will sign anything you put in front of them.
posted by weirdoactor at 7:09 AM on February 7, 2006

Ditto all above — but unless stated otherwise, yeah, it's OK.
posted by cribcage at 7:18 AM on February 7, 2006

It is not tacky - that may be your favorite book or perhaps you just don't buy hardcovers, etc.

Most authors are cool about it. Some (anne rice *cough*) can be monumental doucebags about it. Your larger issue is usually the venue. Bookstores who are allowing a ruckus in their shop want some return on it and sometimes limit things.

Neil Gaiman answered this exact question and went into some details about it, but his upshot is: call the location.
posted by phearlez at 7:33 AM on February 7, 2006

I had Spalding Gray sign a copy of 'The Practical Cogitator' or something to that effect because it had a Henry David Thoreau quote that I though described his life pretty well.

"Pursue, keep up with, circle round and round your life as a dog does his master's chaise. Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still. Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good-- be good for something.--All fables indeed have their moral, but the innocent enjoy the story." --from a letter to G. O. Blake, March 1848

He was more than happy to do it and we actually had a neat little brief chat about it.
posted by mk1gti at 8:01 AM on February 7, 2006

It also depends on the popularity of the author. If there are less than 100 people at the reading/signing, you can usually chat with the author for a second and have him/her sign any number of things. Bigger crowds mean less time with the author and less lenience towards holding the line up to get older items signed.
posted by junkbox at 8:34 AM on February 7, 2006

You may also want to consider the other people at the signing and limit the number of items you want to have signed. I was at a book signing with Ursula LeGuin, and although she seemed very gracious about it, when the guy in front of me pulled out BOOK NUMBER 9 from his personal collection to have her sign (begging for a personalized message), and was regaling her with all the other times he'd been to see her talk and have her sign his other books, it was going on 10 minutes. It was inconsiderate. I understand that you may be the biggest fan in the history of fandom, but these things don't happen in a vacuum.

Even it's not tacky to the author (admittedly the most important consideration) it might be tacky to the other attendees (or maybe not tacky, inconsiderate).
posted by Cyrie at 8:48 AM on February 7, 2006

I'll echo others and say to ask someone who works at the store. Whether it's the author or the bookstore who's setting the limit, the bookstore should know the rule.

The one time I went to a book signing, they told me any books I bought there plus two more, which was very nice.
posted by chndrcks at 8:49 AM on February 7, 2006

I once got Chuck Palahniuk to sign my copy of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Guide.
posted by baphomet at 8:51 AM on February 7, 2006

I think as long as you're considerate, and buy at least one copy of the book she's touring for at the store, (the more the better), it's usually OK. If it's not, they'll let you know.
posted by lampoil at 8:55 AM on February 7, 2006

I work at a flagship store for one of the two big chains. We have large events on a regular basis. Every event and every author is different. The posts in this thread have pretty much covered the rules, but I'll reiterate:

1. Authors will almost always sign as many copies of their newest title as you wish. (The exceptions are insanely popular authors like J.K. Rowling who, in an effort to meet as many fans as possible, might only sign one copy for each person.)

2. Authors will usually sign backlist titles, so long as you also have a copy of the new title. However, you may have to wait until everyone has had their copies of the new title signed to get your backlist titles signed. In other words, you will have to go through the signing line again.

3. Occasionally, there will be specific limits at signings. These will vary based on the author's wishes, the number of people attending and the amount of time the author has scheduled for the signing.

4. Always call the store prior to the event to find out what the rules for the event are. BUT remember that the rules can and do change at the last minute. Author schedules can change or anticipated attendance can turn out to be much greater than the original estimate.

5. My store doesn't require you to purchase the newest title at our store in order to attend the signing, but I've heard that other booksellers do. Find out in advance.

6. If you bring books from home for signing, make sure you follow whatever rules the store has for accounting for those books - some stores use stickers, our store uses the honor system. If you say you purchased it elsewhere, we trust you.

7. Whatever you do, if you don't get everything you want out of the signing, don't blame the booksellers. Almost all of the restrictions at signing events are dictated by the authors and publishers, and the stores have little control. If the author only wants to sign the new title, then that is all the author will sign. And if you try to make yourself the exception, *we're* the ones who get chewed out by the author's handler.
posted by ereshkigal45 at 9:39 AM on February 7, 2006

I had Kurt Vonnegut sign a copy of Breakfast of Champions for me at the release for something else. He did so happily, and helpfully noted under his signature that it was "the worst piece of shit [he] ever wrote".
posted by donnagirl at 9:47 AM on February 7, 2006

The one book signing I went to last year (popular, well-known but somewhat scholarly non-fiction writer and professor), the author was really tickled that I had brought in an older, obscure title that I treasured for her to sign. So yes, depends a lot on the author--and how you frame it. I'm sure if you have the smell of an imminent Ebay sale about you, it's a turn-off.
posted by gimonca at 10:04 AM on February 7, 2006

Ray Bradbury did a signing at a big bookstore around the corner from my place in Santa Monica around 1992. I had no interest in the book being promoted, nor did a good many of the fans in line with me. I had him sign my ancient hardback of The Martian Chronicles, which he appreciated -- in fact, a lot of people were producing amazing old artifacts for him to sign, and he seemed to enjoy it all. (In fact, the line wasn't bad -- I dashed home for my copy of Fahrenheit 451 and joined it again.) Nor did the bookstore workers seem to mind, but I have a feeling things would be a lot stricter today.
posted by Rash at 10:16 AM on February 7, 2006

anecdotally: David Foster Wallace signed a copy of a book of Pushcart Prize winners which contained one of his funniest stories ever. I didn't want to buy a copy of The Infinite Jest and that seemed okay with everyone involved. This was at a small reading at an indie bookstore in Seattle.
posted by jessamyn at 11:22 AM on February 7, 2006

Alan Ginsburg berated my mother for having the audacity to want a copy of Howl signed when he was promoting something else, which she had already bought elsewhere. Lesson? Many great authors are insufferable pricks.
posted by klangklangston at 12:12 PM on February 7, 2006

I have been asked to sign books written by a guy whose name differs from mine by one letter. I usually do.
posted by Hogshead at 12:30 PM on February 7, 2006

In fairness to Ginsburg, it is customary to buy a copy of the book at the location of the signing, even if you already own a copy from somewhere else. I can't imagine going to a signing and not buying the book. (I live in New York City--don't know if it's a regional thing).

Still, he didn't have to be a jerk about it.
posted by lampoil at 1:04 PM on February 7, 2006

Ray Bradbury did a signing at a big bookstore around the corner from my place in Santa Monica around 1992. [snip]

I'm not sure you can generalize about booksigning from this. I had the good fortune to meet Mr Bradbury in 1986 and he was possibly one of the most amiable people I have ever met. He was just walking around the dealer floor on the first day of WorldCon and I was with a fellow who had run some small Cons in Florida. He said hello to RB, who stopped and chatted with us for a while about several things, rather than any number of ways he could have responded to some random person accosting him while he was on about other things. After a few minutes he continued on his way, wandering around and looking at the wares and people as if he wasn't one of the Old Gods who could demand almost any other person there go polish his car with their tongue.

The next day we were in the elevator with Harlan Ellison for less than 10 seconds before Harlan insulted one of us.
posted by phearlez at 1:06 PM on February 7, 2006

You could call the store to make sure -- with Big Names they often have rules about these things to make the signing orderly and not too drawn-out.

But I can tell you anecdotally that I have been touched and thrilled when people bring me my first book for me to sign for them at the readings to promote my second and third. At a reading last fall, a woman shyly asked me if I would mind signing her copy of my first book, and when I said I'd love to, she took the book out of her bag, and it was bookmarked with a fringe of post-it notes, underlined in some places and highlighted in others like it was a textbook she'd been studying. It was so sweet. And I was glad she'd asked.
posted by mothershock at 1:31 PM on February 7, 2006