Very good. Great? No, but it's very entertaining. In most ways, it's how I imagined it was going to be- a reinterpretation of the master detective as a bit of a swashbuckler, but with a funny, eccentric, and troubled soul.
There were a couple of instances of flash backs and flash forwards that were very nicely done, and everything is wrapped up in the end with a "Scooby-Doo" style explanation.
Three stars.
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So I visited a Barnes & Nobles Bookstore yesterday before we saw the movie, and I'm happy to say that they were sold out of "Bent Objects". The fella said it had done well, because they had quite a few copies on hand. He was nice enough to invite me back to sign some copies when they get a new shipment. Believe it or not, I've found this to be an unusual attitude. "Why would that be?" you might ask. "Wouldn't an author signature be a motivating factor for the purchase of a book?" I wonder the same thing.
I've actually heard from several other authors who have had the same experience as I've had, and that's one of many booksellers acting like they are doing the author a favor by letting them sign their books. Why is this? The managers actually have to think a second or two before they give me a positive answer, and then not one thank you given. I'm at a loss on this. Wouldn't their customers feel like they're buying something a bit special if it were signed? Don't they want happy customers? I would understand if they asked to see my I.D., or I'd show them my photo on the book-jacket, but that doesn't seem to be the problem.
One of the last managers I spoke to basically shrugged his shoulders and said "hey, it's up to you". Really? Should I just go into a store and start signing away? Seems a strange thing to do. I'm not looking for people to kiss my ring when I make an offer to sign, but it would be cool if they said "Oh, that'd be great. Thanks."
Can anyone out there enlighten me on this? I'll let the other authors who've run up against this in on the secret too, so they can find out why they're treated like schmucks in some of these stores.
28 comments:
Sounds like book some book store managers just are just managers who couldn't care less about the books they sell. I would be willing to spend a little more on a signed book than an unsigned book. Of course, acquiring the signature first hand (or via Facebook) would be the best, but if it has a personal touch then I would like it even more. I suggest you just go to every book store in the area and sign every Bent Objects book on the shelves. Although, there might not be a whole lot of them since it's such a popular book.
I like to sign bibles at B&N as G*d.
I'm sure that manager is looking forward to the day your e-book version comes out so he won't be bothered with any sales.
No offense, but I wouldn't find any extra value in the book if it were signed. The thing that makes you special is what's in the book, this pictures, the creativity, the art. But you touching the book, or scribbling in it in a particular pattern, well, I'm not buying the book to appreciate your pen scribbles.
Perhaps the managers just look at it that way. Some people just don't find any value in a piece of paper with a name on it.
It appears that appreciation of books has declined, you can probably blame the Internet for that. BUT, a signed first edition stills commands top dollars in the collectors market. :)
Once upon a time, I worked at B&N and our store would get lots of authors stopping in who would want to sign their own books. We'd let them, of course, but we'd never ASK them to. I think I recall it being something of a store policy not to outright ask... I could be wrong, but I think it sort of covered our necks in case someone wasn't who they claimed to be or wrote something dirty in the book. In my experience, people didn't buy the signed copies. I can only speculate as to why, but we'd have lines for hours to get an author's autograph and before (s)he left, we'd have her/him sign a few extras... and somehow no one ever wanted those. I think it has to do with the whole experience of meeting an author to tie to the signature in the book (just a guess!). Whereas if you pick one up off the shelf, there's no guarantee that it's authentic, plus no personal experience tied to it.
The lackluster sales for these books were ultimately a pain in the neck for the store, because we couldn't always send them back. If a book is damaged or doesn't sell, the retailer returns the book to the publisher for a refund, which you can't do with a signed book (unless it happens to be a mass paperback that isn't signed on the cover). So, the store is essentially taking a gamble -- that you are who you claim to be and that someone at some point will appreciate that and they have to believe in you enough to essentially be owners of copies of your book, since it cannot be returned. And considering that each store stocks between 60k-200k books, if they had an average of even, say, 1% of authors coming in to the stores (~600 people) at some point and each wants to sign a book -- that's a LOT of non-returnable/refundable books!
LIKE I SAID, THIS IS ONLY MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FROM A DECADE AGO, so don't quote me. *BUT* I would say that this is still a silver lining: even if the managers are blase and unenthusiastic about having you sign a book, the fact that they let you do it means that they like you! I mean, they had to just buy your book to let you sign it!
Do they have to be grumpy jerks? No. But they will be... I mean, no offense, but if you were managing a retail establishment the size of Barnes & Noble at the holidays, you'd be grouchy too! :)
I like giddy girl's explanation, it makes total sense. I think I'm one of the authors you heard from - I've had the same experience you've had at many a bookstore. I've even occasionally had someone at a book signing (where, you know, I'm sitting and signing books) ask me NOT to sign their copy. Okaaaaay. lol
One thing that does help is to turn all of your books face out on the shelf whenever you're in a book store. I blithely move stuff around on a shelf to make room for mine to face out and lots of my fans/students/friends report back that they do the same at their local stores. I vote that we all turn Terry's books face out when we come upon them, signed or unsigned! Books sell better when the customers can see the whole front cover and not just the spine.
jane
That manager attitude is a part of why book stores are dying as a class. They don't get the whole personal conversation thing. Maybe they slept through web 2.0 and keep on snoozing.
Seth Godin's been doing various funky things with his books, such as fundraisers. Try a webinar with Amazon or something of that sort. I would love to interact with you, but I'd rather not go to a bookstore for that, because I don't love them anymore. A webinar where I could ask you book questions, though, would be nice.
Oh, and I liked Sherlock Holmes too! I like a little pathos in my crime-fighters. I thought the film was witty and clever and a rollicking good time.
I've experienced the same thing. I've also been (rudely) told--after waiting in line for ten minutes!--to stand off by myself until they got through the whole line--before they even looked up whether they had my books in stock, which it turns out they didn't. I should have just left.
I don't expect the red carpet, but especially considering I'm usually buying a book as well, I expect at least the courtesy extended to a customer.
Everytime I see one of your books in a store, I face it on the shelf so the cover is completely visible. Don't know how much it helps, but I do know it can't hurt anything. Product positioning for the win.
I goof around and put one of my business cards in my books in the stores on occasion.. just for fun.. but I don't sign them unless personally asked to.
As a customer, I concur with giddie girlie: without the personal chance to interact with the author at least a little, a signed book is just a book to me, barring something particularly collectible about it.
I've seen pre-signed copies on the shelves sometimes. If there's no price difference, I'll buy the signed one, but if there is a difference, no way.
And of course, I come from the comics side of things where this is even more of a crapshoot: writing on the comic technically reduces the grade to "poor", completely devaluing the collectible value. So getting a comic signed should either be a junk comic rather than a valuable one, or one with great sentimental value to you (both, preferably).
I was waiting in line at my college bookstore, and they had a few of your Bent Objects books on display. I picked it up out of curiosity, and could not stop laughing at the different photos and captions in your book. I had to buy it so I could share it with my coworkers and friends. I really wish I had found your book prior to the holiday season, but I think it'll be a good gift to someone who needs a picker-upper.
Thank you!
Books used to be treasured, you grew your library carefully and hoped for a personal signed copy. Now we read and discard/resell at Half-price Books, garage sales etc. I find it very difficult to part with a book I buy, guess that's why I don't have a couch!
*p.s. Found your book in a Memphis bookstore...so happy for your success and would love mine signed!
I agree that the personal interaction is what gives the signature its value. For Christmas I gave my husband the book you sent, and when he saw that you wrote a note to him, it made it the best gift ever and me the most thoughtful wife ever. Thanks for helping me win!
I had the reverse experience.
While attending college in Wyoming, I worked at a local bookstore. A woman I had never seen before went trough the shelves and collected all of the Annie Proulx books, set them on the counter and then started scribbling in them?
I asked her politely who she was and what she was doing. She rolled her eyes at me, sighed, and thrust one of the signed pages at me, and resumed her scrawling.
She finished up, left the books on my counter for me to reshelf, and left without speaking a single word to me.
That's how I first made Ms. Proulx's delightful acquaintance.
How mystifying! I would absolutely choose the signed book over the unsigned one. It does mean something to me that the person who created it actually touched it. If I were a book store owner, I’d take that pile you signed and put a sign by it saying “Get your signed copy today!” If the book store makes an effort to make it seem special - and that an author would take the time is - then the public would surely concur by purchasing those first.
This weekend my friend and I visited the Greenwood, Indiana Barnes & Noble. I'm from the north side of Indy, so it was my first time actually seeing and visiting the new(ish) store.
I found your "Bent Objects" book featured in the "Humor" section and noticed there were four signed copies left, one with a self-portrait doodle to go along with the signature (the others were signatures only). Was quite happy to find the special, "doodlized" version and bought it on the spot.
My friend and I were laughing out loud at the book, attracting the attention of a somewhat awkward teenage boy with bedhead. He picked up a book and checked it out as well. You may consider a street team of laughing fans to visit book stores on your behalf. Seemed to work for us! Also, the autographed sticker on the cover grabbed my attention right away.
Before visiting the book store I had seen some of your photos on digg.com (Mail-Order Bride and Pooper-Clips come to mind). I was ignorant of your book and blog, but am glad everything came full circle this weekend!
It's very cool to see another artist from Indy with a bent sense of humor. You've inspired me to restart my web comic. Thanks! - Greg Sorvig
Wow - guess book stores are getting just like all the rest - they hire people for really cheap and then expect them to give good customer service LOLOL Anymore, they could care less (any store) whether or not you buy anything. Really crazy! I'm sorry you're experiencing this - I'd come and get your autograph if you came to a bookstore here!
Lots to think about here… seems to me it’s all subjective. The issues surrounding the people who work in the stores are really secondary to the fact of the matter, and that is that people want what they want, and there's no accounting for it.
I am a voracious reader, so my husband can’t wrap his head around why I don’t want a Kindle. A mutual friend, who is an equally enthusiastic reader, also doesn’t get why I don’t want one. She keeps telling me how amazing they are – instant gratification! You want to read the latest Marc Acito? *POOF* it’s there. Me? I love the feel of the book, the weight of it in my hands. I like the smell of the paper, and the way the light bounces off the pages. My friend? She likes that she doesn’t have to hold a heavy book. She likes not having to deal with the pages flipping back over while she’s reading, and she's thrilled that she doesn’t NEED a light in order to read.
So, we like what we like, and who knows why.
Terry, I am of the ilk that cherishes signed copies, regardless of whether I witnessed the event, because of the tie it forms between me and the creator. You personally HELD that book that was printed in some arbitrary warehouse. So, for people like me, I implore you to keep signing your books in random stores, thereby giving us the gift of your personal touch. And for those who feel differently? Go ahead and leave a few unsigned copies for them.
Scene: annual Stitches West, the biggest knitting conference in the US. (14,000 participants.) People were looking for my lace book. Every vendor there who sold books had sold out.
Except one. He still had a signed copy from the year before (because he can't return a signed copy to the publisher), set up on a shelf so that only the side edge showed. Nobody knew it was there, and the solid checkout line blocked the path to that shelf.
Those who move your book so the cover shows are absolutely right on. Good for them. And as the daughter of an art dealer, I'm delighted yours did so well at an art museum.
--AlisonH at spindyeknit.com
As a book reader, I can totally jump on the side of wanting a signed book vs. one that isn't. Like another reader said, it's like a connection between you and the author/artist.
However as a book seller, I can also see the point of being cautious about it due to the inability to send unsigned copies of a book back to a publisher.
Personally having sold several copies of Bent Objects, I'm thinking it would have been pretty sweet if they had been signed.
Just discovered this site and LOVE it (am trying to think of way to convince my husband that our business needs you to do something for us!)
re: signed books - I was a contributor in the book Sleep is for the Weak and we were highly encouraged by the editor to signs books. It is my understanding that once a book is signed, it cannot be returned to the publisher by the bookstore. That may explain why the book store's manner was not very "positive", they know that if the copies don't sell, they cannot return them to the publisher.
Now, excuse - I am to stalk your archives.
I have bought signed copies of books before. I think it's nice to know the author has actually handled the copy, it feels more personal, kind of like a link to the direct source. This is why I try to shop at local bookstores, B&N and others are usually so impersonal and don't really give you a good feeling. Usually I see there awesome employees at another (better) store in six months.
perhaps they think you'll ask for a fee or something for book signing? i wonder if their reaction would change if you phrased it like you were doing them a favor "for free" and see if that makes any difference... i would definitely opt for the autographed copy!
Hi! I just found your blog and so I apologize that my comment is late on this. I work at a corporate bookstore in Georgia, and we love your book. We had it placed all over the store for a while because it's so funny and clever. We would never dream of treating an author the way you described. I am confident in saying that we appreciate authors and the work that they put into their books. We have customers who come in and only by signed books because like you said it is something special! Unfortunately that's how some stores run and it's sad, authors are what makes the books happen so maybe the employees of bookstores should be a little more appreciative.
I'm sorry for going on a rant but this is bogus. We all enjoy your book down here in Georgia and keep up the good work!
I know I'm late to this, but I just found your blog. There's no excuse for booksellers to be rude to writers, or for writers to be rude to booksellers, given that we all depend on one another to make a living. But that said, I'd just like to point out that there's a very pragmatic reason why a store manager might hesitate and have to think for a moment before saying "yes, you can sign our stock": in many cases signing a book renders it non-returnable, which means that the bookseller can't return it to the publisher if it doesn't sell. When you ask if you can sign stock, you're asking the bookseller to take a financial risk.
I bet that the large stores aren't so keen on getting them signed because it means that they have to sell them rather then return them to publishers in six months if they've got any left.
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