Tips - When Meeting an Author…

This is for readers and writers, but I’d love my author friends to add their two cents as well. Even after 300 signings, I’m sure I’ve not encountered every situation possible.

When meeting an author at a book signing:

DO:

Speak to us!
We enjoy interaction.
Ask about our books.
Tell us what you enjoy about our books.
Ask for an autograph.
Ask for a bookmark or two.
Consider our books for someone else if they don’t appeal to you.
Ask if we can speak to your school or organization.

DON’T:
Monopolize our time.
Be conscious of our time - we are there to work.
We have a short span of time to expose our books to as many people as possible.
Others may be waiting to speak to us.
Be courteous and purchase a book if you do spend time talking with us.

Pump us for information.
We can’t give you our publisher or agent’s name or recommend you.
We don’t have twenty minutes to tell you how to get your book published.
We can’t read, critique, or pass on your manuscript.
We don’t have time for a twenty-minute description of the book you are writing.
Asking how many books we’ve sold or how much money we’ve made is not polite.

Ask in depth questions about other authors or books.
We are there to promote our book, not someone else’s.
We are not store staff, either.

And don’t eat all of our candy or grab and handful and run without purchasing a book - the store did not supply that candy, we paid for it.


While the don’ts might sound harsh, remember - the author who’s done multiple signings has heard it multiple times. It’s cute the first time. By the 50th time, it’s lost its charm. We are there to work. We depend on book sales and impressing the bookstore staff so they will invite us to return. Please help us to continue doing what we love.

We want to connect with our readers and enjoy the opportunity to do so at signings and appearances. Just remember common courtesy and the experience will be wonderful for both of us!

Authors, any other Dos or DON’Ts?