Helping a Friend

Have you ever gone to an author booksigning?

On Saturday, I spent the day in Champaign, IL helping a friend at a booksigning on Homecoming day. She picked me up at 7:30, we drove 2+ hours, had a quick lunch and went to the bookstore. From before 12 to 5pm, we manned a table near the store entrance.

The book: HOW TO RUIN A SUMMER VACATION, a young adult novel by Simone Elkeles about a girl who has to travel to Israel with her estranged father. 100 copies were stacked high, ready to sell.

The football game was being broadcast throughout the store. A few shoppers wandered in...some didn't even look our way. Simone bravely asked any girl who looked like she might be a teenager if she liked to read and adults if they knew any teenagers.

By 3:30, the game had ended and the store was packed. Simone's cousin bought a book. An author friend bought 6. A friend of mine bought 3, and a friend of his bought 1. The store kept 6 that she signed. That's 17 sold to people we knew.

She (we) sold 37 books in approximately 5 hours. That may not sound like a lot, but from what I've heard is great for a first time author. Many who didn't buy took bookmarks advertising this and her two upcoming novels.

Got home at around 9pm.