So How'd It Go?

As y'all know, I've been dreading last Friday's book signing for weeks. If I wasn't such a dork, it wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm an introvert and meeting strangers is a huge challenge for me. So with that set up, the big question is: How did it go?

First off, I didn't get lost driving to the signing. This is a big deal for me because I get lost all the time. I was worried for a little while because Google maps said 8.6 miles and I thought for sure I'd gone farther than that, but I continued on and found the street I needed to turn onto. I also managed to find a parking ramp right around the corner from the River Center and got a spot right next to the elevators. It cost me $10 for event parking, but it was handy and I paid that outrageous amount.

Another worry I had was traffic, but that wasn't too bad either. Of course, I wasn't on the freeway, which probably made a difference. Nice, though, to not be stressed out about being stuck in some kind of jam and watching the clock tick away.

I registered and received my badge. I forgot to grab a program for my scrapbook, though, darn it! And received directions to where the signing was being held. Here's where I became a little directionally confused, but they had a map on the wall of the building and I worked it out.

My signing was scheduled from 5:30 to 6:00 and I arrived at the correct spot at 5pm--and was promptly kicked out while they finished setting up the room. I got in about 10 minutes before I was set to sign and got myself organized. I'm glad I had the first time because I did have that opportunity to get settled which those who came in later didn't get. Lines were in place as we swapped out at 6pm.

Anyway, I had a few moments where no one was in my line for books although everyone else seemed to be busy. Fortunately, those lulls didn't last long. I knocked my stack of books over twice. Once a bookseller helped me rescue them before they hit the floor. The second time no one was close enough to assist me, but I had a lot less books then, so it was easier to catch them. I did sign all of my books--I'm guessing I had 48--and give them away and I only had one "I'm a complete dork" moment.

Yes, you knew it had to happen--at least I did which was why I was a wreck about the signing. I glanced up at someone's badge quickly, saw three names and asked if he want the first two on the book. On closer examination, it turned out that the third word was not a name. It said "staff." Gah! Fortunately, he was a total sweetheart about it and made a joke to save me from dying of embarrassment. So Mr. Staff ;-) if you're reading this, thank you.

Originally there was someone directly after me who was supposed to be signing a tarot book. My plan was to finish my gig and go get a signed copy of that, but when I checked the current schedule, she wasn't on it. Bummer.

And with that, I left. Traffic going home was awful even though it was nearly 6:30 by the time I hit Minneapolis. (The signing was in St. Paul.) I didn't think it would be that bad that late, but I finally made it home and collapsed. Between the lack of sleep and the stress, I was exhausted!

Anyway, I think it went well enough even with the "I'm an idiot" moment, but I'm so glad that that's over with and I have no more signings scheduled. Hugely, hugely glad. :-)

I'm a Dork

What writer doesn't sit and daydream about selling her first book and doing a book signing? It's one of the standard fantasies, I guess. I probably daydreamed about them myself. Maybe. I can't remember, TBH, and I'm incredibly shy. Put me in a situation where I have to meet a lot of strangers and I become a total dork. I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not.

What brings this topic up? Well, I'm doing a book signing on Friday at the Midwest Booksellers' Association cocktail party in St. Paul, MN. For a half an hour, I will be signing books and chatting with booksellers. Or trying to chat.

I started dreading this two weeks ago. I've signed at a bookseller event before and it went fine. I've signed at a librarians convention and made a great contact. I've signed at bookstores and at big mass author signings at RWA and RT. It's not like I'm floundering into uncharted territory, yet signings get harder and harder for me each time I do one. I don't know why. Shouldn't they be getting easier? Logic says yes, at least to me.

So right now I'm worried about:

• Driving through all that traffic on a Friday afternoon. Will I be late?
• Getting lost. I'm a Minneapolis girl; St. Paul is foreign ground and confusing.
• Finding some place to park. See number 2 about not knowing St. Paul or the area.
• Finding the place where I'm supposed to be. Couldn't find the RWA table at the librarians' event and was running late because of construction messing up traffic. I made it with seconds to spare and was totally stressed.
• Talking to strangers without sounding like a complete idiot. I'll settle for only sounding like a partial idiot.
• Misspelling someone's name.
• Trying to talk while I'm signing. I can't do this. I always stop and talk and am quiet while I sign, but with only a half an hour and free books, I'm guessing I'll have to be faster.
• Knocking something over. My books, someone else's books. When I get anxious, I become clumsier and I can be pretty clumsy to begin with.

Well, you get the idea. I'm worrying about a lot of things. Probably most of what I'm concerned about won't be an issue. Maybe. Getting lost is a very real possibility since I make a habit of that when I go somewhere I'm unfamiliar with.

So if you're a bookseller coming to the cocktail party at MBA, I apologize in advance for my dorkiness. I just can't seem to help it.