New author Chelsea Banning tweeted to being “a little embarrassed” after the first book signing of her first book was attended by no one but her two friends.
A blessing in disguise it was, as her tweet somehow attracted a large crowd of authors ranging from successful to legendary, sharing their own stories of book-signing flops.
The first to comment was bestselling crime author Linwood Barclay.
“Once sat out front of mall bookshop for a signing,” Barclay tweeted. “No one stopped, until the very end, when an old guy paused, looked at me, looked at the books, looked at me, approached and asked, ‘Do they sell flags here?’”
This was followed by even more famous names: maybe you’ve heard of them.
Terry Pratchett and I did a signing in Manhattan for Good Omens that nobody came to at all. So you are two up on us.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) December 5, 2022
Join the club. I did a signing to which Nobody came, except a guy who wanted to buy some Scotch tape and thought I was the help. :)
— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) December 5, 2022
Some hours after Neil Gaiman and Margret Atwood helped console Banning, Stephen King arrived with his own anecdote.
At my first SALEM'S LOT signing, I had one customer. A fat kid who said, "Hey bud, do you know where there's some Nazi books?"
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) December 5, 2022
Banning was optimistic upon arriving at Pretty Good Books in Ashtabula, Ohio, on the release weekend of her novel Of Crowns and Legends. She had secured 37 RSVPs for the signing, but only two friends came who she chatted to before becoming disappointed that no one else showed up.
“I have sat lonely at a signing table many times only to have someone approach … and ask me where the bathroom is,” serial author Jodi Picoult chimed in.
Fonzy actor Henry Winkler, who mused that it was only the beginning, and Flavor Flav of all people piled on as well, with the latter saying “Here to hype up ya next signing!”
Sales of her book on Amazon have skyrocketed, and she admitted to the Guardian to being “elated” and “definitely reassured.”
At the end of her career, there’s every chance it will be the most memorable book signing of them all.
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