JET writes “The Guardian Reports:
Margaret Atwood is developing a remote book-signing machine that will allow readers to get their novels autographed without the author having to traipse to bookshops across the globe. The idea occurred to her while undertaking gruelling tours with Oryx and Crake last spring.
“Last time I did a tour in Britain it was pretty horrendous,” she said. “This will mean a lot less angst, inconvenience, starvation, sitting in airports and eating out of minibars.””
Signings
I am somewhat sympathetic. Authors aren’t really rock stars, although that kind of treatment seems to help market their books these days. I don’t understand the need for readers to have their books signed by the author…can someone please explain it to me? Now, meeting the author and or hearing him/her speak…that’s different.
Re:Signings
It depends on the type of book signing. Some authors will take the time to engage in a bit of conversation, which makes the event memorable and meaningful. My favourite such event was with the late, lamented Arnold Lobel who wrote and illustrated many of his picture books. He would draw a image from the book, along with signing his name. I treasure the result.
But since Atwood describes herself as an old age pensioner, I guess she is allowed to slow down a bit!
Re:Signings
>> can someone please explain it to me?
I don’t think the book-signing tours are due to the demand of readers so much as they are a tool of publishers for publisizing the book, in hopes of increasing sales (by making people aware of the book who weren’t, and encouraging those who are interested to actually buy a copy)
Re:Signings
oops, I didn’t realize that whitespace doesn’t translate without using {br}.
The above post should have a {br} between “>> Can someone explain this to me?” (the quote) and my reply.
(yes, I should have used “preview”. Mia culpa.”)
Re:Signings
Oops, I should have used “preview”, mea culpa.
I didn’t realize that whitespace doesn’t translate without a {br}, the above comment should have one between the quote I am responding to (“>> can someone please explain this to me?”) and the rest of my post.
Re:Signings
You’ve put your finger, I think, on the weakness in Ms. Atwood’s idea. There are signature hounds out there, which is why the handwritten shopping list of a dead famous person can go for thousands or tens of thousands. However, for the majority of the readers showing up for authors’ appearances, the attraction is meeting the author, with the signature as souvenir of the event.
Her exhaustion and desire for a way out of it is understandable, but a signature machine just won’t serve the same purpose that the book tours do. If she doubts that, she should try asking Donald Rumsfeld how well it worked for him.:)
Re:Signings
Having met this particular author, I can assure you that a robotic signature is a perfectly reasonable substitute.
The human connection…
For me, it’s seeing and hearing the author. The signature is bonus. However, I’m sympathetic to her wanting that as I know an author who has to ice down her wrist after almost every signing nowadays and had to relearn how to sign her name so that she didn’t get a repetitive stress injury such as carpal tunnel in her wrist.