How to Get a Signed Copy of The Collapsing Empire
Posted on March 20, 2017 Posted by John Scalzi 17 Comments
Hey there! Wanting to have me deface a copy of my upcoming book The Collapsing Empire (or other books of mine), with my signature, and possibly a personalization? Here are all the ways you can make this happen in the next few weeks!
1. Come see me on tour between March 21st and April 29: Yes, it’s a long tour, with two dozen stops over five weeks. Which means there’s a reasonable chance I will be (somewhat) near you. Why not come see in person? I will be reading from the upcoming book (Head On, the sequel to Lock In) and will have other entertaining bits going on as well. And I will sign your copy of TCE while you are there! And other things you might bring. Here’s the tour schedule. Note that some events are ticketed; go through the links for details.
2. Pre-order the book from the stores on my tour: If you can’t make it to one of my events but feel like supporting the stores I’m visiting, call them up, order the book from them, and ask them to have me sign it when I’m there for the event (important note: ask for that before the date I arrive for the event, not after). They will generally be happy to take your order, have me sign it, and then ship it to you, for their usual shipping fee. I will also generally be signing remaining Scalzi book stock on the tour, so even if you call after I’ve gone, they still may have signed stock.
3. Call Jay and Mary’s Book Center in Troy, Ohio: I am signing their entire Scalzi stock today before I go on book tour, so you can call and they’ll set you up. Additionally, even if they run out of signed copies immediately, if you’re willing to wait to have me sign your book until I’m back in town (which during the tour happens March 30 – April 2, and April 9 – 16), you can still order from them and I will both sign and personalize your copy.
4. Check with Barnes & Noble: I signed a whole bunch of signature sheets for them earlier this year, which were put into copies of the book. So your local B&N might have them on the shelf. They’re also selling them online.
5. Try an airport bookstore: As I’m slogging through the airports of this great nation of ours whilst on tour, when time permits I’ll pop into their bookstores and sign stock (with their permission). When that happens, I’ll probably note it on Twitter. But otherwise, particularly in a hub airport, just check out the bookstore (which you should do anyway). There might be a signed book!
And there you go — signed copies of The Collapsing Empire. Go get ’em.
Subterranean Press also just sent out an email saying they have a few signed copies left.
What? cant just show up at your door with a Churro?
(Jokes! never show up at someones home uninvited or unannounced)
@John Duggan, end of the driveway, no further. =)
adkay:
All of those are taken now.
@John Duggan: I’ve thought of trying something similar to this XKCD: https://xkcd.com/163/ at the Scalzi Compound, but I have the feeling that I’d be seeing the inside of an Ohio jail by the end of the day if I did.
I’ve moved far away from the Raleigh stops but I ordered a copy from the store.
I ordered a signed copy online from B&N
Do the airport bookstore people generally believe that you are really who you say you are when you randomly show up to sign books?
The airport book signing sounds cool yet weird. J.S. Hi, I wrote that book, mind if I sign them? Worker Uh, could I see some ID? J.S. Look that’s me on the dust cover.
Or maybe just cool if the worker happens to be a fan.
Is this a common practice? I vaguely recall hearing about another author doing something like this.
Dear Rembrandt,
I’ve wondered about the same problem, along with “OK, that’s you but I am just a clerk and I’d have to get approval from the owner.”
Now, that said…
By pure chance I was flying home from a vacation in Minneapolis last month on the same day that the paperback edition of Saturn Run hit the stands. After the thrill of seeing my name prominently displayed on the shelf (trust me, that doesn’t get old) I had a mischievous moment and after checking to make sure no one was looking my way, furtively signed several copies of the book.
Because, it amused me, and I figured (incorrectly, John?) that no they wouldn’t let me just sign’em.
Did that in two bookstores I passed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. A little Easter egg for some lucky unsuspecting buyers.
Now here’s the good part. The following Sunday I woke up to read the following email:
“I picked up a copy of Saturn Run yesterday in an airport. The title page in the book is signed “Enjoy! Ctein 1/17″. Was this actually signed by Ctein or is this a forgery? 200 pages in, great story line. I am enjoying it, thanks for the effort.”
Now, how is that for making your Sunday?!
(Yes, I did write him back and thank him and assure him the signature was real.)
– Pax \ Ctein
[ Please excuse any word-salad. Dragon Dictate in training! ]
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— Ctein’s Online Gallery. http://ctein.com
— Digital Restorations. http://photo-repair.com
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My pre-ordered copy arrived today!
Thank you sir!!!
Checking at an airport bookstore is exactly how I got my copy of Metatropolis, a book I hadn’t otherwise planned on buying. That was in O’Hare, on the way from Berlin to elsewhere in the States. The SF section there was also more carefully stocked than one might expect from an airport store. I picked up Binti and I remember being surprised at the breadth of the selection. Somebody there knows what they’re doing.
“I’ll pop into their bookstores and sign stock (with their permission)”
Heh. Do authors sneak into bookstores and sign books withOUT permission?
Sounds wonderful! (When I read the headline without looking down for a second I thought it was going to be another article about the Trump administration.) Have fun on your tour.
Thanks ctein. I am sure seeing your book on the shelves doesn’t get old. The stealth approach almost sounds like more fun. Not without risks though.
What the? Half my comment is gone. I had a link to a picture of Bruce Wayne being arrested in China for stealing electronics from Wayne Enterprises. Ugh. Hate my phone.
Just had an idea, figured I’d leave it here (just in case it’s a great idea): you (and authors in general) should also provide signed copies of their audio books.
Customer provides you with their name, or who the “autograph” is for, and possibly a short message (like they do with regular autographs) and you record a short audio file of yourself saying hello to the person/reading the message aloud, etc.. Then the audio book provider needs some simple software to insert the “autograph” into the audio file (At the beginning? At the end?), making it a personalized, one-of-a-kind audio file that belongs to the customer alone.
I’m not an autograph hound myself, but I know folks who are. I wonder if this kind of thing could catch on, both as a promotional item and/or as something that could appreciate with value over time (like print autographs work today).
Thoughts?