Tuesday, December 27, 2011

LIKE BEING PUNKED

So it's my penultimate night at Barnes & Noble and I'm working at the registers and a man comes up with a copy of Rogue Clone.  I looked at it and said, "Would you like me to sign that?"

He, having absolutely no idea what in the world I could mean, said, "No."

I said, "I wrote that book."  Since the first few books don't have my picture, I whipped out my drivers license and showed him.

He was a nice guy.  He laughed and said he'd read The Clone Republic and said, "Sure.  Please sign it."  I offered to write "To..." or something else, but he was fine with a simple signature.

What a rush that was!

11 comments:

Jon said...

Hahaha pretty good story!

Frank said...

Let him read through a few more books and he'll probably be running after you to get all his books signed! :)

By the way Mr. Kent, I will be back to the Seattle area in January. What are the chances that I can get my own copies signed? :P

Steven L. Kent said...

This is a crazy month as The Clone Sedition is due February 1, so I won't have a lot of time; but I would enjoy getting together with you. Send me an email address and some dates and we'll set something up.

Steven L. Kent said...

JenMo wrote:

That had to be a surreal moment for him. Who'd think that the author of the book they are buying will also be selling you the book?

So was the B&N gig seasonal? Are you done there? Did you learn anything through your experience there?

(It's early in the a.m. here and I accidentally deleted instead of publishing. Sorry.)

Steven L. Kent said...

JenMo,

First, I apologize again for accidentally deleting. I am partially apologizing to myself as well because your ninja icon absolutely dresses up the pages.

The moment was certainly surreal for me, if not him.

Tonight is my last night. I think they liked having me around, though I certainly am not as proficient as their regular cashiers and I do not know how to find hidden books like their seasoned customer service folks.

Yes, I learned great lessons. A kid came in looking for a book. When he did not find the one he wanted, I recommended Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians.

His mother read the back cover and the first page and absolutely loved it. The kid took one look and said he did not want it. When his mom asked why, he said, "Because the kid in the book is 13 and I'm ten."

I think I have approached young adult and middle grade fiction with a 'one size fits all' philosophy. That works if you're J.K. Rowling and you've got something as good as Harry Potter; but that is the only time it works.

The last month was a great reminder that the book industry is filled with very smart professionals and that I have a lot to learn and that I will learn it faster listening to people who know what they are talking about.

Josh said...

Hopefully the guy isn't an aspiring author. Having the guy who wrote a best seller ring you up at Barns and Nobles isn't exactly a great selling point for the career. lol

Steven L. Kent said...

That would be a great dose of reality in an otherwise surreal situation.

Hunter said...

hilarious

Amer Elali said...

dam i would total have waited in line and had you sign all 7 books and cant wait for the new book

Steven L. Kent said...

Thanks Amer

Todd said...

BWAHAHA!