Book Signing

Tom’s Book Signing: Signing books at the Baylor County Free Library last evening (1/18/17), from 5-6 pm. Not a lot of visitors showed up, but we did enjoy talking with Jessica Myers, the Librarian, and the few who did stop by. We just took one picture. Here I am signing copies of THESE ALIEN SKIES, WORLDS OF TOMORROW and THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA for Bill & June Sharon. Sadly, Seymour rolls up its streets at 5 pm, and few people will venture out after that hour. Plus, there were some heavy clouds overhead, and thunderstorms threatened.

Book Signing

Book Signing

Seymour, Texas, June 7^th, 2014. What can one say about Seymour? What comes to mind is the comedian that used to say, “I get no respect.” Remember him? Now I’m not him. I do get respect, just not from Seymour (LOL). Let me tell you about a few of my book signings and see if you don’t agree. Several years ago, during the Fall Festival, I was booked for a signing at the county library; they put my table outside by the north door, on a cold windy day. Can you say, pneumonia? (brrr). Last year, also during the Fall Festival, I had a table, again outside on a cold, cold morning. Remember that pneumonia? See the picture below.

Haskell, Texas, lets me sign inside. See Below.

So does Books A Million & Hastings In Wichita Falls. See Below. Yes, I finally decided to shave off the gray hair, so please no comments (G).

Even The Senior Citizens Let Me Sign Indoors. See Below.

Now June 7^th, the day the Whiteside Museum of Natural History has its Grand Opening, I requested a table to sign books; not just any books, my books about dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles. After all, I am the Author in residence, and these are subjects that coincide with the Museum of Natural History. Guess where they put me? Yep, you guessed it, outside again. This time I sat at a table in over 100-degree temperature. Now, if I just don’t get heat stroke this time. Anyone want me to come to their town to sign books? I believe I’ll forget about Seymour next time. Ah, maybe I should have been a comedian after all. Enjoy the pictures.

Thankfully, we were in the shade, and had a nice wind. The heat never became much of a problem, though we did get a little hot. The sudden wind gusts did prove a problem, however, as my books went flying several times. Not a great day, but not a bad one, either. TREASURE OF JUR sold best, as people liked the tiger head on the cover. I didn’t have any new edition copies of PANGAEA: EDEN’S PLANET, but I did have the poster on hand.

Ginger went through the new museum first, while I sat with the table, and she took the pictures. I went after she returned, but my blood sugar took a sudden dive while inside, and I had to get out to my jellybeans before someone called an ambulance. I barely made it back to the table before collapsing.

Tom's Book Signing

My book signing today went poorly, but I blame the cold weather for keeping people away, and the fact that I was put outside for the ordeal. I set up just before 9 AM, and it was in the mid thirties. By noon it began warming up, and people came by to talk, but no one was interested in buying books. That’s okay, I did get exposure (more ways than one), and enjoyed meeting and talking with people. Seymour has never been much for readers. I learned that when I owned and operated a used bookstore for thirty years. My sales continue to be from other sources; for instance, my Kindle books are still selling better than the print books, both in the US and overseas. Ginger only took one picture of me at the signing, and as you can see, I’m bundled up for the cold temperatures.

Book Signing

Book Signing in Haskell, Texas, April 6^th. We had an enjoyable time visiting with the good people of Haskell and talking books. There was a lot of interest in my books, and we sold over $120.00 worth, and was interviewed by the newspaper. Hopefully, we will be invited back.

I wore my fedora to promote my books set in the 1930s and 1940s. I had 19 different books with me, but the table was too small for that many. I sold two copies of Cold War Heroes, two copies of Three Go Back, a copy of Pulp Echoes, Pulp Detectives, Exciting Pulp Tales, Shadowhawke, Double Danger Tales #64, Startling Stories with my story, What Goes There, and maybe some other stuff. The store took 20% of my sales, but it was worth it to introduce my books to a small town without access to new books.

Even as we were closing up, and had the books already packed, we were selling books. Again, the people treated us very nice in Haskell.