Frans de Waal signing books at the University of Auckland

Book signing is the affixing of a

signature A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, Handwriting, handwritt ...

to the

title page The title page of a book, thesis or other written work is the page at or near the front which displays its title (publishing), title, subtitle, author, publisher, and edition, often artistically decorated. (A half title, by contrast, displays onl ...

or flyleaf of a

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

by its

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

. Book signings are events, usually at a

bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books, which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, book people, bookmen, or bookwomen. History The found ...

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

, where an author sits and signs books for a period.

Book signing

Book signing is popular because an author's signature increases the value of books for

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. The author may add a short message to the reader, called a

dedication Dedication often refers to various religious and secular ceremonies and practices such as: * Dedication (ritual) the ritual or ceremonial establishment of a purpose for a person, place, or thing ** Dedication of churches ** Child dedication, a C ...

, to each book, which may be personalized with the recipient's name upon request. A simple author's signature without a dedication is typically more valuable to collectors (exceptions include inscriptions to persons of note, e.g., from

Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized f ...

Fitzgerald Fitzgerald may refer to: People * Fitzgerald (surname), a surname * Fitzgerald Hinds, Trinidadian politician * Fitzgerald Toussaint (born 1990), former American football running back Place Australia * Fitzgerald River National Park, a nati ...

, or to persons of significance in the author's life). Sometimes an author will sign additional copies for future sale. An additional advantage to authors for doing this is that once a book has been signed, it cannot be returned to the publisher for a refund. Many authors today spend a great deal of time signing their books, and sign many thousands of copies. For example,

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author and YouTuber. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including ''The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is one of the List of best-selling books#Bet ...

signed all 150,000 copies of the first printing of his 2012 novel ''

The Fault in Our Stars ''The Fault in Our Stars'' is a novel by John Green. It is his fourth solo novel, and sixth novel overall. It was published on January 10, 2012. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play ''Julius Caesar (play), Julius Caesar ...

''. The growing popularity of ebooks and ereading devices has inspired the development of software — such as Authorgraph (formerly known as Kindlegraph and renamed to reflect its expansion to include all ereading platforms), and Autography (for

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

devices) - that allows authors to digitally personalize ebooks, by including autographs, dedications, and photographs, and to provide such personalization remotely as well as at in-person book signings. Such software benefits authors, "who are not obliged to go on long distance promotional tours in order to autograph e-books for their fans", as well as those readers who are unwilling or unable to brave crowds and longs lines at onsite book signings. Before such applications were introduced, efforts to bridge the

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to information technology, digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide worsens inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information ...

for those who read ebooks included having authors sign the backs of their fan's ereading devices or sign ebooks via direct stylus input (e.g., on a Sony Reader Touch or Palm eReader).

Book signings

Book signings provide more than just a chance to obtain signatures. Authors and bookstores are benefited by the fact that many copies of the book being promoted are sold at these events. Signings also increase public goodwill and allow authors to connect with their fans. For fans, signings provide a chance to see and meet a favorite author and ask them questions. The development of social media platforms allows modern day authors to conduct virtual book signings. For example, The

GoodReader GoodReader is an iOS application used to primarily edit PDF documents. It was originally developed in Moscow by Good.iWare Ltd., a company started by Yuri Selukoff, a Russian developer. Yuri has subsequently relocated to the United States and s ...

and Autography jointly hosted an ebook signing with author HP Mallory, during which Mallory greeted fans via

Spreecast Spreecast, Inc. was an Internet application and free social video broadcasting platform. The company was founded in 2011 by Jeff Fluhr, founder and former CEO of online ticketing marketplace StubHub, and is based in San Francisco, California . ...

, a social connectivity platform that allows users to have up to four guests on

video chat Videotelephony (also known as videoconferencing or video calling) is the use of audio and video for simultaneous two-way communication. Today, videotelephony is widespread. There are many terms to refer to videotelephony. ''Videophones'' are ...

at one time, to conduct Q&A sessions with even more participants, and to maintain a channel on the site, thereby recording and storing the Spreecast and assigning the recordings a

URL A uniform resource locator (URL), colloquially known as an address on the Web, is a reference to a resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. A URL is a specific type of Uniform Resource Identi ...

for sharing at other outlets. Many authors use the book signing platform LiveSigning to host large-scale, streaming video book signings with their fans. Donald Trump hosted a book signing on this platform during his presidential campaign in December 2015. Book signings on LiveSigning typically consist of the author signing books, answering questions from fans, and making phone calls to some fans. After the event, the signed books are mailed to everyone who purchased a signed copy.

References

External links

Dedee
First PC/Mac standalone software for ebook signing.
AuthorgraphAuthorstrack.com Author Book Signings, Author Events, Author Lectures and More
Author Book Signings, Author Events
Autography.comCelebrity book signing and events
A comprehensive listing of all American book signings involving notable personalities.
FindBookSignings.com
A large list of upcoming book signing events. * A listing of upcoming Book Signings at Independent Booksellers.
MyWriteapp.com
Application for signing e-books. {{Books Bookselling Marketing techniques

Book signing

Book signings

See also

References

External links