Thursday, November 21, 2013

Country Hardball: The Launch


By Steve Weddle

So here's something I hadn't anticipated with last night's launch of COUNTRY HARDBALL at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond. (Signed copies available, thanks to Kelly and crew.)

I mean, I'd been prepared to have only three people show up. Kinda prepared. I'd been prepared to have a thousand show. And, I'd been prepared to have it be somewhere between those two numbers, which it was.

I hadn't know that friend-of-the-blog Dana King was going to go to all the trouble to drive 150 minutes each way for the launch. How nice is that?

I hadn't been prepared to bring leftover wine -- even cheap wine -- home from a book event.

I hadn't been prepared to get three pages into reading a five page story and completely flake, trying to count the minutes I'd been reading and attempt to math in my head to figure out how long was left.

But the thing I really wasn't prepared for was not being able to talk very long to everyone who was there. I stood up there and talked, sure. When people came up to get a book signed, though, there I was trying to carry on conversations with people while other people were waiting and all I wanted to do was say how much I liked a blog review they'd done a couple weeks back about a book I wouldn't normally pick up but sounded great or ask them about the book I'd heard they were working on now or tell them how great it was to see them for the first time in ten years and did that rash ever go away. And on and on. I don't know how authors do it, standing up there and wanting to talk for 30 minutes with each person and just not having the time. People go to all the trouble to come out on a Wednesday night to pay money for sheets of paper with my words on them because they want to read this thing I did. And I don't even have the time to talk to each person for more than a few minutes? When they've given up all this time and effort to come see me? It just seems damned ridiculous is all.

So thank you so much to everyone who came out and to everyone who is coming out Friday in New York City.

I'm sure I'll have everything figured out by then and, as KV might write, everything will be beautiful and nothing will hurt.

5 comments:

Gerald So said...

I'm a considerate signing guest. I go in knowing authors won't have much time to chat. It's enough for me to see authors and hear what they have to say about their books. In the signing line, I keep it brief. I bet there are others who approach signings the same way.

If the authors and I are friends beforehand, I try to arrive early and chat with them as they set up.

I'll try to make it to The Mysterious Bookshop tomorrow, but chances are slim, so allow me to congratulate and wish you continued success here.

Dana King said...

The pleasure was mine. With my launch fresh in memory, I knew well how much it meant to have a decent sized crowd and maybe a familiar face. (Or even a face to go with a familiar name.) I've been looking forward to the book and figured I might as well get one from the author's hand than just buy one. Your worries about reading length were unfounded; it was fine. I doubt anyone left disappointed. Well, maybe any groupies who only attend these events so they can sleep with an author. As far as I know.

It was also a treat to meet your wife and mother. Truly an evening well spent.

David Cranmer said...

And the adventure begins... Congrats, Steve.

Kieran Shea said...

The man has arrived. Congrats.

Lee Thompson said...

Congrats on the launch, Steve! Watched a fantastic video with you and Ben Leroy and found it very entertaining and insightful. I hope the NY stop goes well! Will be checking out COUNTRY HARDBALL soon. Keep rocking.