Calling all Janets!!! Janet Jackson...Janet Gretzky...
Well, it finally happened. One of the most dreaded moments in an author's life.
Years ago, I heard of this terrible fate that often befalls authors who are doing book signings, and yet in 4 years, I have never had it happen. Until now.
Each year I have counted my blessings that I have not been hit with the same fate as some of my comrades--the fate of a personalized book being dumped on a shelf and never purchased.
It happened. And I have survived.
And so has the person who came to my table to buy the book and nicely asked me to sign it as a Christmas gift for their mother JANET. Of course, I did so very happily and the book made its way closer to the cashiers. But then I turned my attention to the next customer, doing what I always do--trusting.
Half an hour later, one of the bookstore staff came up to me, the copy of Divine Intervention in hand. I think I knew the second I saw it. "It's a PERSONALIZED copy, Cheryl!"
My heart sank.
You see, two of my novels are consigned to the bookstores--Divine Intervention and The River. This means that I hold all the risk. If a book is of the back cover, I take the hit. And if a book is returned to me signed and personalized, I take the hit. Not the bookstore. Me. And truthfully, I can't afford to take too many of these a year.
So now I'm stuck with a signed book for some unknown person named...
JANET.
And "Shameless Promoter" kicked in and I thought I would make some lemonade out of that 'lemon' and give away a book, seeing as I can't sell it in a bookstore now.
So...calling all JANETS!!!
CONTEST RULES!
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